Interview With Actress Pascale Hutton, “When Calls the Heart”

By Ruth on April 13, 2020 in Interview, movie, television

I have never concealed the fact that Lee and Rosemary are my favorite couple in Hope Valley, the fictitious setting of Hallmark’s immensely popular When Calls the Heart series which is currently in its seventh season. On several occasions, not only have I had the honor of chatting with the effervescent actress who portrays Rosie so perfectly, but I have met her (and Kavan Smith, AKA Lee) more than once. Recently, I was able to have my “yearly chat” with Pascale Hutton, AKA Rosemary Coulter, and it happened to be right towards the beginning of our current time of “self-isolation” due to the worldwide pandemic. I am ecstatic to share our informative, winsome, energetic conversation.

RH: Pascale, I’m so glad to chat with you. I know it’s a crazy time right now.

PH: Ruth, it’s always great to chat with you. Thanks for reaching out.

I know we’re all experiencing this crisis right now, and it’s good that we’re all in it together.

Yes, that’s what I keep reminding my son when he has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that there might not be any more school this year. It’s something that we all can be nervous about, and he and others are concerned about what it might mean for next year. I think it’s good to remind your kids that they are in the exact same situation as every other kid. It’s not like all the other kids are going to school and your child is the only one being held home. Everybody’s in the same boat, and come September, everybody’s gonna be in the same situation. And that’s a good reminder not only for all the kids but also for us adults.

I understand completely. I have a daughter who is in eleventh grade this year, and recently they announced that there is no more physical school for the rest of the year.

Oh my, those students in grades eleven and twelve are the ones who are probably feeling it the most.

Thankfully, she’s doing all right, and our school district is getting everything moved over to online school. She’s an honor student and way ahead, so I’m not worried about her getting caught up. But I was actually subbing in a high school classroom with senior high students when the announcement about school being canceled was made. And I had to calm them down and assure them that they were going to be the first priority in the school district. And as I have seen over the past few weeks, I was proven correct.

Well, I’m glad your daughter is doing well.

“Sick” Rosemary

Yes, thank you. Glad you and your family are surviving too. So, how incredible was it to have that episode on When Calls the Heart a few weeks back that fit in perfectly with our current situation?

I know, honestly, there was a moment there when I sat down and was watching the episode…I always watch the episode before it airs so that I can live tweet and focus on that and also remind myself of what was actually in that episode. Of course, we film so many episodes that it’s hard to keep them straight. So the Wednesday before it aired, I sat down and watched the episode with my husband and my son, and we were sitting there going, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” I thought, “Maybe they’re not gonna air this episode.” But I’m so glad that they stood by it and they aired it because ultimately the message in it is about how a community can come together and support each other. Which I think is the message that everybody needs to hear right now. In your own little ways, even though we’re doing this social distancing and some people are even having to quarantine, there are ways to reach out and still be a community.

Of course, I always love the episodes, but I was very much in tune with Elizabeth’s scenes in the classroom because that is exactly what I was doing the last day I was teaching.

Absolutely! I hadn’t even thought about that, but a teacher would have that exact same experience. They would have just experienced it themselves.

Now, I always love Lee and Rosemary, but how fun it was to see Rosemary being the one who was sick as opposed to the last time when Lee was sick?!

Yes, and her unwillingness to actually slow down and be the patient. She’s such a go-getter, and she’s so energetic. To actually have her pause and focus on getting better…that was a struggle for her. I thought they wrote that very well.

Yes, and although it was so relatable and the episode itself had a great message, it still had all the fun and the humor in it. It was that moment where we could get away from all the news stuff and we didn’t have to think about what was going on in the world. So that was just perfect timing.

I definitely agree.

It’s funny. When Calls the Heart was the first show during this time to run an episode dealing with an infectious disease and all that goes with it. Now, I know it was filmed months ago, but since that time, other network shows have run episodes about similar situations. In fact, one of the doctor shows actually pulled their episode about an epidemic. And When Calls the Heart is the only one that didn’t come up with a disclaimer talking about how this was filmed months ago and it was only fiction. All the other shows I’ve seen have had messages like that so people won’t panic.

