Skyler Samuels Was ‘Nervous’ Doing Aurora Teagarden After Candace

Skyler Samuels knew she had big shoes to fill in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries after Candace Cameron Bure’s exit — but she was ready to try.

“It was definitely a surprise role when they came to me with the Aurora reboot,” Samuels, 30, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, August 6, while promoting her new Hallmark rom-com, My Dreams of You. “I was excited because I love a challenge, but I also was a little nervous because I understood that there was this long standing fan base.”

Samuels was aware that there was a “deep bench” for the Hallmark Mystery franchise because Cameron Bure, 48, played the amateur sleuth, Aurora Teagarden, in 18 films before Samuels took over in 2023.

Samuels said when she began playing the younger version of the titular character she was “getting to kind of reimagine Aurora in a way that didn’t feel like I was mimicking or copycatting” Cameron Bure’s style.

“I wanted to have my own Aurora but one that paid homage to the Aurora that people knew and loved before,” she explained. “And I think our director, my dear friend and work wife, Jessica Harmon, did such a great job kind of coming up with a tone that felt new and familiar at the same time. I think we’ve threaded that really nicely.”

Cameron Bure began portraying the librarian-turned-sleuth in 2015. In April 2022, she announced she was leaving Hallmark Media to act and produce projects at Great American Media. The news was a shock to fans, as Cameron Bure was dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” by many viewers for her holiday hits on Hallmark Channel.

Hallmark recast Aurora in March 2023, revealing that Samuels’ version would be leading a prequel franchise, documenting Aurora’s earlier adventures.

“I think some people were, like, super excited for me right off the bat and others were like, ‘We’ll see, like, deliver the product and we’ll weigh in,’” Samuels told Us of her casting.

Although the Scream Queens alum said she tries “not to get too bogged down in the comments,” she liked proving the critics wrong with her first Aurora movie.

“It actually meant the most seeing comments where people were like, ‘I wasn’t sure about Skyler when they cast her. I had a lot of skepticism. But I actually really love this and it’s super fun and I’m totally on board,’” Samuels continued. “It was sort of those people that I thought ‘OK, like if I’ve changed some minds and, maybe, got people excited or got them to reimagine something they already knew and loved, like, that was such a win.’”

Samuels has been “very grateful” that the fanbase has “embraced” her in time, which has led the network to greenlighting a few more mysteries.

“At the beginning of this year, we made movies two and three in the Aurora series and they’re so fun,” she teased. “They’re so fun and the more of these movies that we make, like, the more into some of that juicy backstory we get to have with Arthur [played by Evan Roderick] and Aurora and … the [will they], won’t they stuff.”

While there aren’t official release dates for the next two Aurora prequel films, fans can see Samuels in her first rom-com for the network. My Dreams of You premieres this weekend and follows aspiring writer Grace (Samuels) as she tries to find the man in her dreams, Michael (Kapil Talwalkar).

After a mix-up at Dream Central, Grace tries to find Michael in real life and soon learns that he has no idea about their dream romance. The reality, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the end of their possible love story.

“We don’t all have a crystal ball, right? There’s no way of knowing how this is gonna work out,” Samuels told Us when talking about the movie’s underlying message of dreaming and risk taking. “You don’t want to obviously fall on your face, but you don’t wanna wonder what if you don’t try.”

Throughout the movie, Grace has to step out of her comfort zone for the sake of her art and her heart — which Samuels applauds. “I hope that people feel encouraged to be brave and just go for it, even if it seems a little crazy,” she explained.

Samuels teased that Grace and Michael “really understand what the other is working toward” and they “sort of inspire and support each other.” In the film, Grace wants to write, and Michael wants to pursue his music and both are at a crossroads.

“I think what makes them a good match is also why it’s difficult for them to kind of find their way in the movie because they’re both aspiring artists,” Samuels added. “Michael is a musician, Grace is a writer and I think that they understand the others’ pursuit and not everybody does.”

My Dreams of You premieres on Saturday, August 10, at 8 p.m. ET.