Whenever a new character is added to Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart, I love having the opportunity to feature them, but Jeremy Guilbuat (otherwise known as Ray Wyatt to the Hearties crowd) was not the easiest individual to contact. After the details were worked out for this auspicious article, however, and the groundwork had been laid, the delightful Andrea Brooks stepped in and told Jeremy just how wonderful I was and how much fun she had in our interview earlier this year. As a result, Jeremy contacted me (Andrea had convinced him to join twitter–You Go, Andrea!), and we decided a Skype interview would be much more engaging and informative, and he couldn’t be more correct! While I cannot begin to inject the enthusiasm, hilarity, and energy which permeated our entire conversation, I am pleased to bring you the “real Jeremy Guilbaut,” and Hearties, I think you’re gonna like him!

RH: Jeremy, I’m pleased it worked out to talk with you today. I’m glad Andrea {Brooks} put in a good word for me, and that this worked out.

JG: {laughs} Oh yes, Andrea is getting me into all of this social media stuff with twitter and tutoring me well.

I did not realize how many Hallmark things you have been in until I looked you up. You’ve been in a whole string of Hallmark things.

Yeah, I’ve done a whole string of them lately, and it’s funny because one of the first big things I did was Snow Queen, which was a Hallmark mini-series. That was back in 2000, and now it’s funny to be coming back to the network after all these years. I also did want to say I went through your blog and was really impressed with the interviews you are doing. They are in-depth and well-done, so kudos to you.

Well, thank you. I like to highlight the supporting cast when I can.

I noticed that. Even in your reviews, you take a moment to highlight the supporting cast and the bit players which is really nice of you to do ’cause those roles don’t ever get talked about. And I like that each of your interviews are unique. Different questions, different focus. So good job.

Thank you again, Jeremy. As I have told other people, I believe that the supporting cast is just as important and vital to the success of the film as the main cast. And I think even Hallmark has come to appreciate that I’m the one who comes along and mentions the supporting cast.

I agree with you completely. And Hallmark has done a good job with many of their films in that the “B” stories are often pretty entertaining.

So then, Jeremy, how did you decide to become an actor? How did that come about?

Well, there’s kind of a funny story attached to this. The first inkling I had came when I was in grade four, when I was around nine years old. The class was doing–do you know the Peter Rabbit story?

Yep, I sure do.

We were going to do a reenactment of that, but the twist was that he was going to be in court on trial. So Peter Rabbit was on trial, and we were going to do this at the downtown Vancouver courthouse. And all the parents were going to come and watch. The night before, someone in the cast freaked out and just couldn’t do it. They panicked, and they were crying in class. It was really shocking. So they needed someone to take over the role, and I don’t know how it happened or who volunteered me, but I had to do it. I stayed up all night with my mom–I still remember running these lines, being on trial as Peter Rabbit. We had to do it the next day, and I was able to get up and remember all the lines. It was a lot of stuff, and I had only learned it the night before. I had to remember everything. I was really young, and I wasn’t realizing just how amazing this was. We were in the real courthouse and I was playing this big role. But it went really well. And after that, I thought it was really cool, and my mom was impressed with my memorization skills.

After that first time, I did theater all through elementary school and on up through high school. And I just loved it. I had great teachers along the way that liked drama, and even in elementary, we would write dramas. So that went all the way through high school, and I did an actual drama program during that time. One of my good friends was in film and television, and he had an agent. He helped me to get into the film and television side of things. It was funny. He thought I looked exactly like this guy who had been with his agent named Tom. He kept asking, “Do you have a brother named Tom?” And I was like, “No, I only have a sister.” Then he told his agent about how I looked like Tom, and Tom was leaving the agency. And his agent was like, “Bring him down and introduce me. We need another Tom guy.” So I went to the agency and opened the door, and the first thing she did was look at me and say, “You don’t look like Tom.” {laughs} And that was my way in–looking like Tom, and now they said I don’t look anything like Tom. So my heart dropped a bit, but I managed to get in anyway. And I’ve had my same agent in Vancouver ever since.

Did you go to school for acting?