I hadn’t realized other shows were running episodes dealing with similar situations.

All of them were filmed months ago, but When Calls the Heart was the first one to air. And definitely the best, in my opinion. You guys offered real hope.

I’m glad to hear that, Ruth.

So it’s been great to have When Calls the Heart back for season seven. I have talked with several people about the show.

It’s so fun for us to be back on the air and live-tweeting and Instagramming with the Hearties. I really do get so much joy out of that connection and those interactions. It’s been a real source of positivity over the last few weeks.

I think all of us Hearties would definitely agree. I loved that Rosemary got to sing this season! I know it was a small part, but I loved it.

I loved it too! That was written in, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t know this song.” Then I looked it up, and it’s actually kind of a tricky song to sing. Then I thought, “Oh gosh, I’ve been asking them to write me something having to do with singing for the last few seasons. Then when they write it, it’s something that is actually quite challenging!” {laughs}

Well, I was really excited for you when you started singing, and I never would have known you didn’t know the song. I thought it was beautiful.

Don’t get me wrong. I knew it by the time we filmed it. I listened to it probably two hundred times. I kept that song on repeat over and over. It is a very old song, and it’s definitely from that time. I listened to it so much, and I practiced it so much because I was completely unfamiliar with it and I wanted to be ready.

Well, that’s good. And you also had to sing that song a capella too which is not easy.

{laughing} Exactly!

I also wanted to make sure that I told you how much I enjoyed seeing you on Christmas Cookie Matchup. And I love the fact that your team won. It was so much fun to watch you guys.

It was a lot of fun for us to film. But it was a lot of work for us too. That’s what I kept saying. I really thought we were just going to be there as the cast–the sideline entertainment. Cracking a few jokes and being silly. I really had to work. Me and Kavan really had to work. Once you’re in the competition and then make it to the end…and those challenges got exponentially more difficult as we went on. And the final one–the cookie chandelier?? I thought, “Oh my gosh!” Thank goodness I was paired up with Ricky. He was able to take in the challenge and come up with a concise and clear vision for how he wanted to execute it very quickly and efficiently. So thank goodness I really didn’t have to do that! All I had to do was support his vision and basically be the gofer. Like, “Oh, you want me to go pick up the sugar?” “You want me to get these colors for dying the frosting?” That I could do. But by the end there, I was the frosting master. All those different frostings, I had them down!

For me, I loved watching because, for some people, this was their first time to see you guys as yourselves as opposed to your characters in the show.

It’s true. A lot of people commented and were sending me messages going, “Oh, I had no idea that was what your real voice sounded like.” Of course, Rosemary’s voice is quite different from my own speaking voice. I know so many people were kind of thrown off by that. {laughs}

I know I’ve heard from the cast who were involved that it was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun too. I have been told over and over that it was a lot more work than anyone ever expected.

It’s true. It was a lot of work. But really the time crunch and the magnitude of the challenges was what made it so challenging and difficult. I think we thought, “Oh, we’re gonna just whip up a batch of cookies, and whichever one tastes the best is gonna be the winner.” That was so far from what it actually was. It was so much more challenging! {laughs}

Having watched a lot of these cooking and baking shows myself, I even agree that the challenges were a lot more than what I normally see on other shows. That Christmas cookie chandelier…I’ve never seen anything like that! I thought it was great that the finals were down to your team and Kavan’s team. I mean, I figured Kavan would be in the finals because of his cooking experience. But when it was down to his team and yours, I just got this sense that Ricky might end up being the winner. And it was your team that won!

