Hallmark Star Rachael Leigh Cook Shares Swimsuit Photo of "What a Ride"

The holidays are on the horizon, which means Hallmark Christmas movies are on the way—including Rescuing Christmas, with Rachael Leigh Cook. Cook, 44, clearly had a great summer filming, and shared a snap of herself on social media wearing a black bikini as she took part in a human pyramid on the beach in Vietnam. "What a ride. Eternally grateful for all these beautiful memories and also to everyone who came with us on the Tourist's Guide adventure this weekend. We appreciate it more than you will ever know," she captioned the post. Here's how the star looks essentially the same as she did 20 years ago.

Cook is realistic and honest about maintaining her looks after 40. "First of all, I promise not to be one of those actresses who just gets on some soapbox and tells you to drink water," she says. "We've heard enough of that, and nobody believes you! Being over 40, you should make friends with retinol. I definitely feel my age, but if I can not look it all the way, I'm a happy camper."

Cook fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine while filming Netflix romcom A Tourist's Guide to Love. "My favorite food that I haven't had as good a version of since I've been back is bánh xèo," she says. "I ate it every single day we were in Hoi An and Da Nang. That crispy pancake with the vegetables in it, sort of folded into a … you fold it in thirds. And then, it has beautiful dipping sauces. I'm still hungry thinking about it."

Cook is happiest when she's outside, calling herself a "nature girl". "I love you! My kindest most beautiful girl in the world," actress Tara Reid commented on a post of Cook posing with her pup. "You are an Angel who had a heart bigger then the world. I am so happy that you are my best friend. The smartest, clever, gorgeous person inside and out. I adore you 4 ever and ever and ever.💜😘"

Cook never felt she had the right "90s" prettiness at the time. "I never saw myself as shiny and pretty in the way that someone like Jessica Alba or Jennifer Love Hewitt were then," she says. "They were the pretty girls and I thought of myself as far quirkier. If that was true, I do not know. But I was never at the top of the pretty-girl list. I was not terrible-looking by any stretch! But there were so many stop-you-in-your-tracks beauties working at that time. I think I filled the role of 'identifiable girl-next-door type'."

Cook embraces her particular niche in Hollywood as a romantic comedy star. "I can't seem to help myself," she says. "I can't stray too far from the genre. It keeps being where my heart feels at its center. It's where my sensibilities lie. It's where my personal tastes lie. It's positive, feel-good content. And I love love. I don't know what to tell you."