Yes, I went to UBC Theatre School {University of British Columbia}. But I had been training before that. I was training with acting coaches full-time. My parents are both professors of art history, so I was able to go to college with free tuition, which was great. I was able to take a variety of courses: history, film, theater, so on and so forth. But I had to leave and take two courses by correspondence in New Brunswick ’cause my first big role was in a TV series–kid’s detective show–that filmed in Moncton called Daring & Grace. I was just eighteen years old, and I had to pick up and leave everything and go over there, so that was a big change. But I was still trying to do school at the same time, so I was a very busy kid.

Out of curiosity, how do you pronounce your last name?

It’s G-ill-bow. It’s actually French, and it would be pronounced Gwee-bow. But in North America, we pronounce it G-il-bow. Many people pronounce my name wrong, but once you hear it, it’s pretty simple.

So was Daring & Grace your first job?

Actually, that was probably my third job. My very first role was the classic first role that any guy gets. My character’s name–Guy in the Hallway. {laughs} That was my first role. I had one line, and I still remember my line to this day ’cause it’s a big joke among my friends. It was like, “Hey, Peyton, thanks for setting the Bell Curve in math today.” She did really well on her test, and she screwed over the rest of us. This movie was in 1998 {1997 according to IMDB}, and I remember meeting this girl who was so nice to me. She was talking to me even though I was only on set one day. I ended up dating her for like six or seven years, and she was the girl I had met on that set.

Well, that is quite a story. But I will say at least you got “Guy in the Hallway.” Because sometimes it just says “guy” or “girl” or “uncredited.” 

That’s true. I never thought of it that way. I’m gonna think of it that way from now on. It’s good that I got a location attached to my role. People can say, “It wasn’t just any guy that I saw, you know, it was that guy in the hallway!”

from Snow Queen

Let’s move on to your work on Snow Queen. How did you get involved with this project?

That’s definitely one of the best projects I’ve worked on. It was a pretty long, arduous casting process. They were doing casting in Vancouver, and it was like a mini-series–two two-hour parts. It’s based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. If you got past a certain level of casting, then you had to do chemistry reads with certain actors. We kept auditioning with different partners up until the end when I got it along with Chelsea Hobbs. We shot this for four months, and they went all out on that. It was really fun. We all lived in Cranbrook, B.C. during this time, and we were shooting in the mountains. It was really cool. Since we all were living in Cranbrook, the whole cast and crew got really close. We all stayed in the same hotel. And they built this entire period village town to shoot on just for the movie. It was pretty amazing.

I have heard of Snow Queen, but I have not actually seen it. I didn’t know Hallmark did it.

Yeah, Hallmark did it, but it wasn’t the Hallmark Channel. The Halmi brothers executive produced it. We were really happy with it when it came out. It always gets rewatched during Christmas.

This is one I think I need to watch for. I didn’t know it was a Hallmark production because they don’t air it on the Hallmark Channel, so I wasn’t sure about it. And then I have so many things on my list to watch as I continue to connect with more and more actors.

from Snow Queen

I can imagine, but this is one you should definitely add to your list. I was very pleased with it, and I’m sure you’ll recognize a lot of actors who are in it.

So that was actually your first Hallmark work, so that’s good to know. {pause} As I was looking through your credits, I noticed you had a pretty good run on the show Edgemont.

Yes, I had a recurring role on Edgemont. I played the brother of one of the main characters. That was a Canadian show, and that went on for years. I have some good friends I hang out with to this day from that show. Kristin Kreuk and Dominic Zamprogna are two I’m still close with. I just had lunch with Dom in LA not too long ago. The show was kind of like a soap opera, but with a younger, high school cast. That was a lot of fun because there were a lot of local Vancouver actors. It was a huge cast. A lot of actors have gone from that show to go on and do other stuff. Another friend I met there–one of my best friends–John Reardon. He lives close to me in LA now. Grace Park was on that show; you might know her from Hawaii Five-O now. It was a great place to meet young actors in the business, and it was kind of a training ground for them.

You said it was a Canadian show which is probably why I haven’t seen it. I think I’ve heard of it because it’s popped up in other interviews. I keep finding all these great Canadian shows, and then I find I can’t watch them because they are only on in Canada. {pause} So moving on to your Hallmark Channel works, I wasn’t sure which movie was first–Ring By Spring or My Boyfriend’s Dogs. 

