By Michaela Gordoni
Bethany Joy Lenz and Benjamin Ayres shared how their new show, HOPE VALLEY: 1874, highlights family, faith and community.
“I think [faith] was a much more common part of life back then than maybe we feel today in community here in the West,” Lenz told Movieguide®. “So it felt very authentic to just allow that to bleed through. It wasn’t so much of a choice as…it just felt authentic and right for who the character is.”
The show features Rebecca Clark (Lenz) and her efforts to start a new life in Hope Valley. She traveled there by herself from Chicago with her daughter, which fascinates and intimidates local resident Tom Moore (Ayres).
Lenz felt similar to her character in that they both are believers.
“I think for Rebecca and certainly for me today faith is a big part of that because it is the crux of that for me. But yeah, being able to just drop into the authenticity of that felt real,” she said.
Related: HOPE VALLEY: 1874: Episode 1.1
Ayres recalled how Lenz added moments like a silent prayer at the dinner table.
“I remember as Tom just looking at you going, ‘Wait, what? How do I feel about that?’” he said. “And it was such a cool moment of like, do I look up or do I not…I just don’t think he has the faith in the same way or at least communicates it to himself in the same way.”
“And it was such a beautiful moment of discovery for me as an actor, as Tom, watching…also just the way you place everything,” he said. “…It’s really easy and enjoyable to process and be in the moment, you know?”
Lenz shared that she thought a woman in Rebecca’s desperate position would be praying frequently.
She also loved acting with her on-screen daughter, Mila Morgan.
“I’m so grateful that we got to work with Mila. She’s really fun to play with…She’s got some good ideas and she’s game to try things and it’s been it’s been a joy and my daughter personally in real life gets along with her very well,” Lenz said.
Benjamin’s character is sympathetic and interested in helping newcomer Rebecca. And it’s safe to say she intrigues him.
“He has a lot of empathy and you know and cares deeply for his community and is very protective and is also you know cautious when she arrives because he does feel something for her but is also respectful of the fact that he discovers quite early on that you know she just lost a husband and you know,” Ayres explained. “And it’s his instinct to want to help her and Sarah and provide for them in any way that he can because it’s just his nature to want to protect everyone who’s close to him.”
Part of Movieguide®’s review of HOPE VALLEY: 1874 Episode 1 reads, “HOPE VALLEY: 1874’s premiere episode sets the stage for the early days of WHEN CALLS THE HEART’s Hope Valley, introducing viewers to ranchers and settlers who create the community ‘Hearties’ cherish. It also establishes the drama for later episodes and hooks viewers easily. Overall, the episode delivers a strong moral worldview, promoting friendship and community, with characters supporting one another as well as family, with many that highlight motherhood and prioritizing children.”
The show came out on March 21 on Hallmark. Episode 2 came out March 26.
Read Next: Actress Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals How Childhood Faith Impacted Her Life
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +4Share:
– Content: +1