Hallmark

The More Love Grows on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries – Plot, Cast & Photos

The More Love Grows is the newest addition to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries‘ summer lineup. It joins other originals on the network such as A Lifelong Love and Big Sky River: The Bridal Path. Premiering August 18, the film stars Rachel Boston and Warren Christie as two strangers who meet after a woman adopts a dog. Get details on the plot, cast, photos and more below.

What is The More Love Grows about?

Helen (Rachel Boston) and her husband Paul (Patrick Gilmore, “Family Law”) move their daughter Aly (Roan Curtis, “Firefly Lane”) into college. Afterward, Paul breaks the news that he wants a separation from Helen. Unsure where to go from here, Helen struggles with her single status. When an adorable stray dog turns up, she takes him in and names him Elmer because he sticks to her like glue. Elmer keeps Helen company and leads her to Ben (Warren Christie), a veterinarian who helps her navigate dog ownership. Slowly, Helen gets out of her comfort zone and rebuilds her life. Will this new path of promise and possibility include Ben?

Who’s in the cast of The More Love Grows?

Rachel Boston as Helen

Rachel Boston is an American actress. She appeared in A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe for Hallmark and the CBS/Paramount+ series SEAL Team. Although, her breakout was on NBC’s American Dreams. Other roles you may have seen her in include Witches of East End, The Good Doctor, 500 Days of Summer and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. For Hallmark Channel, Rachel appeared in A Christmas Carousel, The Last Bridesmaid, A Rose for Christmas and Dating the Delaneys. Guest star spots on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, ER and NCIS round out her list. Boston is married to husband Toya Ashe, with whom she has a daughter named Grace.

Warren Christie as Ben

Warren Christie is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Freeform’s The Watchful Eye and Crashing Through the Snow for Hallmark Channel. His expansive resume has both TV and film. Television roles include Chicago Fire, The Village, Alphas, Eyewitness and October Road. Films include Hallmark’s If I Only Had Christmas and Lifetime’s Gone Mom: The Jennifer Dulos Story. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his family. Since 2007, Warren’s been married to wife Sonya Salomaa. They have a son named Cash, plus three adorable dogs.

Warren Christie as Ben

Rachel Boston as Helen

Elmer

Full Cast List

Rachel Boston (Helen)

Warren Christie (Ben)

Roan Curtis (Aly)

Patrick Gilmore (Paul)

Gabrielle Rose (Susan)

Lynda Boyd (Cindy)

Karly Warkentin (Mary Ann)

Sarah Surh (Tanya)

Alisha Newton (Dana)

Andy Thompson (Professor)

Nathan Parrott (Charlie)

Trezzo Mahoro (Asher)

Alex Rose (Justin)

Chris Carson (Trevor)

Jessie Fraser (Marisa)

Meghan Gardiner (Amy)

Andrea Brooks (Yoga Instructor)

Zach Kostersky (Skyler)

Jenn Maclean-Angus (Mediator)

More on The Furry Stars…The Dogs of The More Love Grows

Are you wondering about the furry stars of The More Love Grows? The adorable dogs stole the spotlight in the Warren Christie led Hallmark movie.

We were able to speak with the animal trainer on set, Stephanie Stanton-Linder where she revealed some behind the scenes facts about the dogs!

The dogs in “The More Love Grows” were:

Twiggy as Elmer
Tito as Chip
Briggs as Chunk
Attie (full name Attitude!) as Joey Ramone

How were the dogs trained?

The dogs are all trained using positive reinforcement, lots of praise and either food or toy rewards depending on the action/behavior being trained.

We start new tricks using ‘shaping’ where we set up the environment to entice the dog to offer the desired behavior (for example, the trick of digging for one of Elmer’s first scenes) then we ‘mark’ the behavior by saying Yes or using a clicker. Immediately after the yes or click, we offer a high value reward – and repeat! Once we can predict the behavior, we add a cue (“dig, dig, dig!”) before we think the dog is about to offer the behavior. With repetitions, the dogs learn to associate the new cue word with the new trick.

How do the dogs acclimate to the actors on set?

Learning to interact with the actors is probably the most challenging ‘training’ for us to accomplish, as it has more to do with the dog’s natural ability to be social and their unique personality. Some dogs love to interact with actors take after take, and others are more likely to look for their trainer to try to figure out what they should be doing next! When we are given time to allow the dogs to meet the actors before shooting and develop a genuine bond, that relationship is able to shine through on film!