When it comes to must-visit travel destinations, Machu Picchu is at the top of many people’s list. The Incan ruin was built as a citadel in the 15th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts more than 1 million visitors every year. It’s also the setting for the new Hallmark Channel movie A Machu Picchu Proposal, which filmed on-location in Peru. 

“It was a pretty incredible place to shoot,” star Alec Santos told Showbiz Cheat Sheet of working on the “travelogue meets rom-com,” which premieres June 28. He plays Carlos, a spontaneous Mexican-American chef who falls for the more buttoned-up Katie (Rhiannon Fish), who has traveled to South America to help her twin brother pull off a picture-perfect romantic proposal for his Peruvian girlfriend. 

‘A Machu Picchu Proposal’ cast battled altitude sickness while filming 

While the scenery in Peru was amazing, working in the region presented some challenges. 

“Cusco [the gateway to Machu Picchu] is about 25,000 feet above sea level, and so we were all dealing with altitude sickness one way or another,” Santos said of the cast and crew’s first days on set.

But the altitude sickness was nothing compared to what Santos experienced during his first visit to Peru, when he was 12 years old. On that trip, a freak accident involving a basketball hoop’s glass backboard required 177 stitches. 

“It felt a bit like destiny because the last time I was in Peru, I was supposed to go to Machu Picchu, but my trip was cut short,” the actor, who grew up in Brazil before eventually settling in Canada, shared. “My life was saved by the American Marines. My friend’s dad worked for the American Embassy. So I missed out on Machu Picchu, and that was always kind of a bummer. So, years, years later, to be hired to go and shoot a movie, that felt like a full-circle moment.”

While Machu Picchu is at the heart of the movie, viewers will also get a glimpse of other aspects of Peruvian culture – and cuisine. That includes a scene where Santos and Fish’s characters learn to make empanadas with help from locals who bake the classic handheld snack in a centuries-old oven. 

“That oven is apparently 500 years old, which is insane to think of because America’s only 250 [years old]. So, there’s an oven out there that’s double the age of the United States,” he said. “That was a cool scene because the two actors that were there, they didn’t speak any English. And Colin [Theys], our director, just let me direct them because I speak Spanish. So I got to do a little bit of both [acting and directing]. It was really kind of hands-on.” 

Alec Santos pulled off his own Hallmark-worthy proposal 

In the movie, Katie’s efforts to help her brother pop the question are thwarted at almost every turn. Fortunately, Santos had better luck with his own proposal. 

“We went back to the place where we met, Galiano Island, here in Vancouver. It was the beach wher we kind of fell in love,” he shared. “My friends helped me and I did the beach right up. I strung up photos of us, because we’ve been together for a while, through the years. I had flowers on the beach and our favorite song was playing in the background. So I did it up. I Hallmarked it up.” 

A Machu Picchu Proposal is just Santos’ latest project for Hallmark. He also stars in Unwrapping Christmas: Tina’s Gift, which makes its network debut on July 5. (Sight Unseen fans will also recognize Santos from his role in the CTV/CW series, which recently finished its second season.) With the feel-good channel embracing romantic stories from around the world, how would he feel about starring in a movie set in his native Brazil? 

“It’s in talks, somewhere in the ether. But yeah, definitely. Let’s speak Portuguese,” he said. 

In the meantime, he’s happy to put his Spanish skills to use. 

“We do hear Spanish quite a bit, and I’m very honored and I take it very seriously when I get a role speaking Spanish,” he said. “I played a Puerto Rican in another film, and I spent a few weeks learning Puerto Rican slang and an accent. I do take that very seriously, the different Latin American cultures. But it would be very, very cool to be Brazilian, to be myself.” 

Hallmark’s commitment to telling stories featuring characters from diverse backgrounds, particularly Latin America, makes sense, Santos added. 

“I think they realize that there’s a lot of their viewership who are Latinos in the U.S., which is natural to go from Latin American programming, with a lot of your soap operas, to your feel-good Hallmark,” he said. “Everybody loves love … On average, they say that 50% of songs are about love. I think in Latin America, it’s like 90% of songs are about love. So yeah, it should be a home run for them. Hopefully they’ll keep doing it.” 

A Machu Picchu Proposal airs Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel. It streams the next day on Hallmark+. 

For more​​ news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.