To be honest, I don’t even remember. But I will tell you the story about that. Ring By Spring, I was only in one scene. That might have been first, I guess. My Boyfriend’s Dogs, I had a great time on that. Erika Christensen is so fun to work with. She’s such a great actress, and I had all my scenes with her. I had worked with the director, Terry Ingram, a bunch of times, and we always had a great time. It was so much fun working with Erika and all the dogs. Even though my character wasn’t supposed to like dogs, I love dogs. I’m an animal lover. We had this pen full of puppies, and I had to pretend I didn’t like them. It was kinda tough when I was on camera. But in between, I was able to cuddle them. They had this entire basket of tiny black lab puppies. Do you know what happens to a set when you bring a basket full of ten puppies? It’s total chaos! {laughs} Nobody does anything. They opened up the back of this van and pulled out this basket of puppies, and everyone goes bananas! “Puppies!” All work was on hold for a half an hour.

I can imagine. Most people connected with Hallmark do love animals. They are a pet-friendly network. 

That’s true. There’s quite a few pet movies. But I like how they tie them to causes like the Humane Society and other charities like that.

Hallmark is one busy network. I started doing the Hallmark thing back when it wasn’t cool, and now they’ve grown so much.

I noticed that. I knew about how I was getting all sorts of auditions and work with them, but when I recently saw the Up Fronts and how that was going for them, it was great for them. They didn’t have to sell anything. The data is there, and they’re going up and up.

Jeremy Guilbaut, Leah Gibson, Jamie-Lynn Sigler Credit: Copyright 2015 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

You were also in The Christmas Note. 

Yes, Terry Ingram was the director on that one, too. They called me up because they needed somebody to take over this role. It was one day of work, and it was fun. That’s just usual when I’m working with Hallmark and Terry.

You just have this whole host of Hallmark movies. You had White Hot, Autumn in the Vineyard, All Things Valentine.

White Hot–that was a lot of fun. My character was pretty fun to play. He was a rich, spoiled brat who still liked to have a good time. That was with the same producer, Jim Head, who I’ve worked with like four or five times now. I found out later he wanted to work with me for a long time, but that was the first time we got to work together. He’s great. He’s so nice to all of his actors. He keeps in touch and lets you know how things are going. The writer came down to set, and she had a great time.

from White Hot

My mom and I love the mystery movies, and we were really into that one.  Autumn in the Vineyard, I noticed you just tweeted to someone about that the other day–

Yeah, ’cause I play a good guy. {laughs} I’ve had this string of playing bad guys. Which was funny because up until that point, I had mainly played good guys. But everyone who knows me from Hallmark sees me playing the bad guy. But in Autumn in the Vineyard, I played a really nice brother. That was a nice change in the midst of all the Hallmark “bad guys” I’d played.

That was another one that was really fun because we were filming in the Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley, wine country in B.C. We were literally surrounded by vineyards. I had a couple of days off, and I walked around the nearby vineyards. We did some wine tasting, and it’s right on the lake. It was gorgeous over there. We were at this little family home-run vineyard, and it was on top of this little hill. That was where we were filming. It wasn’t just a stock photo; we were filming on that vineyard. That was great. It was in the summer in Vancouver.

Having said all that, we did film this massive dance scene inside this barn. It had no air conditioning. There were like a hundred of us in the Okanagan in the summer–it gets hot! In between takes, they literally had to pipe air into this giant tube, so that when we cut, people would yell, “Start the air!” They would try to pipe it in, and everyone would be all huddled around–all the extras and everyone. It was a giant mass of people huddled around with their shirts somewhat open trying to catch all the air and cool off. Then we had to go back to filming, and we’d be sweating. They would close the door, and sweat would just trickle down everyone’s face. That was fun in a different way.

When I talked to Marcus {Rosner} about this movie, he said there was the possibility that this would become a movie series. I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about that.

Yeah, I have heard that. I talked to James Head about that, and while I don’t know when, where and all that, he did mention to me when we were working on Aurora Teagarden that they were trying to make this into a movie series. It is based on a series of books. The series of books all take place in that town. In the movie, it’s all about the Baldwin family and the goings-on with them and all the people who live in that wine town area. They are thinking about producing more movies possibly still based around the Brendan Penny/Rachael Leigh Cook characters, but there is some room for them to do movies based on the other characters too. Marcus’ character might get a movie based on him. There was even talk of my character getting one. I’m not too sure about any of this. There’s definitely room if Hallmark wants to go down that road.

