Sometimes life imitates art.
Mark Klaus stood back and smiled Dec. 15 as a Hollywood film crew scurried about his Castle Noel.
The Medina museum dedicated to all things Christmas and holiday film memorabilia is the setting for the final Christmas Eve scenes of a movie being filmed in northern Ohio.
And like any good romantic Christmas movie, the filming inside Castle Noel involves a climactic kiss involving an architect turned chocolatier and a chiropractor.
The Christmas storyline revolves around a perfectionist chiropractor who hunts for the sender of an anonymous luxury chocolate treat and instead finds love along the way.
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Why did the movie producers pick Medina?
When the producers started looking for a location to film "A Great Chocolate Christmas Date," they heard about this quaint little town in Ohio.
And once they saw it in person, director Lindsey Hartley said, they knew it was perfect.
From the quaint town square lined with shops and the historic gazebo, Hartley said, it was simply the perfect backdrop for a romantic Christmas movie.
They have been filming in and around Medina for about two weeks, including at Mitchell's Fine Chocolates in Cleveland Heights and a sleigh ride scene in snowy Chardon.
Ironically, Castle Noel was not among the shooting locations.
That was, Hartley said, until they ventured inside.
"This is the Disneyland for Christmas," she said.
They quickly changed the script of the movie, which includes actors Harley Bronwyn and Ignacyo Matynia, to incorporate scenes inside of the museum full of all things Christmas.
The movie plans to incorporate the large, animated grandfather clock from the Lord and Taylor sidewalk Christmas store window in New York.
And the museum's Starlight Room with thousands of dancing lights on the ceiling.
Another pivot came when the snow started falling this past weekend and kept on coming.
Hartley said they changed around shooting schedules to take advantage of the picture-perfect snowfall.
Movie's producer grew up in Solon
The film's producer, Danny Roth, who grew up in Solon, said it was great to be able to return to Northeast Ohio.
Medina offered the perfect setting for the Christmas movie that he hopes to sell to Hallmark or another cable channel or streaming service to premiere next Christmas.
His RNR Media is producing a second Christmas movie in Northeast Ohio this December in Geauga County.
Roth said the region is the perfect place to shoot a movie pointing out to that what Castle Noel offers from its elaborate lights to decorations could cost a studio anywhere from $2 to $3 million to recreate.
"I love the Cleveland area," he said.
Hartley said she and her crew have been moved by the friendliness of Medina and Northeast Ohio.
Usually, people and businesses get grumpy about the inconveniences a movie shoot can create.
In Medina, she said, it has been the exact opposite.
Shop owners have invited them inside and even brought snacks and treats to the sets.
"We have fallen in love with Medina," she said. "We just feel the love here."
And in a twist of fate, Hartley said, this is not the first time she has worked with Klaus.
Back when she was an actress on soap operas including "Passions" and "General Hospital," Klaus visited her to help design a Christmas tree to be featured in a photoshoot for Soap Opera Digest.
Klaus said all this is an early Christmas present.
Once the filming is all wrapped up, Klaus said, he is hoping the crew will leave behind a present or two in the form of props or costumes that he can add to his collection.
"Life is just a bunch of fun moments," he said. "This is just so cool and fun.
"How many times do you ever get the chance to be a part of something like this?"
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