Now, I don’t take any credit for that. Ricky really was and is so incredibly skilled in the kitchen. And not just skilled, but he is so calm and cool through it all. Nothing fazes him. He doesn’t get ruffled. Like there’s that one moment in one of the episodes where I accidentally…I don’t know what I was thinking. My mind went blank, I guess. But I put in that tablespoon of salt. I said, “Oh, Ricky, I have to confess. This is what I did. How can I save it?” He was like, “We can’t. We’ll just throw it out and start from scratch.” But he was totally unflustered by it. If the roles had been reversed, I would have been like, “Ahhhhhhh! What are you doing???! You did what??! Give me a break!” {laughs}

My mom watched the show with me. It was so much fun to watch her because she hasn’t seen you guys much outside the show either. It was fun to watch her responses. And I would say, “Yeah, they’re really like that. That’s how they act in real life.” We had some great discussions. Of course, she doesn’t know everyone’s real names in the show. As far as she’s concerned, you’re Rosemary, and you always will be.

You know what? I’m okay with that. That’s fine. {laughs}

We are in the midst of season seven of When Calls the Heart. And then they’ve been putting When Hope Calls on right after When Calls the Heart, which is nice. I had already seen it last year when it was on Hallmark Movies Now. And I loved that Rosemary and Lee paid a visit to Brookfield.

Yep, that was great.

Kavan told me about filming the show and the bugs.

It was really intense. When we film our show, we film in British Columbia, which is on the West coast of Canada. They film When Hope Calls in North Bay, Ontario, which is on the opposite side of the country. And also a little bit further north. We were there at the very beginning of June, and HOLY MAN! BUGS….were like I’d never seen them before!! The first two days that we were there, I think it was kind of cold and dry, so there were no bugs. Then all of a sudden, I think it rained and the sun came out, and oh my gosh! It was like everything hatched! You’re just swatting mosquitos away all day long. And I had never used this before, but I was constantly using peppermint essential oil, which actually seems to work quite well. I was just slathering it on all the time because they were just everywhere. They were swarming everywhere. Like in your mouth and everywhere. It was really intense.

I have had a similar experience when I lived in central Florida. There was one area we visited where the male mosquitos would hatch at a certain time, and then they all would live for like a day and then die. So they didn’t bite you, but they covered your car. They were inside all the restaurants. Everywhere you went, everything was covered in dead bugs. But filming during what you describe would be an intense experience, I can imagine. I will say that you would never know conditions were like that based on what we have seen of the show.

Oh, I know! I was surprised when I saw just a few clips and chunks of the episode because you don’t see a single bug!

I’m so glad you guys got to do a crossover episode. It was a fun little episode. I love that show anyway. Back to When Calls the Heart, this has been a very active season. There were all the preparations for Jesse and Clara to get married, and Rosemary was involved in that.

Rosemary got to plan Hope Valley’s first-ever bachelorette party.

I tell you, Rosemary planned a better party than I ever had before I got married.

Well, you need Rosemary to plan the party for you. That’s what you need. She’s a party planner extraordinaire. Thankfully, Clara let her run with this one. She’s let her help with the wedding, but she’s let Rosemary take over the bachelorette party. In true Rosemary fashion, it’s lots of fun, and the ladies all have a good time.

When we filmed the party…those scenes are always so great. I know they can be quite challenging when the entire cast is in the saloon together. As you saw, what happened was the bachelorette party happened at the same time as the bachelor party. They both happened in the saloon. One is at one end, and one is at the other. The entire cast is there. Those days can be so challenging and very long. With all those people, it means there’s a lot of coverage that has to happen. Everybody needs to have coverage so we can see what is happening with them in the scene. It can take a long time. Rosemary is the host extraordinaire of this whole event. By the end there, I’ll be honest, I reached a point of just silliness. I couldn’t rein it back. I just started laughing, and I couldn’t stop. Thankfully, it wasn’t on my coverage. It was on a big, wide shot, and I was off-camera talking to the group and trying to rally them all to play this game. I could not get through my lines without laughing. That doesn’t happen to me often. I can remember back before Elizabeth got married and we had her bachelorette party, which was a simple bridal shower at Abigail’s. Again, there was so much coverage that I reached the point of the giggles, and I couldn’t rein them in.

