When Shawna Delong won the trip of a lifetime to watch longtime Hallmark star Marcus Rosner film his latest project, she never expected to wind up in the movie. But when “The Final Victim” co-starring Brittany Bristow premieres on Lifetime, Delong will make her onscreen debut right alongside them.
In late April 2025, Rosner told EntertainmentNOW that DeLong won the epic trip during a raffle held on board Expedia Cruises’ “Cruising With Friends” fan trip in January featuring him, Jesse Hutch, and Jen Lilley. There was no promise of a walk-on role, but Rosner said he wanted to make the trip extra special for Delong — a fellow Canadian who flew from Ontario to Edmonton with her mom, Kimberley Delong, and was “so enthusiastic” about being there.
“If she was nervous, she did not show it,” Rosner marveled. “She had the greatest disposition for this event. Like, she just seemed excited and interested, but also quite calm. She didn’t seem overwhelmed at all, which was great, because I could totally see a fan getting this experience and being overwhelmed. Shawna was seemingly the perfect pick.”
Marcus Rosner Says Fan Shawna Delong Never Got Stressed or Overwhelmed Filming Her First Movie
Marcus RosnerRosner was able to coordinate the cool prize package with Expedia Cruises because “The Last Victim” was produced by Northern Gateway Films, the Canadian production company he co-founded. Noting that Shawna and Kim “were just thrilled to be here,” Rosner first had lunch with them at a favorite spot in Edmonton, Chianti.
Once they got to the movie set, Rosner decided to elevate the experience, explaining, “We got Shawna into a cop uniform. She appears early in the movie, in the background, as I’m sort of walking up to interview Brittany’s character. I play a cop, a detective in the film, and you’ll see a shot of Shawna in the back.”
“But then later that week,” Rosner continued, “we did a night shoot on top of this rooftop in downtown Edmonton, and in this scene, we are about to raid the killer (who’s) up there. So Shawna’s in there, behind me. She’s got the earpiece on, she’s bringing up the rear as we’re sort of swatting this killer. Yeah, it was great and she was amazing.”
Rosner also invited his brothers to join the scene, dressed as fellow cops, and wrote on Instagram that it was an “unforgettable” night of filming. The “Notes of Autumn” star said he was impressed by how relaxed Shawna was throughout the whole experience, including filming overnight until 5 a.m. and when a medical emergency occurred on the set.
“We had a medical situation with somebody on set one night that we haven’t encountered before,” he told EntertainmentNOW. “I won’t say exactly what happened, but it was very stressful for a bit, and Shawna and her mom very quietly came up at one point. They were like, ‘Should we leave?’ And I was like, ‘Nah, stick around, things will be touch and go for a bit, but you guys can stay.’ They just didn’t stress me out at all. It was very cool with them being around.”
Marcus Rosner Had Great Experiences With His First Fan Events Over Last Several Months
Although Rosner frequently has visitors watching from the sidelines on movie sets, this was the first time a fan has won a trip like this with him. He told EntertainmentNOW he was very relieved Shawna enjoyed it, because he often worries it won’t be very fun for bystanders.
“Anytime someone comes to watch, I always feel this great insecurity or self-consciousness, because I know that it’ll be less glamorous than they were imagining,” he said. “It’ll be more tedious than they were imagining, and it’ll take longer, and their interest may devolve into boredom, and then I will feel sort of responsible for that. So that’s always my underlying fear.”
“But if Shawna and Kim felt any of that along the way, they didn’t express it, and they just seemed excited in all the ways,” he smiled, adding that he’s open to doing something similar in the future.
In fact, Rosner said that now that he has multiple fan experiences under his belt, he’s definitely open to participating in more. Rosner told EntertainmentNOW in the fall that he was a bit nervous about agreeing to take part in several fan events for the first time, including December’s first-ever Hallmark Christmas Experience.
But in April, looking back on the event, Rosner gushed, “I loved that weekend, I loved hanging out with those people, I loved the way Hallmark ran it. It was just, like, perfectly spaced out. I never felt overstretched. I always felt like I knew what I was doing, and just the level of clarity and organization was so greatly appreciated.”
Rosner and his wife also set sail with fans on the Expedia Cruises excursion in early January, a five-day trip to the Bahamas, where Shawna won the trip that led to her upcoming movie debut. Rosner said he suspects “The Final Victim” will air on Lifetime in the fall and said he’s also just wrapped a new Hallmark Christmas movie.
Meanwhile, Expedia Cruises plans to announce which stars will be aboard its 2026 “Cruising With Friends” trip soon, with details to be released first on via its private Facebook group.
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Marcus Rosner Surprises Lucky Fan With Role in New Movie: ‘She Was Amazing’ (EXCLUSIVE)