Bethany Joy Lenz is feeling good today!
The beloved Hallmark actress, who leads the “When Calls the Heart” prequel spinoff “Hope Valley: 1874,” recently celebrated her 45th birthday with her best friends in Mexico. She shared a video she put together with clips from her magical birthday trip, showing off the sun-soaked views, delicious food, celebratory drinks, and even a fun snorkeling adventure.
Lenz Celebrates Her 45th Birthday Right
The actress, whose actual birthday is on April 2, posted about her tropical getaway over a month later. “Finally got this put together,” Lenz began the caption of her May 4 Instagram reel that featured Ingarose’s “Feeling Good Today.”
She continued, “45 feels so good,” before going on to thank the hotel that her and her friends stayed at in Mexico. They stayed at “Unico Riviera Maya,” which is described to be a beachfront resort along the coastline of Riviera Maya that Lenz said had “incredible scenery, great food and experiences.”
However, Lenz concluded that the best part of the trip was the “great company.”
“Why haven’t I been doing a destination birthday every year??” she asked in the caption. “I miss you all, lets do it again soon xoxo.”
Her “Hope Valley” co-star Benjamin Ayres commented, “There’s nothing better ☀️ 🍹 🌊 ❤️”
“Love Finds You in Valentine” star Michaela McManus expressed how good 45 looks on her friend, writing, “So sad I missed this!!”
Fans in the comments also joined in to send the Hallmark star love and well wishes:
“It’s makes my heart so happy to see you looking so happy. I’m glad you had such a fun and relaxing time celebrating your birthday with your friends. 🥰❤️🔥”
“Aww love this! A well deserved celebration for 45 years ❤️🥰”
“Looks amazing and you are absolutely Breathtaking!!!”
Lenz & Ayres Discuss Their Chemistry on ‘Hope Valley: 1874’
HallmarkIn an interview with Decider, Ayres, who has been in a number of Hallmark projects since his debut in 2016, said that he and Lenz have “done so many” projects for the network, where “quite often you’ve got to find that chemistry and that connection so quickly,” but “Hope Valley” was different.
“Whereas this is like a real slow burn,” Ayres explained. “And I think it’s been really nice for the both of us to naturally find it.”
In a separate interview with the outlet, Lenz praised Ayres as “a great collaborator” who is “really smart and has really good ideas.” She likened their chemistry to “lightning in a bottle.”
She said that her and Ayres becoming friends during production made it “easier” to work together, as their “communication has a shorthand to it” now.
“I think those things kind of show up on screen. I hope they do,” Lenz said.
The official synopsis for the prequel series reads, “Bethany Joy Lenz portrays Rebecca Clarke, who travels from her home city of Chicago to the Western Canadian frontier with her 11-year-old-daughter. But when her wagon breaks down, she has no choice but to accept help from local rancher and confirmed bachelor, Tom Moore (Ayres). Despite Rebecca’s best intentions to remain unattached, the future she dreams of for her and her daughter along with the people she meets in this fledgling town – including the guarded Tom and tenacious pioneer woman Hattie Quinn (Jill Hennessy) – ultimately compel her to put down roots and make a fresh start. Also starring in the series are Roan Curtis as Hattie’s daughter, Olivia, and Lachlan Quarmby as Constable Alexander Vaughn, one of the first members of the newly created Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
The series premiered on Hallmark+ on March 21, 2026 with new episodes premiering every Thursday. There are eight episodes in Season 1, with the finale episode premiering on Thursday, May 7.
This is absolutely one of the best series to come from Hallmark. The writing, the acting…everything about it has been terrific. As always,Bethany Joy draws you into her character; she is just so compelling in her portrayal of this character. I think this is the best I’ve seen from Benjamin; he is wonderful as rancher Tom. Their chemistry, as he described it-“a slow burn” – has the viewer anxiously waiting for what is to come in their relationship. The story takes place in interesting times and the plot possibilities are infinite. Surely Hallmark will renew this series for many more seasons.