Pascale and Kavan
behind-the-scenes

So back to the bachelorette episode this season, when we were shooting it, Kavan was off-camera as well. He was not looking at what was going on. He was not even in this part of the scene. So he was just sitting there off-camera, and all I could see was him pop his head up from behind where the cameras are. He looked over at me because I couldn’t even get words out I was laughing so hard. So he looked at me and put his hands up like, “What the heck are you doing?” And that just sent me further over the edge. There was no reining it in. Other people were saying my lines so they could get some reaction shots. Every once in a while as an actor, I think we reach that point of no return where the day has gone on too long and we’ve been doing the same thing too much. And you get the sillies. And that was me when we were filming that scene. Thankfully, the scene came off well because we were supposed to be having a fun time.

“Rosemary” behind-the-scenes

Yes, it was a lighter episode and not super serious.

Yes, thank God that’s never happened to me when we were filming a serious scene.

The wedding this season was just beautiful as well.

I hope that when the fans saw this wedding that they just had their breath taken away. The wedding episode was so beautiful. Our set dec team did such an amazing job of building the most beautiful, beautiful wedding we’ve ever had! It’s so gorgeous. It really does just take your breath away.

Oh, I agree, Pascale! The most beautiful wedding ever! I loved it! But we all are looking forward to seeing what happens with Lee and Rosemary for the rest of this season. Now that we’re almost done with the season, is there anything else you can tease about the Colters?

As I believe Hearties saw earlier this season with the life and death challenge of Rosemary getting very, very sick with the chicken pox, I will say that their challenges don’t end there as we venture forward into the final couple of episodes.

The Wedding Party

This past episode demonstrated that rather clearly. So we’ll keep watching these last few episodes. What I will say is that this season, I have been so impressed with the writing. Sure, the acting, the direction, etc. is always good. But it seems like the writing has been stepped up this year. I know it can be challenging to write for a large ensemble cast, but the writers have risen to the challenge immeasurably well, I think. It’s not choppy. The transitions are smooth, and I feel like the writers have tried to focus on each of the characters as best as they can.

I agree with you, and I’m so glad you said that, Ruth.

with “Baby Jack”

You and Kavan have gotten to work with the Taylor Twins quite a bit this season.

I did! I got to work with them quite a bit actually. I love it. I love them. I love those two little boys. I love doing scenes with them. I like it even when they’re grumpy. They’re magic. When you’re doing a scene with them, they don’t know how to do anything else other than be completely present in that moment. I actually find it magical to be in scenes with them.

In fact, I know Hearties got to see the episode where Lee and Rosemary got Baby Jack for one or two nights. Lee and Rosemary really got immersed into the world of what it would be like if they had their own baby and what parenthood would actually look like. It was so much fun to film that. So many scenes with the boys. You end up being quite fluid with them. Not only with the lines, but also the structure of the scene. Obviously, there are certain plot points that you have to hit, but you kind of have to be adaptable and take what they’re giving you and go with that.

Lee, Rosemary, and Jack

We had these scenes where I’m supposed to be trying to feed Baby Jack, and he’s not wanting anything that I’m wanting to give him. In the scene, how it was written, he’s supposed to be throwing everything down on the ground. Everything I give him, he doesn’t want. Well, he didn’t do that. Instead what he would do is that he would gently push the thing away. I would give him a bowl of something, or I’d hand him a spoon, and he would just put the spoon down and push it away. It was so sweet and gentle that it just changed the whole tone of the scene. So rather than reacting to a toddler who is throwing things around, he’s just being so polite. And that changes how I would react to it. It just keeps you on your toes, and you never know what you’re gonna get. I just love that.

That’s good to hear. And you know they typically steal the scene anyway.

They always do! Basically, I find that in scenes I’m sharing with whomever, if I’m holding Baby Jack, now rather than it just being a one-shot of just me, it’s me and the baby–both our faces. Even I’m completely mesmerized by what these boys are doing. I’m not even paying attention to what I’m doing with my face or what I’m saying at all. I’m just mesmerized by what they’re doing ’cause they’re often in the scene kind of reacting appropriately. {laughs} It just mesmerizes you when you’re watching them.

