Skyler Samuels is a dream aficionado after starring in Hallmark’s My Dreams of You — but wanting Abraham Lincoln at her imaginary dinner table still surprised Us!
“I feel like my dream, dream scenario would be, like, a no stress dream,” Samuels, 30, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, August 6, while promoting her new Hallmark project, My Dreams of You. “Just pure fun all the way through and, like, definitely a sense of adventure.”
The actress, who plays struggling writer Grace in the film, said her perfect dreamscape is “not unlike” her character’s fantasies since she’d want it to be imaginative.
“People I’ve always wanted to meet would be there, like, a big dinner party kind of dream,” she continued. “Chris Hemsworth and his wife, [Elsa Pataky], are there and then Abraham Lincoln is there and, like, everyone’s there.”
The Scream Queens alum explained that her dream world is exactly what it should be: a strange idea “normalized because it’s a dream.” While Samuels’ imaginary dinner party picks seem out of the blue, she told Us there is a method to her madness.
“[They’re] the two men who just came to mind probably because those are in my Netflix queue of suggested movies, like, an Abe Lincoln documentary and then something with Chris Hemsworth,” she laughed. “So, they’re [on the] top of [my] mind.”
Samuels revealed there would be “some other people in the mix” too in this fantasy. “Maybe Taylor Swift would be in attendance, maybe, like, Amelia Earhart,” she added. “I’d like to hit all corners of life and pop culture, [that] would be great.”
The Hallmark star has successfully mapped out her dream dinner party but her My Dreams of You character, Grace, is more focused on conjuring up the perfect man.
In the film, which premieres on Saturday, August 10, Grace finds herself in a rut while striving to be an author. The only time she feels alive is when she’s asleep and dreaming about a handsome stranger named Michael (Kapil Talwalkar).
Grace is convinced she’s met Michael outside of her dreams, but soon learns that due to a mix-up in Dream Central, that might not be the case. Throughout the movie, Grace gives into adventure, takes a chance on love and tries to find Michael — even if he has no idea who she is.
Samuels told Us that there is a “fantastical element” to the movie, which “didn’t really remind” her of “any Hallmark movie” she’d seen before, and made her more excited to sign on.
“I just related to so much of her. I definitely know what it’s like to be a striving artist, trying to find your way and make your creative mark in the world,” she explained. “It can be a little bit of a mess when you’re in your 20s and trying to figure out what that looks like.”
The actress, who was previously in Hallmark Mystery’s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New, noted that this rom-com was her first “leading lady” role in that genre. The opportunity left her even more invested in the story.
“My hope is that fans who watch My Dreams of You — anyone who’s maybe in a little bit of a creative rut, feels inspired to take another crack at it,” Samuels shared. “And also feel like they don’t maybe have to explain why they love doing what they do to the people in their life. Like just do it.”
She explained that Grace’s determination to get published and meet the man of her literal dreams is something to applaud — not shy away from. “I also think that even though there is this fantastical element in the movie, it is also really grounded and realistic at the same time,” Samuels told Us. “I loved that they balanced both and I hope it encourages, you know, especially young women to take some chances.”
For Grace, those risks include traveling cross country on a whim, submitting a whole new story idea and never giving up on true love. Samuels, meanwhile, was in awe of her movie persona for “putting herself out there to try to find her dream guy and then landing on this incredible trip and getting to fall in love with this person who she thought was maybe not real, who is real, like, it’s worth it.”
Playing the spunky character, reminded Samuels of choices in her own life where she was “super afraid” but “dared to be brave.” She added that after watching the film, “I hope that people feel encouraged to be brave and just go for it, even if it seems a little crazy.”
My Dreams of You premieres on Saturday, August 10, at 8 p.m. ET.