Well, at least it’s still an open option. It’s not like it’s closed. 

It’s still definitely an open option. That’s the last I heard. And being able to go to wine country and make those movies is fine by everyone involved.

Jeremy Guilbaut as Kit

You were also in All Things Valentine. I have interviewed so many people connected with that one. That was the movie last year where I got some of my very first interviews. 

I loved working on that movie. It was so fun. The cast is great on that movie. Kimberly Sustad and Hilary Jardine were the main ones I worked with in the cookie shop. The scenes were so fun. My story with the awkward relationship–Hilary was so fun with my nervous, bungling trying to ask her out. It was so fun!

That one had the main story, but had a couple nice little offshoots as well.

Yes, I thought the other storylines were interwoven well. They stood on their own pretty well, I thought. I was pretty happy with that when I saw that one.

Then that brings us to When Calls the Heart. My mom didn’t like your character from the very beginning. In fact, she didn’t like you the moment she saw you.

I think when you see me with my slicked hair and three-piece suit, and then I work for the railroad..when has someone who worked for the railroad been good? I can’t remember one.  I was kind of set up for that. I’m not really surprised. My own second aunt knew from the moment she saw me that, “Oh, he’s bad.” I don’t blame your mom at all.

from When Calls the Heart

I wasn’t far behind her. Usually I’m tweeting like crazy, so I might miss something the first time. She probably picks up on things faster than I do. So how did you get connected with When Calls the Heart?

I auditioned for that part. I had to work the scenes a couple times with the director, Peter DeLuise. They had an idea how they wanted him to be played, and I guess I ended up getting it. He tries to be charming on the surface, but you know there’s some undercurrent below. Despite that he’s an evil guy, it’s a fun character to play. He’s got a lot of stuff going on underneath. You don’t know where he’s coming from or what he’s up to. It’s a great character to play, especially on such a great show that has such a great following. I’ve been exploring and finding out how great the Hearties are. They’re such great fans even though they don’t like my character. They’ve been so nice to me on twitter, which I appreciate. Even though they don’t like what my character is doing in Hope Valley, they have welcomed me with open arms. I hope they can differentiate between Jeremy Guilbaut and Ray Wyatt. I’ll be happy if they can.

Was that the first time you’d auditioned for anything for When Calls the Heart?

No, I had auditioned for other characters on the show. I had auditioned for Lee, as a matter of fact. This character was written from the beginning as a very interesting one, but I knew he was gonna take a turn for the worst.

The Hearties will continue to be nice to you even if they’re mean to your character.

I know, I’ve seen that. They’re great. And I love how dedicated they are to the show and how involved they are and how much they interact with people on the show. I’ve been marveling at how someone like Erin {Krakow} interacts with the fans on social media. She’s so great. The caliber of acting on the show is really something. Especially someone like Erin–she’s such a great actress. I loved working with the entire cast. It was really fun doing all those scenes. And I l0ved being on set with everyone and talking with them. Everyone knows on set about the fan base and how important the show is to them.

How was it joining the cast of the show?

They were totally welcoming. When you come into a show on the fourth year, you’re definitely nervous the first couple days. They all know each other obviously, so it’s like the first day of high school. But everyone is so nice. And once you have some intimate scenes with one or two of the actors where it’s just you two, you get to talking and then it’s great.

from When Calls the Heart

With that show, I have talked to almost the entire cast. 

I see that. You’ve interviewed a lot of the kids too, I saw. I also like how you follow up with the actors later on down the line and see what they’re up to now. I think that’s cool.

Oh those are like the best interviews. The first interview is just an introduction, but the second one and so one is always better. {pause} Although I don’t want you to spoil anything, is there anything you can tell us about Ray Wyatt?

Last week and this week, Ray Wyatt and the railroad are playing a central role in the goings-on in Hope Valley. There’s gonna be drama, action, some excitement, and that’s what I’ll say. And Dale Kellog, played by Andrew Dunbar, Ray’s right-hand manager will play a central role as well.

from When Calls the Heart

I think we’re expecting basically what you told us.

