From Brazil to Vancouver and from the lab to the stage, Alec Santos’ journey to becoming a Hallmark Channel favorite is anything but conventional. This weekend, fans can catch him in two movies, Machu Picchu Proposal and Unwrapping Christmas: Tina’s Miracle, the latter the first of a four-part holiday franchise. Santos spoke with us about his early years as an actor, how Hallmark embraced his Latino roots, and advice for young actors trying to break into the industry.
Finding the Stage and Never Letting Go
“I was in love with the stage from a very young age,” Santos recalls. Born in Brazil, raised across multiple countries, the actor finished high school in Miami. Like many, he found grounding in one place: the theater. “Even within all the moves, it seemed like I always felt at home in a drama class in front of a theater.”
Despite that passion, Santos initially pursued a career in science. “I studied biochemistry,” he says. “And towards the end of it… I signed up for an acting class, and I immediately fell in love all over again.” That reconnection led to a full-circle moment: “I was like, I can’t let go of this. I have to go back.”
While his ultimate dream remains the Broadway stage, Santos knew early on that “nobody could really make a living… in Vancouver, in theater.” So he pivoted to film and television. “I spent two, three years going to lots and lots of classes,” he says.
After finally booking his first role, he didn’t book another for nearly two years. That up-and-down reality, he realized, was all part of an actor’s journey. “We all have this idea that all it takes is that one role,” he says. “And then you get it, and you’re like, oh wait a minute, that’s not how it works.”
Staying Creative Through the Rollercoaster
As most actors learn, careers rarely follow a linear path or even a snowball effect. “People say the highs are never as high as they seem, the lows are never as low.” The key, he believes, is in maintaining artistic momentum, even when work is slow. “If you’re an actor… you’re going to need an outlet to release that artistry.”
For Santos, that outlet sometimes comes in the form of teaching. “I teach high school,” he says. “Sometimes I really do go into a classroom, whether I’m teaching science or not, and I perform… I get 28 eyeballs of apathetic teenagers whenever I want.”
He encourages other actors to find their own outlets: “You just have to kind of find a way to keep stoking that fire. Otherwise… it becomes harder to relight every time.”
Embracing Love, Light, and Cultural Identity at Hallmark
Santos is currently featured in two Hallmark Channel films: the recently premiered A Machu Picchu Proposal and the first installment of a four-film holiday series, Unwrapping Christmas: Tina’s Miracle, where he stars opposite Natalie Hall.
While known for their lighthearted stories, Santos sees deeper value in these films, especially in a time full of division and uncertainty. “That focus on love and… good things—it’s a very, very positive thing to be out there,” he explained. “The value of these Hallmark films are really coming through.”
His personal connection to the films also deepened when his co-star suggested his character be changed to be Hispanic, which the network quickly agreed to. “That role I booked… the character’s name was like Michael Lewis,” he shares. “And Natalie Hall was like, ‘Why can’t the character just be more like you?’”
That small suggestion led to a meaningful change: “Two days later, they were okay with the change… I even speak a little Portuguese in this film.” For Santos, that support felt significant: “It was almost like a warm embrace… that they would make a change like that and embrace my own experience.”
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Actors
When asked what advice he’d give to young actors, Alec Santos doesn’t hesitate. “Do as much as you can,” he says. “Sign up for all the student films… it’s almost like mandatory that you also learn how to write and… create your own projects.”
He encourages artists to view filmmaking as a deeply collaborative effort. “Everyone is working so, so hard on a film set,” he says. On one Hallmark set, he connected with a director who had studied NASA-level physics, just to better understand lighting. “I thought, that’s so cool.”
But beyond experience, Santos stresses practicality. “Always pay your bills. That’s really important,” he advised with a laugh. “Make sure you have money coming from somewhere… because it will kind of take some of that artistry and passion away from it.”
And perhaps most importantly: patience. “If I could tell something to myself when I was younger, it’s like, be patient,” Santos says. “Patience is one of the biggest virtues… when I look at people who are still in the game.”
You can see Alec Santos in A Machu Picchu Proposal, July 4th at 6 pm and in Unwrapping Christmas: Tina’s Miracle, July 5th at 8 pm on Hallmark Channel
