Actor Benjamin Ayres has starred in over 25 Hallmark rom-coms and cozy mysteries in the last decade, becoming one of the network’s most beloved and recognized stars. When his agent suggested he go after a starring role in a new Gold Rush-era series, Ayres was all for it — but he had no idea it was Hallmark’s new “When Calls The Heart” prequel, “Hope Valley: 1874.”
“I thought it was a Taylor Sheridan project,” Ayres laughed, telling EntertainmentNow that the script was so different than anything he’d done on Hallmark, it didn’t cross his mind that it could be a Hallmark show.
Benjamin Ayres Says He Always Hoped to Be in a Western
Hallmark“I’ve always wanted to be in a western, but I just never thought that Hallmark would be doing one,” Ayres told EntertainmentNow, noting that his agent called him about the role of rancher Tom Moore in mid-November.
At the time, Ayres was with a group of fellow Hallmark stars in Buffalo, New York, promoting the network’s big Christmas movie, “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.” Ayres recalled, “When I got the call from my agent, he said, ‘Hey, you’re shortlisted for ‘1874.’ I was like, ‘I don’t even know what that is.'”
The project was only called “1874” then, so Ayres had no idea it was connected to “When Calls The Heart” or Hallmark. Plus, he only saw bits and pieces of the script for his audition and “chemistry read” with Bethany Joy Lenz, also a longtime Hallmark star who’s now the series’ lead.
Noting that the premise and setting felt every bit as gritty as Sheridan’s hit shows like “Yellowstone” and “Landman,” Ayres laughed that he “100 percent” thought it had to be one of his new projects.
Not everyone was in the dark about its origins, though. Once Ayres officially landed the part, he talked to ‘When Calls The Heart’ stars Kevin McGarry and Chris McNally and learned it was old news to them.
“They were like, ‘Oh no, dude, we heard about it last summer,” Ayres said of their awareness that a prequel was in the works. “Like, they’ve known about it for a long time, but I just had no idea. So how cool is it that I get to be part of something like this and do it with Hallmark?”
Benjamin Ayres Says Being Back on a Series is the ‘Best’
HallmarkAfter landing the part, Ayres only had a handful of weeks to drop everything, develop his character, and head to Vancouver for filming. He told EntertainmentNow in mid-April that he hadn’t slept in his own bed for more than three days in a row since October, thanks to a jam-packed schedule of Hallmark holiday events late last year before filming began in December on “Hope Valley: 1874.”
But all of that schedule juggling was worth it to Ayres, who told EntertainmentNow how thrilled he is to be back on a series after past recurring roles on shows like “Saving Hope,” which he co-starred in with fellow Hallmarkie Erica Durance.
“It’s just the best,” Ayres beamed. “It really is. You know, there’s nothing better than getting to tell a story, like a slow drip story, and not have to get it all into the two hours (of a movie). You can kind of develop those relationships with everybody and protect your character.”
“I haven’t really had that opportunity since ‘Saving Hope,'” he said. “Of course, I did some stuff over on ‘Burden of Truth, and I recurred on some shows. But in this capacity, it’s been a long time for me, and it’s, as an actor, the best gift.”
New season one episodes of “Hope Valley: 1874” are released via Hallmark+ each Thursday. The fifth one drops on April 16, and all previous episodes can be viewed there as well.
Benjamin Ayres is fantastic as Tom Moore in Hope Valley:1874.
He truly is!!