Jonathan Bennett Tears Up Speaking About His 'Powerful' Stereotype-Smashing Character in The Groomsmen (Exclusive)

Jonathan Bennett gets a little teary-eyed at how far he’s come.

During PEOPLE and Hallmark’s countdown to the Oct. 3 Sexiest Man Alive event, the 43-year-old actor got emotional as he reflected on how the network Godfathers the trilogy pushed the boundaries when it came to LGBTQ+ representation.

According to Hallmark, the films will follow the lives and romantic relationships of three best friends who are “of different backgrounds, cultures and sexual orientations” as they each find love in Greece, Italy and Bulgaria.

Bennett, who plays Danny, is described as a “former athlete with a heart of gold”. His friend Pete (BJ Britt) is a “good-natured pediatrician with a penchant for planning” and Jackson (Tyler Hynes) is a “stylish and charming social media agent.”

(L-R) Jonathan Bennett, BJ Britt and Tyler Hynes at the People and Hallmark Media Countdown to People’s Sexiest Man Alive event.

Mike Coppola/Getty

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The Mean girls alum told PEOPLE how his “real-life group of friends” inspired the plot of the trilogy. Like his character Danny, Bennett identifies as gay and also has two straight best friends.

“I don’t see a lot of talk about those stories,” he said of his character description. “And telling this story about Danny, who is a former major league baseball pitcher turned coach, is another thing that breaks the heteronormative narrative that you would [see] in many films.”

Bennett has often said that playing a gay character usually means being a “fashion designer” or portraying other stereotypical expectations that come with LGBTQ+ leads.

“I haven’t seen, really, a gay character who was a baseball player who became a coach. I think that’s a really interesting point of view to explore and so it was really powerful,” he continued, sharing that the film series will feature Hallmark’s “first same-sex gay wedding”.

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(L-R) BJ Britt, Jonathan Bennett and Tyler Hynes.

Phillip Faraone/Getty

The actor shared how he and his co-stars were committed to “pushing ourselves” to tell stories that not only reflect the movie-going audience, but the stories they’ve lived. He also noted that male friendships on screen are not usually portrayed as vulnerable or open to emotion.

“I don’t think we see a lot of men, whether straight or gay, being vulnerable with each other and opening up and saying, ‘Hey, I’m afraid of this. Hey, this is what worries me. Hey, this is something in my life that I’m thinking about and which makes me uncomfortable and I don’t know what to do about it,’ Bennett added.

“You don’t see that story very often,” he explained. “But when it happens in a movie, it gives the people watching the courage and willingness to do it themselves.”

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As he reflected on the strides he and his colleagues made in these films, Bennett tearfully recalled the first time he saw the cut.

“10 years ago, 15 years ago, I would never have dreamed that I would be [starring] in a Hallmark movie that was seen by so many people across middle America, in so many different places in the country… and I would be playing a gay character, I would be marrying another man, and I would have two straight best friends standing behind me in the frame, supporting me and lifting,” he said with emotion in his voice.

“I never dreamed I’d be making that movie. And here we are, and we’ve made it,” Bennett recalled. “And not only did we do that, but we shot it down because it’s so beautiful in Greece and the scenes turned out so beautiful. It was a very emotional moment watching that part of the cut. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s really cool.'”

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Groom: first look debuts on October 17, followed by Groom: Second Chance October 24 and The Groom: The Last Dance October 31, all on Hallmark+.

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Source: HIS Education