I think if I said any more than that, it would give away too much. I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it and getting comments on twitter. But I can say this. There will be a head-to-head showdown between Ray Wyatt and Abigail. Watch Lori {Loughlin} in that scene. She’s amazing in that scene. That was one of my favorite scenes to do.

I know you’ve just finished filming another Hallmark movie. 

Yes, this was the first movie that they filmed in Mexico. We’re working with a Mexican crew, and they are fabulous. This was one of the best gigs I’ve ever had. We were basically on vacation, shooting the movie. It’s called Destination Wedding. This one, I play a good guy. Alexa PenaVega is also in this one. I’m the best man, and she’s the maid of honor. Andrew Dunbar is playing Jason, and Andrea {Brooks} is playing Alexa’s sister. They’re supposed to be getting married. We all come down to Mexico and they don’t show up. Alexa is my ex, and because they’re not here, it’s up to us to cover for them and try to organize everything. In the process of that, we’re forced to hang out together. We’re trying to keep this thing from going off the rails while keeping it secret from all the family. We don’t want anyone to realize they had a fight and are not coming. It’s a pretty fun script, and it’s definitely using all the Acapulco landscape to the max. Alexa is so much fun to work with, and as you were able to see, Andrea and I had a great time. From the beginning, Alexa was so open and friendly. I met her, and we took a tour of the place, and she was laughing. She’s such a genuine, friendly person that it’s easy to have a connection with her immediately. Her baby, Ocean, is here with her. He’s three months old, and he’s so cute. He’s already trying to walk. It’s pretty amazing. And Alexa’s husband came down as well. They are an engaging couple with everyone on set. It was a great group down there, and we all stayed at the same hotel, so you can imagine we got to know everyone pretty well.

That’s great that came about for you, and we’ll be watching out for it.

June 3rd is the release date for Destination Wedding.

Is there anything else upcoming that you can mention?

No, that’s it right now. Hallmark has kept me pretty busy. I can’t really complain.

I almost forgot to ask you about Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery. That was an interesting evening for us. You were in Aurora Teagarden, and it was playing opposite When Calls the Heart which you were also in. We could have turned on either Hallmark channel and saw you.

Oh really? I didn’t know that.

So how did this one come about?

That was interesting. The producer Jim Head was talking with me, and he was still formulating the idea behind that movie. While we were on the set shooting Autumn in the Vineyard, he was telling me about this character, Tim, that he was thinking about coming up with. He said, “I think you’d really be great in this role.” We like working together, and I was like, “Yeah, that’d be great,” but we didn’t know if I was going to be in Vancouver when they were shooting the film, but I said I’d fly back and do it if it works out. I didn’t hear anything about it, and then all of a sudden, I was in LA, and one day I got this breakdown for this movie, and there was the role we’d been talking about. So I put it on tape from LA, and I got it pretty soon after. We were so happy it worked out!

Candace {Cameron-Bure} is so fun to work with. Her energy is infectious–I’m sure everybody’s told you that. We had a great time on set. And I worked with Yannick {Bisson} as well. And Alexa Doig–I don’t know if you’ve interviewed her–she’s hilarious. And a lot of my scenes were with her. We had a great time. They were really welcoming to me despite the fact they had already done four movies together. And they are shooting two more movies. Right after we finished, they were shooting the next one.

Do you have any plans to eventually write/direct/produce?

Yes, all of the above with a group of friends. I mentioned John Reardon earlier. Also Jesse Moss. The three of us are working on an online web series storyline. John and Jesse are both writers, and I build websites and know the technical aspect. I know about SEO and things to do with Google. We just had our first meeting and created the concept and got the story together. It’s going to be available online. We even did meetings from Acapulco about it.

You have been a working actor for quite some time. What do you think is the secret to your longevity?

I think one of the biggest things is not taking for granted when you get a job. When you’re on set, really look around and watch the people around you. Watch the pros. Get to know everything on set. Talk to other people on the set, including the crew. Find out what other people are doing. Watch people who have been doing this for a long time and see how they’re doing it. Don’t just stay in your trailer and do nothing, but ask questions and be perceptive. The hard thing with being an actor is there’s so much stuff you have to remember and do. When people watch a show, they tend to think the actor just showed up and said their lines. That’s just the beginning. There’s all the technical aspects you need to know. The more you get comfortable with that, the more it will let you act in a free and unfettered way. And that leads to more jobs.

