Sarah Drew’s New Hallmark Movie, ‘Branching Out’ Is A Love Letter To Single Moms

Make it a mother, daughter movie night.

Sarah Drew returns to Hallmark with a brand new heart warming movie that is made for mother, daughter movie night. Branching Out tells the story of Amelia, a successful architect and single mother by choice, played by Drew and her exuberant daughter Ruby, played by Cora Bella. For the first ten years of Ruby’s life, Amelia has worked hard to create a happy, full life for Ruby, but a school assignment causes Ruby to ask questions for the first time.

Ruby’s assignment is to explore her family’s heritage and culture while making a family tree, only for Ruby it’s more of a branch. Amelia grapples with the choice on whether or not to reach out to Ruby’s biological father, TJ., played by Juan Pablo Di Pace. But as she does begin to open that door, she realizes, as Drew told Southern Living, “it’s not like Amelia and Ruby needed anything to be happy. It’s just that they got to expand and that is beautiful.”

The UVA grad added, “The thing that is so beautiful to me about this story is that it’s about how family comes in all different shapes and sizes.” As the story unfolds and Amelia and Ruby begin to get to know TJ and his large family, there are lots of joyful, fun moments. But what this movie also does is shine a light on the struggles that come with motherhood, something to which Drew, a mother herself, could relate to really well.

“Every stage of motherhood, I’ve got two kids. I’ve got a 12 year old son and a 9 year old daughter. And every different stage brings different challenges with it but one constant in motherhood is the steady and unceasing fear that I’m not enough and I’m failing. You can have so many gem moments that you’re like this is what it is and I just crushed mothering. And in literally 2.3 seconds you’re back to being on the floor, I’m a disaster. There is always a thing in your mind and heart that’s saying you can do better, you should do better, you’re not enough. I think I felt that on a very deep level and I was glad it was in the script so we could actually put some roots down into what that emotional journey is.”

And as Drew poignantly portrays the ups and downs of motherhood, she has a fantastic scene partner by her side in Cora Bella, who plays Ruby. “She’s amazing. Isn’t she amazing? And this is first lead role,” Drew gushed. “Cora Bella is so intuitive. She takes direction really, really well. She’s so alive and those eyes, I mean you can’t get enough of those eyes. The way that she just shines. And she’s like this, well she’s very much like Ruby. She’s just ready to love anybody that she comes into connection with. What a gem.”

An interesting and fun fact that Drew shared with us is that Cora Bella’s mother is also in the film playing TJ’s sister. Branching Out is a family affair on and off screen. Drew hopes that the audience feels the love they have all put into bringing this beautiful story to life.

“I want people to feel like it really is a love letter to motherhood and single moms and families that come in all shapes and sizes.”

Branching Out premieres on Hallmark Channel on April 27. And you can check out the new radio play produced by LA Theatre Works, The Fever Syndrome, directed by Drew online.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.