Pascale Hutton’s connection to the Hallmark Channel has led to a happy five-year relationship, the Creston born and raised actress said on Sunday.
Hutton is one of three daughters of Ian and the late Elizabeth Hutton, both career school teachers.
“CBC had just got a new president who canceled Arctic Air, which was successful but expensive to produce,” she said. “The day after the cancellation I got a call from a Hallmark producer asking about my schedule, and would I be able to fit in a two-episode role in When Calls the Heart?
“As it turns out, my schedule is wide open,” she responded. She was contracted to appear in the first season’s final two episodes.
Hutton’s character, Rosemary Leveaux, arrived in Hope Valley (a coal mining town) on the stage coach, and walked right into the hearts of the show’s fans. Well, almost (more about that later). On Sunday, When Calls the Heart opened its sixth season on the Hallmark Channel with Rosemary Coulter (she got married in an earlier season) one of the three strong female stars in the popular series.
Hutton laughed when asked if she gets residual payments for the constantly re-running Arctic Air, which had three strong seasons. The Canadian television industry doesn’t offer residuals, it turns out.
“Performers are paid a flat rate for our work, and then we get a buyout payment when a series ends,” she said. So there will be no cheques forthcoming when Arctic Air is still running as she reaches old age (she is not 40 yet).
For readers who do not have the Hallmark Channel, previous seasons of When Calls the Heart can be watched on Netflix.
Followers of the series are so loyal that early in its run they began to refer to themselves as “the Hearties”.
“They tweet about each episode while it is on the air, and so do cast members,” Hutton said. “It’s like a little community.”
Hallmark has rewarded “the Hearties” with a special day each year, when they are invited to tour the set and meet the cast and crew. Last year she estimates the event drew 500-600 fans, and they came from as far away as England and Australia.
Working on the When Calls the Heart Set in Vancouver is a unique experience, she said. The buildings on Hope Valley’s main street aren’t the usual facades. They are actually full-scale buildings in which interior scenes are shot.
“It’s just like working in a village,” she said.
“At first ‘the Hearties’ hated me. I came onto the show attempting to lure the handsome Mountie back into my life, who was sweet on the librarian. But the producers want to keep me on the show and my character couldn’t continue if I was hated as the woman who was breaking up this loving couple. So they had my character change to become more likable to the audience.”
When Calls the Heart “takes about 5 and a half months to shoot each season,” Hutton said. The shooting schedule allows her to stay at home and make a morning commute to the set, usually returning home in time for dinner and to get her two sons, Ryu, 8, and Nico, 4, off to bed. Pascale’s husband, Danny Darosh, is a Vancouver policeman, and the couple works hard to make family life a priority.
What sets Hutton apart from the usual working mom scenario is that she has an on-screen husband, played by the actor Kavan Smith.
“We just hit it off as soon as we met filming the series, and we have become close friends.”
So close, in fact, that they came up with an idea for a sequel to The Perfect Bride, a Hallmark movie they starred in two years ago. That sequel, Wedding of Dreams, was filmed last year. A year ago the creative duo drafted another idea for a movie, in which Pascale plays a successful travel blogger who doesn’t like to travel.
“She is a greater researcher and writer, but she is very much an introvert.”
Pascale’s movie sister convinces her to travel for a television series based on her blog, and “and she is very much a fish out of water.”
With its working title of The Next Destination, the movie is moving forward and filming will likely be done this year, likely in Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic. Hutton and Smith will be the movie’s executive producers in addition to their starring roles.
“This is a great opportunity for me to get into another aspect of this business,” Hutton said, adding that the Hallmark Channel’s approach to business is similar to that of old-time movie studios, who signed talent to exclusive contracts.
There is no exclusive contract in this case, but Hallmark likes working with actors who are popular with their audience, and it is filling a huge demand in the viewing market.
“They know who you are and they keep you busy,” she said. “Hallmark is producing more original content than any other studio.”
Unlike many popular television series, When Calls the Heart started with a relatively small audience and has attracted a steadily growing fan base, drawing more viewers with each passing each season.
Season six premiered on Sunday night, at the same time the Oscars award show was running, the timing was not an issue for Hutton or Hallmark.
“Our Sunday audience is mostly women, and they really relate to us. Most other networks are making evermore gritty, edgy entertainment, but there is a whole demographic out there that is under-represented. Our fans want to sit down to a show that is family friendly and that reflects their values.”
The business model is clearly working. The annual Christmas Day movie from When Calls the Heart drew over 5 million viewers, a large number for a cable presentation.
“When I first learned about the Christmas Day show I thought, “Who wants to watch TV on Christmas Day?’ Then I learned—lots of people!”
Hutton said the WCTH cast has grown close over the years, and members get together for parties and holiday events like Thanksgiving.
“At its heart, When Calls the Heart is about a community whose members support each other. It’s been the same in real life—the people I work with are some of my best friends.
“I go to work with my friends, get to film the show in my home town and be home for my kids and husband evenings and weekends. I am very grateful.”