Hallmark Star Andrew Walker Says His 40s Have 'Been the Best Years of My Life' as He Reflects on Aging: 'I Feel Better Than I Ever Have'

Andrew Walker is still taken aback by how dramatically his career has taken off in recent years, thanks to his starring roles in Hallmark movies and the success of his own business.

"It is interesting. You start out playing the jock in high school. Then suddenly you're playing the older brother, then you're playing the young dad. Before you know it, you're the dad of a 13-year-old, and you're looking at the actor playing your son thinking, 'Wait...I'm not old enough to be this kid's dad.' But I am. It's funny because the roles you're cast in almost become your hourglass. You're looking at them thinking, 'Wow...this is really happening.' But honestly, my 40s have been the best years of my life. I'm turned 47 in June, and I genuinely feel better than I ever have. I put the work in. I don't just wake up and hope for the best," the actor exclusively tells OK! while talking SkinMason IO, a daily dietary supplement designed by SkinMason to support skin longevity and health from the inside out.

"I have a pretty strict routine. I cold plunge. I work out every day. I use the sauna. I take supplements. I eat well. I didn't do any of that in my 20s. Back then I'd eat whatever I wanted, drink whatever I wanted, and just kind of wing it. I still worked out, but not the way I do now. As far as aging goes, I've always been pretty accepting of it. As you get older, you start appreciating life differently. You understand what actually matters. I want to spend more time with my kids. I want to spend more time with good friends. And honestly, I'm incredibly grateful for what we're building with SkinMason because we see people whose lives are genuinely changing. People always ask about beauty. To me, beauty is really energy. It's waking up feeling good, having no brain fog, feeling healthy. Health is beauty. That's something we really believe. If you want to feel beautiful, you need to feel healthy first. I think aging is about understanding yourself better, respecting yourself more and taking better care of yourself," the star, who shares two sons with his wife, Cassandra Troy, continues.

Since Walker is adamant about feeling good, it was a no-brainer for him to start thinking about expanding SkinMason.

Founded by Dr. Hussein Kanji and Walker, two friends with a passion for skincare, SkinMason IO (Inside Out) has launched a daily supplement formulated with 10 active ingredients designed to target the gut-skin axis, reduce inflammation and support collagen production. This supplement complements the brand's core topical 3-step system. While most skincare focuses on what you apply topically, IO is built around a different idea: that your skin is often a reflection of what’s happening inside your body.

"This has really been my brainchild from the beginning because I work in intensive care as a clinician. When we approach skin care, people tend to think about topical products that modify skin cells so you look better. I approach it differently. I regenerate organs — liver, kidney, heart, lung — in my intensive care unit. We do transplants. That's my day-to-day job. But to me, this isn't really skincare. It's optimizing an organ. That's exciting. What frustrates me is seeing so much junk in this industry. People are sold ideas instead of products that actually work. They're marketed to through their insecurities. We don't want to do that. We just want to create something that genuinely helps people, and that's incredibly exciting," Dr. Kanji explains.

"Before medical school, I was actually a bench scientist doing genetic modeling and genetic modification before moving into clinical medicine. When I looked at skin as an organ, I felt the industry had it backwards. Everyone is putting Band-Aids on problems or chasing the latest hero ingredient. I wanted to approach it from a medical and physiological standpoint. If you've tried our topical products — and I hope we can get you some — the thing that's music to both our ears is that we constantly receive unsolicited emails from people telling us we've changed their lives," he adds.

After seeing patients and being in the medical field, the doctor kept asking himself: "Why aren't we approaching skin from the inside?"

"Think about it — how much water you've had, what you've eaten, how much sugar you've consumed, whether you've had a night out drinking — all of that affects your skin. Everything is regulated from the inside out. So why are we only treating skin from the outside? The root causes involve your gut, your nutrients, your antioxidants, and your inflammatory state. I did a deep dive because I didn't want to create another supplement filled with "fairy dust." That really frustrates me about this industry. Everything we use is scientifically backed and clinically studied. We have ten ingredients that work together across five biological pathways, all in one proprietary formula. We're really excited because we're meeting skin in the middle," he shares.

For the Three Wiser Men and a Boy actor, health and wellness have always been a "huge part of his life," and he even "dabbled in biohacking for years."

"I take about 20 supplements a day. I do cold plunges, red-light therapy—all of it, but I always travel with a probiotic, glutathione, NAD and zinc. That's why IO has become my go-to travel companion. Instead of bringing one of those giant pill organizers with a hundred compartments, I just bring IO. It's two capsules a day — one in the morning and one later in the day — and it simplifies what we believe are the foundational supplements people should be taking to feel and look their best."

Dr. Kanji thinks there's nothing else out there like this.

"Most supplements are built around one ingredient — biotin, collagen, vitamin C — or maybe a small combination of ingredients. They focus on one pathway. We're different because we're addressing multiple biological pathways simultaneously. We target the gut-skin axis, UV defense, photoaging, inflammation, oxidative stress and the actual building blocks your skin needs. For example, lycopene — which comes from tomatoes — is one of our ingredients because it helps with photoprotection. We also use zinc, vitamin C and other ingredients we know are important because I see them used every day in burn patients and wound healing. Everything is dosed according to clinical studies. This isn't fairy dust. People often pick a trendy ingredient, sprinkle a tiny amount into a product and sell the idea. We're selling science," he states.

Walker's wife, who is a "micro-influencer," kept getting products sent to their house, so he's tried a lot of what is out there but felt like something was still missing.

"It actually took us about a year because we wanted to understand where the gap was. What does science say today? What is science going to say five years from now? We wanted to stay ahead of where the industry is going. I really believe we're disrupting a space that hasn't evolved the way it should. People are going to look at SkinMason and wonder what we're doing differently. Eventually they'll probably try to imitate it — which is flattering — but they still won't be doing exactly what we're doing. For me, the exciting part is that this is backed by science, it's something people actually need, and it takes all these supplements I was already taking individually and wraps them into one simple package," he says.

The dad-of-two has always "had the entrepreneurial bug," so starting SkinMason felt right.

"We have different perspectives, but they complement each other," he says of being around Dr. Kanji. "Being an entrepreneur is hard. You don't really understand that until you're doing it. But if you have a great product and great partners, you've got a chance. We've also built an amazing customer support team. The product stands on its own. And my partner here is pretty darn good, too."

Ultimately, the pals have one mission in common.

"We want people to feel confident. We want people to feel healthy. The way they look follows naturally. We're not making beauty. We're helping people optimize themselves," the medical expert says.

Walker and Dr. Kanji are just getting started, but the former feels "incredibly blessed" to be doing what he loves every day.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't practice gratitude. My wife and I are really intentional about it. We do gratitude with our kids every day. I'm living my dream life. Everything I ever wanted has somehow become my reality. Sometimes I wake up and can't believe this is actually my life. I get to go to work doing something I genuinely love. And honestly, I wouldn't want to work for any other network. I love Hallmark. I love the content we make. I love the creative freedom they give me. I come in, I rewrite scripts, I produce my own movies... But my most important job is being a dad. Hallmark allows me to be a dad first. Our shoots are only about three weeks long. Living in North Vancouver now means I get to come home after work. I can coach my son's flag football team, I can take my kids skiing, I get to spend time with my wife, I get to work with the SkinMason team. It's pretty incredible," he concludes.

SkinMason is available to shop.