Gilles Marini talks about his Hallmark film ‘Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch’

Gilles Marini in ‘Crimes of Fashion Killer Clutch.’ Photo Credit: Nora Aradi, Hallmark Media.

Actor Gilles Marini (“Days of Our Lives” and “Switched at Birth”) chatted about his new Hallmark movie “Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch,” which will premiere on Friday, March 15.

Synopsis of the mystery

In this film, an American psychologist Lauren Elliot (Brooke D’Orsay), is hired to coach a fashion designer, helps a guarded French detective André Duvreuil (Gilles Marini) unravel a list of fashionable suspects after a murder happens backstage of a Paris fashion show.

‘Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch’

On being a part of “Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch,” Marini said, ““First of all, I’ve never been treated so well on any set on any network like Hallmark. It was literally a dream job. I was dying to work with Hallmark for a long time.”

“This opportunity came up in 10 hours. The director, Felipe Rodriguez, is an absolute stud. I simply cannot wait for the whole to see this film,” he said.

“Wow. I am still on Cloud 9. Working with the Hallmark network was a dream come true for sure,” he admitted.

Working with Brooke D’Orsay

Marini had great words about Brooke D’Orsay as his female lead. “Brooke D’Orsay was amazing to work with. She’s so ready, so good, and she is such a professional,” he said.

“Brooke is a beautiful being. The respect she gives everyone on set is incredible, and I’ve never seen her complain once about anything,” he noted.

“Everybody was absolutely amazing from the director to the producers to the cast. You never wanted to leave,” he said. “I was super excited to be a part of it. I felt like a kid in a candy store.”

Role of André Duvreuil

On playing the role of André Duvreuil in the movie, Marini said, “My son, Georges, started this line of work the day I was booked to play this character in real life. That’s a true story. To me, this was a magical thing that came from the sky.”

Greek heritage

Marini has Greek roots, his mother Franca being half-Greek, and a native of Athens, Greece.

“My mother’s family name is Galises,” Marini said. “I just hung up the phone with my ‘Greek heritage,’ who is also known as my mom. I talk to her every day… is it healthy? I don’t know, but once she’s gone, I won’t be able to speak to her ever again.”

“Every single morning, when I wake up, I call my mom. We are addicted to speaking to each other to make the family better every day. We’ve been doing that regularly for the last 10 years,” he said.

“My mother is a strong woman, and she is my Greek heritage,” he exclaimed. “She is a Greek goddess, for sure. Even if she is 100 percent wrong, I always say ‘yes, mom.’ I love it,” he said with a sweet laugh.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Marini exclaimed, “I’m Back!”

“Despite all these turbulences that happened to my industry worldwide (from the pandemic to the strike), I never stopped believing in myself,” he said. “Open your eyes, discover, and enjoy the world while you are present. That is super important.”

Biggest motivation: His wife Carole

Each day, Marini revealed that he is motivated by his wife (Carole Marini). “Carole is my support at home,” he exclaimed.

“Carole is everything in my life, and I am having the best support ever. She plays every role, and she does it so well. She holds this temple of our family together. She inspires me every day to never give up on the work that I started,” he said.

“It is funny and weird. I swear I don’t see my life without Carole,” he acknowledged.

Alan Mercer

Marini praised photographer Alan Mercer for being “the man,” especially in the contemporary photography world. “Alan is such a sweetheart, and he is amazing at his work,” Marini said. “I hope he will come back to Los Angeles because I would love to do more photoshoots with him.”

2024 Star Image Entertainment event in Montreal

Marini opened up about being a part of the upcoming Star Image Entertainment fan event in Montreal, Canada, which is hosted by Penny MacGregor, and it will take place on June 1 and 2, 2024.

Marini will be joined by such actors as Eric Martsolf, Carson Boatman, Peter Porte, Remington Hoffman, Bryan Dattilo, and Kyle Lowder.

“I am going up there and it’s going to be amazing,” he foreshadowed. “It will be so great to see the fans,” Marini exclaimed.

Marini continued, “I have never been to Montreal… Imagine that? I’ve been to 48 states in America, and I lived a little in Canada for shows but I’ve never been to Montreal. Everybody is telling me that it’s going to be incredible, so I can’t wait to get there.”

Superpower of choice

His superpower of choice would be “invisibility.” “That would be a cool superpower for a lot of different things: I am very political, and I like to fade away,” he said.

“That is why I have this cabin home in the middle of the woods, and to be able to shut off the lights whenever you want is kind of cool,” he explained.

“I would love to have a superpower, and making the world better would be my only job,” he added.

Favorite motto to live by

His favorite motto to live by is the following: “Only you can stop you.” “That’s the one I live by,” he admitted.

Success

On his definition of the word success, Marini said, “A little bit more freedom of the way I was growing up. Money is good only if it makes you happy. Success is not measured with money, I learned that a long time ago.”

“Success is being able to say that someone out there loves me and that I love them. That is truly the most important thing I could ever desire. That would be the biggest success for me,” he explained.

Closing thoughts on the new Hallmark film

For viewers and fans, Marini shared, “The last sentence in this film is one that we improved, and I can’t wait for my mother to see it because it related to things that she used to tell me when I was younger.”

“This movie was a riot,” he exclaimed. “The director didn’t leave one thing to the unknown. I would be so honored to do my next 17 movies with Felipe, our director.”

“I had the best time on that set,” he admitted. “It has some of the most incredible, talented, and artistic people and I loved everything about it. Hopefully, there will be a lot more coming. I think this is a fun film that people are going to want to see more of,” he concluded.

To learn more about Gilles Marini, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and visit his website.