Tyler Hynes had the ultimate Hallmark universe crossover while attending his first Kansas City Chiefs game shortly after filming The Groomsmen trilogy overseas.
“I went to my first game and Mecole Hardman Jr. rehabilitated my sprained thumb, which I sprained on The Groomsmen,” Hynes, 38, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting The Groomsmen films, premiering on Hallmark+ all month long. “He cured it, and I looked into his eyes and that’s when I fell in love.”
Hynes recalled injuring his hand on The Groomsmen set earlier this summer and then re-spraining it filming Hallmark’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story in Kansas City.
When he was at Arrowhead Stadium — which is where he and Hunter King shot much of their upcoming holiday film — he encountered Hardman, 26.
“He came up to me and I just met him, and he grabbed my thumb and started fixing it, rehabilitating it,” Hynes said of the Chiefs wide receiver. “And I was just like, ‘You are a beautiful man, and I love you.’”
A Chiefs Love Story premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, November 30, and depicts a Chiefs super fan on her quest to find the team’s “Fan of the Year” contest that Hynes’ Derrick oversees and judges. There will be nods throughout the film to the NFL team, including tight end Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce, making a cameo.
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While Hynes’ on-set injury led to him meeting Hardman and forming a bond — Hynes was at the Chiefs game to promote his Hallmark rom-com — his Groomsmen costar B.J. Britt might have him beat in the injury department.
“Oh, B.J. pulled his groin out,” Jonathan Bennett, who plays Danny in the trilogy, exclusively told Us this month, but didn’t disclose which of the three Groomsmen features causes him harm.
Britt, who portrays Pete, recalled “chasing after the taxi” during one of the films and as he was running “all of a sudden it just exploded.”
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Bennett, 43, was surprised that Britt, 42, kept going after the incident. “He kept shooting and he was limping so bad and we’re like, ‘Are you OK?’ He’s like, ‘No, no, I can do another take,’” Bennett remembered. “And he did four more takes until finally he was like, ‘OK, I can’t run anymore.’”
Britt teased, “I’m such a trooper,” to which his costars both agreed.
The Groomsmen: First Look, which premiered on Thursday, October 17, kicked off the franchise on Hallmark+. It follows Pete’s (Britt) love story and his friendships with groomsmen Danny (Bennett) and Jackson (Hynes).
The Groomsmen: Second Chances, out on Thursday, October 24, depicts Danny’s road to the altar and The Groomsmen: The Last Dance, which premieres on Thursday, October 31, is all about Jackson’s happily ever after. (All of the films take place in different countries!)
“It’s three gentlemen and a rom-com,” Hynes told Us of the concept, noting that he and Bennett were producers on the movies. “One thing that was very important to us and we saw as a huge opportunity is to just let it be a story about everybody and including everybody’s voice, not just our own.”
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He noted that while Hallmark fans love to watch “legendary love stories [that are] real, lovely and cinematic,” these films also “pay homage to the people who have the quiet love stories that are just like the everyday thing.”
The Groomsmen: First Look is available to stream on Hallmark+. The Groomsmen: Second Chances debuts on Hallmark+ Thursday, October 24, and The Groomsmen: The Last Dance follows on Thursday, October 31.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
