Paul Greene on Transitioning from Hallmark Movies to "When Calls the Heart"

The cast of Hallmark Channel’s hit series When Calls the Heartunites Christmas night in the heartwarming holiday movie event When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing. The series, which concluded its fifth season in April, left viewers with many questions, but as series star Paul Greene (Dr. Carson Shepherd) assures, the movie will provide answers. “Season five ended quite dramatically,” he explained while chatting with MediaVillage. “This is the first time that fans will see Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) without her husband. It also really delivers with a lot of parallel stories, one involving orphans that come to town. In typical Hope Valley fashion, the town takes care of them. There are all kinds of adventures and mysteries too and of course, a baby is born. We also have three “not-so-wise”’ men on horses -- played by Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith and me -- out on an adventure in the snow. So, the Christmas element is there with ‘three not-so-wise men and a baby.’”

It’s been a year since Hallmark’s resident Cary Grant put his leading-man status on hold to join the ensemble cast of When Calls. (His last movie was 2017’s Christmas in Angel Falls opposite Rachel Boston.) As he explained, he’s enjoying the experience of working on a series. “There's a big difference between [an] ensemble cast and doing a movie,” he shared. “It's certainly easier. [When you star in] a film you're working every day for 12 to 16 hours. When Calls is probably the most envied set in Vancouver, as our crew is so good that we have family hours. Other shows might have you working till 2 or 3 a.m. We usually work from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m. so it's pretty reasonable for family life.

“Also, having a lot of actors in this ensemble is a whole different ballgame,” he continued. “You all play as a team as it's about all of you telling the bigger story. I also get to come home to Los Angeles a lot during the five months we shoot, maybe about 15 times, to be with my 15-year-old son for his sports, see my girlfriend, and for [other] projects."

With season six of When Calls wrapped, Greene is already looking forward to its February premiere and fans seeing “new technology and new romances, which my character also gets a little bit of,” he said. He has three projects he's pitching, two for Hallmark, with one combining his passion for music. He’s also completing an album, his first in 15 years. “After the concert, I started writing again,” he revealed. "By February I hope to have an album of original songs, with one cover -- Emmy Lou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. That song means a lot to me.">

Paul Greene on Transitioning from Hallmark Movies to "When Calls the Heart"

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Steve Gidlow