The other thing is the importance of auditioning. One thing that hampered me–and it still does sometimes–really treat the audition as a fun conversation, as more of an interaction between equals. I’m better at this when I know the people in the room, but when I don’t, I get nervous and shy. It’s kind of like in a job interview. If you feel you’re being judged, your acting will suffer because of that. Every time you go into an audition, try to create a warm environment with everybody in the room. And don’t be afraid to do your scene over again. If you screw up, go ahead and say something. I used to go in and be terrible and mess up, and I wouldn’t say anything. I know that if I can do it a second time, it’s going to be better. You’re so much more relaxed. You’ve got to nail those auditions. Practice how to audition. It’s different to act for an audition than when you’re on set.

That is all really good advice. You offered things I have not heard from other actors. So thank you  for that.

If you can get comfortable with auditioning, you’re going to get more jobs. I used to get so close to getting these Hallmark things, and the running gag was that one day, I was going to get one. It got to the point where I was getting really discouraged. I was doing great auditions, but I wasn’t getting the roles. I was very comfortable with the people, and I kept getting better in the audition room.

With a guy in Hallmark, you have a the rite of passage in a way. First, you play the other guy. You might play him a few times. Then I got the recurring role, even though it was a bad guy, in When Calls the Heart.  That is like their top show. That was a good break. I had to build on that. And now I have this lead role in Destination Wedding. I remember one time I had a great audition with Jim Head, and I didn’t get the part. I asked him during the shooting of Aurora Teagarden, “How did I not get that part? You guys loved me!” And he said, “We submitted you, but you just weren’t the right fit for the part.” But off that audition I didn’t get, I got White Hot. Even when you don’t get a role, remember that people are watching, and you’re building on that audition. It can and will lead to other roles down the line.

Jeremy is the absolute epitome of the principles of this business to which I strongly adhere. His career has been building steadily for many years, and in spite of any discouragement he may have experienced along the way, he has never given up. He has gone from playing smaller roles (Guy in the Hallway) to playing bigger roles in series and in movies, and now after paying his dues, so to speak, he is finally going to be seen as a lead in a romantic comedy for Hallmark! That is the way it happens, and his determination, sunny disposition, and general positive outlook have made all the difference. Of course, he has an enchanting sense of humor and a dynamic energy that cannot help but connect with everyone within earshot. 

However, there is something that impressed me even more deeply with this spirited young man. He took the time to prepare for this interview by finding out about me. Now, I never would utter nor think anything disparaging about an actor who does not take an avid interest in my work and/or me, but I have to say that the fact that Jeremy went out of his way to do his homework instantly placed him in a transcendental category. I mean, he even paid attention to what I had been tweeting in recent days, and I thought, “Wow, this guy is the real deal!” While each person I interview engenders a certain degree of affinity within me for them and their work, Jeremy’s actions significantly intensified my regard for him in a myriad of ways.

Furthermore, Jeremy’s benevolence, humility, and authenticity resonated with me in a way that sometimes doesn’t happen in an interview. He was genuinely interested in me and asked me his share of questions as well, and I was entranced with his kind consideration for me. Yes, almost without exception, the actors I interview treat me with respect and courtesy, but Jeremy’s was a cut above the norm, in my opinion. For those who might wonder, the charm that his character Ray Wyatt exudes is actually pretty close to who Jeremy is, but that charm is real and without malice.

I would invite all of my readers to be sure that you watch When Calls the Heart  on the Hallmark Channel tonight (April 9) and the following two Sunday nights because I anticipate seeing the ultimate fate of the dastardly Ray as played so brilliantly by Jeremy. Furthermore, make sure you highlight and circle June 3rd as we will have the supreme opportunity to see Jeremy finally play the romantic lead that he has so graciously earned! Oh, and don’t forget to follow him on social media (links below) and check out all his past works (Snow Queen is definitely near the top of my list), for this is a true artist and a gentleman who deserves any and every accolade and show of support sent his way!

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