Bethany Joy Lenz is stepping into the When Calls the Heart universe—and she knew just who to call for advice about the new gig.
With the new prequel series, Hope Valley: 1874, premiering on Saturday, March 21, 2026, on Hallmark+, fans of WCTH will get the chance to see how their beloved town of Hope Valley came to be. Set 50 years prior, the show will introduce a new set of faces, all showcasing their grit, determination, and hope to make better lives for themselves.
At the center of Hope Valley: 1874 is Rebecca Clarke (played by Joy), a single mother from Chicago seeking peace and safety on the Canadian frontier. Given how Rebecca’s origin story is similar to Erin Krakow’s character, Elizabeth Thornton, on When Calls the Heart, I wondered whether the two actresses ever discussed their roles together. When I spoke with Joy on the set of Hope Valley: 1874 in Vancouver in early March, she shared how essential it was for her to reach out to Erin.
“Erin was one of the first phone calls I made,” she shared with Good Housekeeping ahead of the premiere. “I wanted her to tell me what this job is like, and tell me what the hours are like. Tell me what the responsibility feels like. I asked her, ‘Give me your wisdom and your knowledge, and tell me what the corsets feel like!’ I needed all the information, so I wanted her to give me the download.”
Erin Krakow as Elizabeth Thornton on When Calls the Heart.
Joy acknowledged that making the call to Erin was akin to catching up with an old friend … but she wasn’t without reservations.
“Erin’s great, and I’ve known her for a few years prior to this—probably four or five years now,” she added. “It was an easy conversation, and she was just so helpful. It feels like a really big honor and kind of intimidating to step into, because you’re coming into the same group of people that work on When Calls the Heart. But I’m not her, and I’m not any of those people that they’ve all fallen in love with as a crew. So that was kind of intimidating, but hopefully it went well.”
She knows that people will keep an eye on how she leads the franchise, but she also hopes they know that she’s not trying to be like Elizabeth—or Erin, for that matter.
“Our characters are so very different, and our personalities are very different, too,” she concluded. “But you know, you still want to honor and respect what has come before you, and still carry the torch, even if it’s in your own way.”
We’ll be making sure to tune in!
New episodes of Hope Valley: 1874 air every Saturday on Hallmark+.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.goodhousekeeping.com ’
