I was so excited for the When Calls the Heart spinoff series When Hope Calls to make its debut on Hallmark Movies Now and Super Channel Heart & Home this year. To be honest, when I watched the previews, which featured a British nurse coming to Brookfield, I was thrilled! I didn’t have a clue who this actress was, but I did some research and ultimately discovered it was a talented woman named Hanneke Talbot who was playing the spunky and intelligent Maggie. I was already enraptured with her character long before the series ended, but I was unprepared for the delightful surprise of meeting her at the Hearties Family Reunion this year! Recently, she and I had a little online chat, and as we prepare to finish out this year (and decade), it is my honor to present our interview to my readers today.
Photo by Raj Paul – © 2019
RH: How/Why did you decide to pursue a career as an actress? What kind of training have you had to prepare you for this career?
HT: Acting has been the thing I wanted to do for as long as I can remember. My first memory was in primary school and absolutely LOVING show and tell; I think I enjoyed having an audience and making people laugh. During high school, I performed at my local theatre and tried to soak up as much as I could. I also have a huge passion for literature; I think I’ve always had some sort of fascination for storytelling and what we’re able to learn through reading and watching other human experiences.
I did a three year BA at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA.) I was incredibly lucky to get in as it’s a highly competitive school with rigorous training. We would often have fifty-hour workweeks and incredibly long days, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. It was a conservatoire so we studied and performed the greats from Shakespeare to Chekhov, Ibsen, Shaw and everything in between.
I think LAMDA taught me a great sense of discipline and drive which is something I’ve found useful in my career, among many other things.
What was your first professional role in film/TV and what are your memories of that job?
My first ever professional role was a one-liner on a British/American Production called Humans. It was a sci-fi drama about a world in which robots (who looked human, but had robot tendencies) were created to help assist humanity. I was playing one of these robots, which was certainly a challenge for a first job as I had to go against everything I was taught at theatre school because I wasn’t playing a human!
I was also opposite Carrie-Anne Moss for the scene which was SUPER nerve-wracking, but she was lovely and I learnt how on a set everything can go from 0 to 100 in five seconds flat.
I think I first saw you last year in Christmas With A Prince. Please remind us of your character in that film. What was it like working on that movie? Any special memories?
© RAJ PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY
Yes, I was! I played Violet, Ben’s Mum. We had a really cute little scene where I got to surprise my “son” as the Prince had been kind enough to fly me out before an important surgery and we were surprised by our favourite country music star! My most special memory from that shoot has to be Liam MacDonald (who plays Vincent in When Hope Calls) before it was the first of three jobs together, WHC being our third. Liam now jokes that it’s in his contract that I have to be hired along too.
Star Trek: Discovery
You’ve also made appearances on Star Trek: Discovery Izombie, and Titans. What did you enjoy about working on those shows?
Titans
The great thing about working on shows like that is getting to jump into the incredibly rich world that has already been created; it’s an acting dream! It was such an honour to be able to join the legacy of Star Trek and to be on the Starship Enterprise and wear the infamous uniform. Titans was also such a cool experience; the only thing better than getting to play a superhero is playing a supervillain, they have more fun. =P
iZombie
iZombie was also a really fun experience. The theme of the episode was “film noir,” so I got to play a damsel in distress who turned out to be a femme fatale.
Hallmark fans were introduced to you in the new show When Hope Calls. What did you know about Hallmark before working on this show? Were you familiar with the parent show When Calls the Heart?
Hanneke Talbot, Morgan David Jones, Nicholas Carella, Greg Hovanessian, Wendy Crewson, Neil Crone, Morgan Kohan, Jefferson Brown Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
To be honest, I didn’t know a huge amount coming from England…other than that no one does Christmas like Hallmark and that it was a family network. But they welcomed me and the WHC cast with open arms and I haven’t looked back since! I knew of When Calls The Heart, but hadn’t seen the show; I may or may not have binged-watched it when I found out I booked When Hope Calls.
What did you do to prepare yourself to play Maggie on this show? Any favorite episode or scene?
Hanneke Talbot Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
The first thing I did was read Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing, which was hugely informative to get a taste of what nursing was like a hundred years or so ago. I also dug around and watched some other period shows. I had actually auditioned for the role of Maggie in two accents; North American and British, which is my natural accent. I’m really glad I got to use my natural voice as I think it brings a different energy to Brookfield, and I love that later in the season, we get to explore a bit more about Maggie’s roots.
Hanneke Talbot, Jefferson Brown Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
I would have to say my favourite episode was six because it was so much fun to play the comedy of it and for the audience to see a cheekier side to Maggie. It’s always fun getting up to no good with Jefferson Brown (who plays Joe Moody) too!
If When Hope Calls is granted another season, what are your hopes for Maggie? Any hopes for a potential romance?
Jefferson Brown, Hanneke Talbot Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
I would love to explore Maggie’s take on being in a new town with new people and new experiences. She is often the go-to person when other’s need help, so I’d love to dig into what she’s feeling inside. I’d also love to see her get into more mischief too! As for romance, who knows? I think Maggie would certainly be a tough nut to crack; she’s very practical, driven, and determined, so only time will tell if someone is able to sweep her off her feet.
What have your experiences been like with the Hearties? What was it like going to your first Hearties Family Reunion? (Loved meeting you!)
Loved meeting you too! Wow! What an experience it was! It was such a lovely day. I had no idea what to expect and the fans were so kind and welcoming; I know now why they call it a family reunion because that’s exactly what it felt like. The overall Hearties experience has been nothing but positive; it’s really lovely to read the supportive comments online and know that the fans want to see more of the show.
Hanneke Talbot Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
Any other upcoming/current works you can mention?
I do have a project I’m SUPER excited about starting next year, but until it’s publicly announced I’m not allowed to discuss it…boring, I know!
How will you celebrate the holidays this year?
I’m going home to the UK! Super excited for Christmas this year as my family are spread all over the globe, but fingers crossed it’s looking like we’re all going to be together this Christmas for the first time in…maybe since I was a child, I think? So if all goes to plan: lots of eating, lots of laughing, lots of dog walking and lots of being cosy with the fam.
Photo by Raj Paul
I am elated that I had the opportunity to meet and interact with Hanneke, and fingers crossed that a season two happens for this remarkable show. Hanneke is a perfect addition to the cast of this upstanding show with a unique but consistently inspirational, luscious storyline, and I can vouch for the fact that the woman who plays Maggie is as benevolent and as generous as you would hope (if not more so). While she is new to the Hallmark world, I greatly anticipate more from her in the near and distant future. She is just the kind of artist we need on our screens, demonstrating that women of any era can be independent, authentic, and still hope for true love. Indeed, Hanneke is an asset to the show as well as to the network as a whole.
If you have not had the opportunity to watch season one of When Hope Calls, I invite you to visit Hallmark Movies Now or Super Channel Heart & Home for more information on how you can watch/stream that entire first season. Also, while you are investigating this endearing new show, be sure to visit all of Hanneke’s links below and consider following her on social media (she is getting better at posting her updates–it’s been a new thing for her, so she mentioned to me). I find Hanneke charming and engaging as well as gifted and professional, and I could think of no one better to grace our screens in this family-friendly show (and more) for many years to come!
FOLLOW HANNEKE
Morgan David Jones, Morgan Kohan, Hanneke Talbot, Jefferson Brown Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
Liam Macdonald, Jefferson Brown, Ava Weiss, Hanneke Talbot, Elizabeth Saunders Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Shane Mahood
