‘Hope Valley: 1874’ Cast Reveals They Filmed New Series in Really ‘Tough’ Conditions (EXCLUSIVE)

When the Gold Rush-era series “Hope Valley: 1874” premieres on Hallmark+ on March 21, 2026, viewers will be cinematically swept into the rough and rugged life of early settlers, trying to build a life on the land that will evolve into Hope Valley, where Hallmark’s long-running show “When Calls The Heart” takes place decades later.

While Hallmark Christmas movies are known for over-the-top holiday sets, Hallmark offers a refreshingly imperfect and very real setting in “Hope Valley: 1874,” from muddy roads to air so cold you can sometimes see the actors’ breath as they speak. It all contributes to a beautifully shot show, but the star-studded cast told EntertainmentNow it was no picnic to film in.

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Lachlan Quarmby Says Cast & Crew Had to ‘Figure It Out’ When the Weather Turned

Led by Hallmark fan-favorites Bethany Joy Lenz and Benjamin Ayres, the “Hope Valley: 1874” cast filmed in Vancouver, not far from the “When Calls The Heart” set. But while that hit series typically films in the summer and fall, “1874” was filmed during the chilly and rainy months, from late December through mid-March, and mostly outside.

“Providence Falls” star Lachlan Quarmby, who plays Alexander Vaughn, a member of the first-graduating class of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, admitted, “It was tough.”

“There’s a certain amount of rain cover you can do for certain shots,” the Australian actor told EntertainmentNow, “and then there’s a certain amount that you just can’t do. And when horses are involved, and little campfires and things like that, you just have to try and figure it out.”

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Jill Hennessy Was ‘Shivering’ in Make-Shift Tent on Set of ‘Hope Valley: 1874’

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Jill Hennessy’s character Hattie, rather ironically, wears a wide-brimmed hat that the actress said was her saving grace during filming.

“I wound up wearing that hat all the time because it was the only thing protecting me,” the former “Crossing Jordan” star told EntertainmentNow. “That was great cover, and I love the hat anyway. It served a lot of purposes, though, because it kept rain from getting on my face, kept rain from hitting the body mic.”

“It was intense at times,” Hennessy continued. “We’d go from rain to hail to snow, temperatures would go down, and we’d be sitting in this little green room on set waiting for our scene. It was, like, black plastic garbage bags hung on a frame and the wind would come howling in with one little propane heater in the middle. I was shivering, waiting for a scene.”

Roan Curtis, who plays Hattie’s daughter Olivia, noted that if the characters look cold onscreen, it’s because they were.

“There was no pretending needed,” she laughed, but noted, “I was lucky. I’m inside almost the entire time. It’s funny, I feel like I kept joking that everyone else was really roughing it and I’m just kind of doodling inside, getting pursued by two handsome men, looking wistfully out the window!”

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Jill Hennessy Says She Wound Up Loving Filming ‘Hope Valley: 1874’

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Despite the unforgiving elements, the cast members all said they love being part of the series and going off-the-grid for filming. Hennessy told EntertainmentNow, “It was a kind of beautiful place I personally wanted to escape to. It actually did provide a form of escape, in a way.”

She continued, “I enjoyed being there, I enjoyed living these stories, and I think that’s why a lot of people will be drawn to this show, to be honest, and why they’re drawn to ‘When Calls The Heart.’ As opposed to going through whatever you’re going through in your day-to-day life, take me here for a while. I was so happy to live in this universe.”

“Hope Valley: 1874” premieres exclusively on Hallmark+ on March 21. Access to the streaming service is available for 50% off through March 26 with the coupon code HOPE50.