The Mistletoe Murders left Sarah Drew looking like an action star

Sarah Drew excited about Hallmark’s first-ever holiday mystery show, Mistletoe murdersespecially after her unexpected actions.

“I had to do this really cool fight scene, which involved three hours of training over the weekend to learn all the choreography,” Drew, 44, exclusively revealed. Us Weekly advancing Hallmark+ serieswhich will premiere on Thursday, October 31. “I was in so much pain.”

An actress who plays Christmas shop owner Emily Lane, turned amateur detective, revealed her muscles were ‘so sore’ she had to borrow an estimate Peter MooneyTheragun massager on set.

“He lent me his (Theragun) because I was really sore from rehearsal,” Drew recalled Mooney, 41, who plays Detective Sam Wilner. “Then his gift to me was my own teragun, which I love so much.”

While Drew had a few bumps and bruises from the set, she gushed about the experience and her newfound craving for action movies.

“I had just finished playing a bounty hunter where I had another epic fight scene and I was like, (a) bad weapon, I’m going to burn this place (character) down,” she explained. “I just did it in North Carolina and I’m like, ‘What’s going on? Why did I suddenly become an active person?’

Mistletoe murders in particular, gave Drew the opportunity to “learn new skills” and “jump” into an action-packed role at odds with her own personality.

“I like to play moments of high intensity, like anger (and) fights, because I’m so self-controlled in real life, and I would never let go like that. I’m not going to punch or kick anyone. It won’t happen,” she said us. “But I have to do it, when someone wrote it in the script, it’s like a release. It’s so nice. I love it very much.”

Drew noted that thanks to launch of Hallmark+she is not the only actress who plays different muscles in front of the camera. (Drew also works behind the camera Mistletoe murders as executive producer.)

“Hallmark is launching this world of streaming and really enhancing all of its stuff, and it’s really fun because it’s like we’ve got a little bit more layers,” she said of the network’s streaming service, which premiered in September. “We still have that Hallmark audience know and love Hallmarkbut we bring a little more spice, a little more darkness at times, more emotion, more love, more everything.”

The Grey’s Anatomy Alum continued, “It gets a little deeper, more layered and more complex. And I like to live here, so it’s a paradise for me. If I could do this show for years, I’d be a happy tourist.”

Drew explained that the difficulties in Mistletoe murders start with her character, Emily, and work your way through the storylines.

In the six-episode show, “Emily’s detective skills are put to the test as she investigates local murders” while managing her Christmas store. “Despite Detective Sam Wilner’s growing affection for her, Emily’s mysterious past raises suspicions about her true motives,” reads the synopsis.

Meanwhile, Drew described the show as a mash-up of “two favorite genres”, the holiday genre and the murder mystery genre.

“What’s really interesting is that my character is a paradox in herself. So it’s fun that it’s a show that’s a paradox of two genres about a hero who’s a paradox,” she said. “She’s on the surface a very sweet Christmas shop owner, and then people start dying and suddenly you find she has all these skills that a retail owner shouldn’t have.”

Drew added, “(We’re) throwing in some breadcrumbs to fill in some gaps about her past, but it’s a nice long tease.”

Each episode brings the mystery to the fore, but what Drew wants most is to show the audience Emily’s evolution.

“I love that we could hear her inner monologue the whole time in voiceover and then watch her face do something completely opposite of what her mind was saying,” she shared. “I just think it’s so wonderful because I feel like it’s actually very human. We all have a million conversations going on in our heads and you put on a mask to do what you need to do no matter where you are. … I feel like this show just shines a light on that.”

Drew revealed that Emily has a “really cool backstory” and she hopes fans will get more if the show is renewed for a second season. (Mistletoe murders is based on an Audible original storyso multiple seasons are possible.)

“When we all left, I definitely shed a tear in the trailer on my last day. I say, “This can’t be the end.” This can’t be the end,” admitted Drew. “We have created such a wonderful family here. We have so much fun. There’s so much joy on this set, and we’re telling stories that matter.”

The star explained that she “fell madly in love with Emily Lane” and considers her a “sister” similar to how she felt about her. Grey natureApril.

“I cherish her, I cherish her and I want really good things for her. I want her to succeed,” Drew said of Emily. “But she’s got pain, she’s got trauma, she’s got life stuff, she’s got darkness, and she’s got messiness. I love that about her. She’s just the person she is, and I just want to keep telling her story.”

Drew said he was “obsessed” with her Mistletoe murders‘ alter ego because she’s “a really cool character” who has “so much to go on.” She teased, “We’re just starting season 1.”

Mistletoe murders Premieres on Hallmark+ on Thursday, October 31st.

With reporting by Cristina Garibaldi