Even though much of Canada won't see snow this Christmas, it's still the perfect time to immerse yourself in a thrilling and captivating winter mystery Original story Mistletoe murderswith characters played by several talented Canadian actors including Cobie Smulders and Raymond Ablack.

With the Second season Available to listen now on Audible, following the story's initial release in 2022, Smulders reprises her role as the story's narrator and Emily Lane, owner of a Christmas store in the town of Fletcher's Grove. Ablack voices Detective Constable Sam Wilner, who tries to solve murder cases that continue to affect this small community, and he also has a crush on Emily.

In the story's second season, we learn a little more about Emily's mysterious past as she continues to get involved in solving the murders and grows closer to Sam.

While Mistletoe murders is a great story for everyone, Canadians will be able to enjoy a few additional pieces of Canadiana in the story, some of which relate specifically to Smulders himself.

“You mentioned White Rock a few times because that was the town I grew up in, on the border of British Columbia, and I love it,” Smulders said. Yahoo Canada.

For the actor who was one of the favorites How I Met your mother, and also played Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which she worked on Mistletoe murders meant she could really rely on what was left of her Canadian accent.

“I can get that Canadian accent flowing,” Smulders emphasized. “It’s nice to do a project where it’s okay for a… sound to come out.”

“These are also the seasons. I live in California now, there is no snow and I miss it, and I miss the changing of the seasons and the excitement of the holidays, … and how closely that relates to the weather and its chimneys. It was nice to immerse myself in Canadian life for a while.

“This voice becomes so intimate and important”

I'm coming back for volume 2 of Mistletoe murders, Smulders and Ginny and Georgia The Ablack star was excited about the direction of the crime story.

“I really like the direction they went in because in the first season they established that Emily has this mysterious past… We don't know where she comes from, we know she's running from something, but we know “It’s not.” I don’t know what it is,” Smulders said. “This season we’re finally taking advantage of that.”

“It comes to light primarily because of her relationship with Sam Wilner… and their relationship deepens, they become more comfortable with each other, and as a result more information about who she really is comes to light.” By the end of this season, we kind of know who she is and what she's done in the past, and we're getting things ready for hopefully a third recording. “

“I'm a fool for a good guy who carries his heart [on his sleeve] and gets very hurt when he pursues someone he cares about, loves, or is interested in,” Ablack said in a separate interview. “I'm a fan of this romantic comedy and was excited to see how it was developed further. with Emilie.”

In transitioning to audio-only narration, Ablack explained that the plot was particularly important compared to acting on camera.

“Everything is highlighted in what’s on the page,” he explained. “When you're physically on set, you have all your senses, but when you're in a booth and you have these headphones, which are the best, better than anything I wear now or at any other time, then that voice… “ so intimate and important. »

“Cobie’s voice [is] what you have to rely on and pay much more attention to. It's an interesting experience and way to play in a new medium. »

As the story's narrator, Smulders recognized the importance of her voice not only in guiding the narrative but also in engaging listeners.

“I love doing it. I'm a fan myself, I listen to a lot of…audio books on Audible, and that's very important, the narrator, and I hope I do a good job,” Smulders said. “Because it can really make or break a series.”

“Our show has so many incredible performers, so luckily it's not just my fault, but when I listen to an audiobook I tend to preview it first and think, 'Who's reading this?' And will I enjoy listening to her voice for about 22 years? This is an important thing and I take it very seriously.”

Ablack revealed that it can be stressful to work in an environment where you spend so much energy simply using your voice to convey a character's narrative to the listening audience.

“You realize how much energy you have to put into your voice,” Ablack said. “Where a wink or a subtle physical movement or an action on the screen can convey meaning, … that kind of fraud or access to audio doesn't exist.”

“At the end of the day you leave pretty tired because you’re just standing in a room holding snakes. I mean, technically that's all you do. …I wanted in Season 2…to put all the energy that you would spend on a physical set on a normal day and just put it into the booth.

The future of the “Mistletoe Murders”' Story

When it comes to moving into a… Mistletoe Murders 3, Both Ablack and Smulders have some ideas for their characters.

“I felt like Sam needed to be a little less stupid this year. I felt like he was there this year and he understands Emily's secret side, but there's still so much,” Ablack said. “There’s still a lot he doesn’t know yet, and he knows he doesn’t know it.”

“That's why I would like him to maybe have to be strict or authoritarian sometimes [Emily] to actually figure out what’s going on and not, for lack of a better word, act crazy.”

“We're ending Season 2 on a cliffhanger… kind of revealing the role she played in his previous life, but not really his family relationships,” Smulders said in a separate interview. “I think with every character I play, I want to see a happy ending. I would like to see her happy in a relationship if that is what makes her happiest, or just if she finds peace.”

“And we have to stop the killing in this city. (…) They accumulate, they follow each other. Therefore, it would be good to find peace, perhaps for the sake of growth. .. “I think we still have a long way to go and need to investigate her past and find out why she had to start over.” We don't know the answer to this question, so it would be interesting for the third season. “