Tag: Hallmark Channel

When he was younger, Ezekiel “Zeke” Mankins dreamed of simultaneously being a pilot and playing in the NFL.

The Dallas teen’s dream was put on hold when was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease. What started as a bad case of strep throat led to rheumatic fever, which damaged his heart valves and caused blood to leak back into the organ and made it swell up.

At just 12 years old, he had surgery and received a Masters Mechanical Heart Valve from Abbott.

“Since they did that, I wouldn’t have to get any more heart surgeries in my life, because it’s fixed now,” Mankins told the Star-Telegram in mid-November. “I’m going to grow into the heart valve, which is pretty amazing.”

While the sun set on Mankins’ professional football dream, he will share the screen with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin this weekend.

The duo star in the Hallmark Channel’s new Christmas movie “The More the Merrier.” The film premieres on the channel at 7 p.m. CST Friday, Nov. 28 and streams the next day on Hallmark+.

“Alice (Rachel Boston), an emergency room doctor, volunteers to work Christmas Eve shifts at a rural hospital. During a snowy Christmas, Alice and Brian (Brendan Penny), a top-rated cardiologist, help deliver three baby booms, sparking a lasting bond,” the film’s synopsis reads.

Mankins, 18, and his fellow HeartMates, an Abbott program for people with heart conditions, appear in a small role in the film alongside Hamlin.

“Definitely the experience of a lifetime,” Mankins said.

Being cast in a Hallmark movie

Mankins recalls his parents asking him to hop on a Zoom call one day.

When he joined, Mankins had no idea that Hamlin would be on the call. The two had interacted before, including at the 2024 NFL Draft, but he didn’t know what was coming.

Hamlin opened the call by asking Mankins how he was doing and then, out of the blue, said, “You like movies?”

“Yeah,” Mankins said.

“Do you ever imagine yourself being in one?” Hamlin replied.

Mankins agreed again and Hamlin finally told him about appearing in the Hallmark film.

“I didn’t say a word after that,” Mankins said. “I thought he was joking at first.”

Filming at the Buffalo Bills stadium

One of the characters in the film, David, is based on Mankins.

In the movie, David is a young heart patient that gets snowed in at a rural hospital. He was supposed to be with his fellow HeartMates at a Christmas party, but since he can’t make it, David hops on a video call with his friends and Hamlin.

This is where Mankins is seen.

The HeartMates scene was filmed in September at Highmark Stadium, the Bills’ home venue located in Orchard Park, New York.

Mankins didn’t know what to expect when he stepped on set, but said it was a fun experience seeing how a movie is made. While they don’t have a ton of screen time, he said the crew treated the HeartMates like they were movie stars.

It was also special to spend more time with Hamlin, someone Mankins has a lot of respect for.

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle in a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023 and had to be rushed to a Cincinnati hospital for treatment. He made a full recovery and later honored the trainers and medical staffs of the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center hospital staff at the NFL Honors awards show for saving his life.

“He’s really just super down to Earth,” Mankins said. “He was just being like a brother to me the whole entire time there.”

What’s next for the movie star

The Mankins family is gearing up to host a watch party for the film.

While he himself isn’t the biggest Hallmark movie guy, Mankins said his mother is a huge fan. That also goes for several of his teachers, who Mankins joked have been a lot nicer to him of late.

As for him, Mankins is looking to the future with smile.

A few months after his heart surgery, he found track and excelled at the sport. In fact, he competed in the AAU Junior Olympics just a year after the surgery in 2021.

In addition to track, Mankins signs in choir and plays in band. He also just booked a role in his school’s production of “Mary Poppins.” His dream to be a pilot is still in the cards as well.

As for more acting roles, Mankins said he would keep his heart open.

“If there’s anybody that wants somebody like me in a movie, I’d definitely take that into consideration,” he said.

“The More the Merrier” premieres Friday, Nov. 28 on the Hallmark Channel.