A famous face on the Hallmark Channel, has become a powerhouse both on screen and behind the scenes. However, the actress and writer admits she struggles with imposter syndrome while creating projects for the network.
While working on the script for Three Wiser Men and a Boy, Sustad revealed the pressure she felt following the success of 2022’s Three Wise Men and a Baby.
“I have been worried for so long — talk about not feeling like you’re enough, you know, having imposter syndrome. That’s me writing these movies,” Sustad, 37, told Us Weekly during a set visit in Canada earlier this year.
“I sort of fell into it and I hate being thrust into the limelight and *Three Wise Men* kind of did that.”
The 2022 holiday film became one of Hallmark’s biggest hits, leaving Sustad feeling the weight of expectations for its sequel.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, no, no, no, I’m not a profesh writer,’” she recalled, adding that fans and the network quickly pushed her to continue. “People are like, ‘You are! Write another.’ You are like, ‘Oh my God, what if I can’t?’ And then everyone will know.”
Sustad, who made her Hallmark writing debut with Christmas By Starlight in 2020, likened the experience to a musician creating a hit record.
“It’s like writing a hit album. And then they’re like, ‘So where’s the next song?’ I can’t imagine being that artist,” she said.
Despite her concerns, Sustad believes the team delivered a strong follow-up.
“There’s fear and panic,” she admitted, *“but I think we made a ‘better’ movie than the first.”
Three Wise Men and a Baby followed the Brenner brothers — played by Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, and Paul Campbell — as they cared for a baby dropped at a fire station. In the sequel, the trio must now navigate the school holiday play for the little boy, who has grown up.
In addition to her writing duties, Sustad reprised her role from the original film as a doctor, making a brief cameo that even breaks the fourth wall — a moment fans will no doubt enjoy.
