After years of turning up the heat in rom-coms, including eight Hallmark movies, Sebastian Gacki is shifting gears. The longtime actor revealed on August 29, 2026, that he had just completed intense training to become a firefighter.
“I’ve been preparing my whole life for these past 21 days,” he captioned photos of himself with his fellow trainees. “This was the hardest but also the most rewarding experience I’ve ever been through. Grateful to go through it with the rest of my Class 55 of standup human beings. Thank so much to my wife for all the support. Love you all.”
Sebastian Gacki is Following in His Grandfather’s Foosteps as a Firefighter
Gacki, who also goes by the name Sebastian Stewart, has had supporting roles in Hallmark movies including 2022’s “#Xmas,” 2020’s “Cross Country Christmas,” and 2019’s “Time For You to Come Home For Christmas.” His Hallmark roles date back to the first “Garage Sale Mystery” movie with Lori Loughlin in 2013, per IMDb.
Before that, he had recurring roles on the series “Smallville” and “Supernatural,” pursuing acting after a high school baseball injury required him to change the focus of his passions. In 2019, he told the My Devotional Thoughts website, “I was kind of late to acting, I’d say. I didn’t start pursuing it until I was around 18 or so. I was really into playing baseball, and there wasn’t much time for acting.”
“I’m glad I was able to find acting when I couldn’t play baseball anymore,” he added. “It is such an incredible career for me.”
Though Gacki didn’t specify in his social media post what inspired him to switch gears now and pursue firefighting, a supporter on Facebook celebrated that he was “following in your grandpa’s footsteps and he’d be proud of you.”
Gacki graduated from British Columbia’s Firemedix Fire Academy, which involves three months of online training with “lectures, test prep, and skill drills” followed by a 21-day bootcamp. Gacki did not immediately respond to EntertainmentNow’s request for additional information, so it’s not clear if he plans to pursue a full-time career in firefighting.
Stewart’s wife of four years, frequent Hallmark actress Stephanie Bennett, sweetly commented on his post, “So proud of you ❤️” and he replied, “Thanks babe, love you.”
Stephanie Bennett Says Her Husband Worked ‘Incredibly Hard’ For His New Role
Bennett, who will appear next in Hallmark’s “Falling Into Place,” premiering on September 12, shared her own post on August 28 to celebrate her husband’s huge accomplishment.
She gushed, “He’s a firefighter! Could not be more PROUD of my Seb who graduated from his Fire Academy tonight. He’s worked so incredibly hard for this. Go Sebby! You’re going to make the most amazing Firefighter. 🙌👏”
Friends and fans swarmed the couple’s social media posts with supportive messages, including Hallmark star Marcus Rosner, who wrote, “That’s dopeee 👏”
“Virgin River” alum Mark Ghanimé, who’s starred in multiple Hallmark rom-coms, wrote, “Dude! Very cool! Congrats and stay safe!”
“Firefly Lane” actor James McKinnon chimed in, “Let’s goooooooo!!!! 👏👏👏👏 Congrats man!!! 🧯🚒👨🏻🚒”
Gacki got a kick out of one comment that said, “Let me know once they put you in the calendar. I want a copy.”