Now, Kavan and I talked before this pandemic situation came about, and I know we still don’t know the future of everything at this point. Everything is kind of on hold. But Kavan told me about the movie you and he were going to shoot. It was supposed to happen this month, and he was all excited about it. But now that’s on hold.

Yes, that’s right, it is on hold. It will still happen. I recently talked with the executives at Hallmark who we have been developing this project with since the very beginning, and I was assured that it was gonna happen. They’re gonna make it happen. They said they would monitor the situation and not do it until it’s safe to do so. So it will happen. I noticed a lot of people were saying that they really wanted another movie with Kavan and me, and we want that too. We’re gonna make that happen. I just can’t guarantee when that will happen now, unfortunately.

My One & Only
Behind-the-scenes

I fully understand as do the fans. We will look forward to seeing it sometime in the future. At some point, we’ll be on the other side of this. We just don’t know when right now. We just have to take it day by day. I have to remind myself of that because I am one of those people who likes to have everything planned out, and I like to know what’s gonna happen.

The idea that if your brain goes too far down the rabbit hole, and you go, “Oh my gosh! What does this look like if this lasts one month, two months, three months…” it’s just overwhelming. As a human being, we don’t know how to take that on. All we can really take on is this day. And the next day. And the next day. All we can do is move through this like that and make the best, wisest, smartest decisions for you and your family and for the rest of your community and city. That’s all we can do right now.

Another thing we don’t know for sure is if there will be a season eight, but we can hope for another season of When Calls the Heart. I know they’re leaning in the direction of another season, but everything is uncertain now. Hopefully, the fans will keep coming out and supporting the show. So if a season eight does happen, what are your hopes for Rosemary?

I would really love…you know, I think we’ve seen in season seven, you see Lee and Rosemary try to move on and find value in their life without children, which is what it is at this particular moment. I would like for there to be at some point in season eight for the two of them to find more resolution on that topic. Whether that’s moving ahead and adopting a child or whether a miracle happens and they are able to conceive. Or whether they find something else that they’re able to be equally passionate about and invested in that doesn’t involve a child. I just really think that we need to see the two of them consciously make a decision to move towards something on that topic. And that’s what my hope is for season eight.

I know I’ve heard you express that in other interviews, and I think the fans really hope that does happen for Lee and Rosemary. I do love the fact that the writers have taken Lee and Rosemary on this journey. That it didn’t happen immediately. Especially thinking of the time period where the assumption would be that a woman would get married and have children right away.

Elizabeth & Rosemary

Absolutely. And for me, it’s imagining what that pressure would feel like. If she didn’t want to get pregnant right away or if she couldn’t get pregnant right away, the pressure would be immense. And we see that with Rosemary. She really takes that on as a very personal thing and as a failure really for herself. We saw that in season six. I would just like for her to find some kind of resolve in that situation.

I tell you the way Lee supports Rosemary is amazing. I’m trying to think of other shows where I’ve seen couples so well matched. Lee and Rosemary are about tops as far as any of the current shows I can think of right now. I do believe Lee is the only one who could be married to Rosemary.

I believe that too! I believe that too! She really lucked out and found her soulmate. And I don’t think that is lost on Rosemary. She is well aware of the fact that Lee is the perfect and only man for her. {laughs}

I’m so glad we were able to chat today, Pascale. I always love chatting with you. And I hope and pray you and your family remain safe during this time. And we will look forward to watching and live-tweeting the rest of season seven!

Thank you, Ruth, my pleasure as always to chat with you. Stay safe everyone, and enjoy the rest of this season of When Calls the Heart. And remember, we will get through this, so just take it one day at a time.

