It is time once again for an everyday person to discover that they are actually royalty, and no one does this plot line better these days than the Hallmark Channel. This time, it is with The Reluctant Royal, which has a pretty stacked cast list.
Cast List for Hallmark’s The Reluctant Royal
The official plot line for this Hallmark film is: “Philly mechanic Johnny is surprised to learn that his long-lost father is a duke. But the duke isn’t quite what he expected, nor are his growing feelings for the duke’s advisor Prudence.” It’s hard to predict what plot twists await for a storyline we’ve seen a few times before, but at least we know who’s set to appear in it.
Andrew W. Walker as Johnny Payne
Andrew W. Walker plays Johnny Payne, the lead male role in The Reluctant Royal. Payne discovers that his long-lost father is actually a Duke and leaves his life as a Philadelphia mechanic to come to his father’s estate, where he discovers all is not quite what he expected. Of course, as he lives up to his last name, he also starts to fall in love, as any good Hallmark character should do.
You might recognize Payne from his plethora of leading man parts in a slew of Hallmark movies over the years (seriously, he celebrates Christmas a lot), but the heartthrob actor has been around for decades, even having a turn in Sabrina the Teenage Witch back in the ’90s.
Emilie de Ravin as Prudence
As part of the cast of The Reluctant Royal, Emilie de Ravin plays Prudence, the advisor to Johny’s father and the woman tasked with helping him act like a royal… or, judging from the film’s trailer, at least dance like one. Despite her misgivings with the Duke’s plan to bring Johnny into the family, she finds herself falling for him and his charm.
De Ravin has had a long career from being a scream queen in movies like The Hills Have Eyes remake to indie darlings like Rian Johnson’s Brick, but most people know her from the long-running fairy tale series Once Upon a Time, where she played Belle Gold.
Related: How Much Do Hallmark Actors Make?
The Reluctant Royal’s Full Cast List
The full cast list for The Reluctant Royal hasn’t been released by Hallmark yet, but the film definitely makes it seem like a few familiar faces will be cropping up in it. As more information is released about who will be starring in the movie, we’ll update it here.
- Andrew W. Walker as Johnny Payne
- Emilie de Ravin as Prudence
- Elizabeth Moynihan as Lady Eleanor
The Reluctant Royal releases March 8 on the Hallmark Channel.
Published: Mar 3, 2025 12:59 pm