This is now my fourth interview with Pascale, and I must say this is my definite favorite of ours so far. She was my first official “pandemic” interview, and I really sensed from her a genuine relaxed tone and openness with me like never before. While we have always had informative chats and dynamic conversations, I feel like Pascale shared her heart in such a tender and straightforward fashion that let me catch a glimpse of her gentle and caring nature in a new and pragmatic way. I’ve heard it said recently that people are not acting like themselves during this time, and in a way, I can agree with that statement. But in a larger sense, I do believe that during an extended exigency such as this, we may actually see who the person really is at his/her core. When life gives you the proverbial lemons, we witness who turns lemons into lemonade and who, in turn, throws the lemons at everyone else. In my opinion, I would see Pascale’s indomitable reaction to turn those lemons into a lemon meringue pie that her entire family could enjoy, and I totally applaud her outlook during this interval and in general. It is no wonder that she so expertly plays Rosemary as she does. Her instinctual creative juices and her positive, pragmatic perspective combined with her overwhelmingly innovative spirit, her natural buoyancy, and her eagerness to be a team player have made her a virtual dream on- and off-set (it’s okay if she got the giggles during one of the long filming days because as we can see, she elevated every scene in which she was cast while portraying Rosemary to perfection), and I cannot imagine When Calls the Heart without her delightful, vivacious persona.

If you can, I would invite you to tune in to the Hallmark Channel or Super Channel Heart & Home the next two Sundays (April 19th and 26th) to experience the final two episodes of the exciting season seven of When Calls the Heart as we discover the fate of the Coulters and everyone else on the show. Additionally, I would invite you to visit Pascale’s links below and consider following her where applicable. Pascale regularly tweets with the cast and is careful to share any news about upcoming projects, including intriguing, entertaining behind-the-scenes photos. I cannot think of anyone (outside of Elizabeth) who so encapsulates the very essence of When Calls the Heart and Hope Valley by demonstrating through the character of Rosemary that first impressions can be deceiving and more than likely, every person possesses diverse layers to his/her personality which may not even be exposed until after one really gets to know him/her. Rosemary has transformed in such an amazingly profound way that it’s hard to believe she was ever that shallow woman who only appeared to want to steal Jack away from Elizabeth and share every kind of gossip imaginable. She has grown into a woman who almost always thinks with her heart before anything else, and she is a regular, thriving part of Hope Valley who has become one of the best friends Elizabeth could ever envision. I am grateful to Hallmark, the writers, the cast, the crew, and everyone else involved for ensuring that Rosemary Coulter, as portrayed by the inimitable Pascale, remains an integral part of the show who provides comedy, generosity, benevolence, and authenticity as no one else. Pascale is one of my favorite people on earth, and I feel I am incredibly blessed to know and support an artist and a woman as phenomenal as her.

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Behind-the-scenes
Rosemary

CHECK OUT MY OTHER INTERVIEWS WITH PASCALE

Interview With Actress Pascale Hutton, “When Calls the Heart”

Kavan Smith, Andrea Brooks, Paul Greene, Pascale Hutton, Chris McNally, Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry, Jack Wagner Credit: ©2020 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Alexx Henry/Alexx Henry Studios, LLC

Interview With Pascale Hutton, “When Calls the Heart”

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Interview With Actress Pascale Hutton, “When Calls the Heart”

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RuthView all posts by Ruth

“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” — Franz Kafka Ruth is an inspirational entertainment journalist who instinctively sees the best in all and seeks to share universal beauty, love and positivity. She is an artist who leads with her heart and gives readers a glimpse of the best of this world through the masterful use of the written word. Ruth was born in Tacoma, Washington but now calls Yelm, Washington her home. She lives on five acres with her parents, a dog, two miniature goats, cats and a teenage daughter who is a dynamic visual artist herself. Ruth interviews fellow artists both inside and outside of the film/television industry. At the core of all she does is the strength of her faith.

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5 Comments

denise April 14, 2020 Reply

Such a wonderful interview!
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  Ruth April 15, 2020 Reply
  
  Thank you for reading, Denise.

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