Jill Hennessy is notorious for playing tough-as-nails characters in beloved crime dramas, including Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid in “Law & Order,” Medical Examiner Jordan Cavanaugh in “Crossing Jordan,” and the wife of a corrupt FBI vet in “City on a Hill.” So the news that Hennessy was joining the cast of a new family-friendly Hallmark series came as a bit of a surprise.
But in “Hope Valley: 1874,” now streaming on Hallmark+, Hennessy still gets to play a tough cookie — resilient widow and trade post owner Hattie Quinn. The actress told EntertainmentNow that she said yes to the “When Calls The Heart” prequel because not only because of her character’s tenacity and backstory, but because she loved the heart of the show, the network, and its fans.
Jill Hennessy Says Working on ‘Hope Valley: 1874’ Felt Like an ‘Escape’ From Regular Life
HallmarkWith so much hard stuff going on in the world, Hennessy was ready to sink her teeth into a character and series centered around hope and connection.
“I loved Hattie,” she told EntertainmentNow on why she said yes to Hallmark. “But I also did like the positivity, the sense of community. Seriously, it was just a really … beautiful place I personally wanted to escape to. Like, going to work actually did provide a form of escape, in a way. I enjoyed being there.”
Hennessy continued, “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
happy to live in this universe.”
Jill Hennessy Loves That Hallmark Fans Are ‘Beautifully Invested’ in Their Favorite Programming & Stars
GettyWhile Hennessy loved the community she worked with on the Vancouver set, including series stars Bethany Joy Lenz and Benjamin Ayres, she has also been bowled over by the optimism and kindness among Hallmark fans, she told EntertainmentNow.
After her first Hallmark appearance at a Hallmark Gold Crown store in California alongside Ayres and Lenz, Hennessy said, “We had so much fun, and people are so beautifully invested and very nice. Some were moved to tears, some of them watching so much Hallmark content for years, they were just so moved to be there. And all very welcoming, very sweet.”
Hennessy said she’s even heard from Hallmark talent beyond her co-stars, including Hyland Goodrich, the adorable child actor who’s played Little Jack on “When Calls The Heart” since 2021.
“That dude reached out to me like two months ago and was so nice,” she gushed. “I was like, ‘This is the cutest human being who has ever reached out to me on Instagram!’ I am loving it.”
Hennessy also said “Hearties have been reaching out on social media” since the cast started filming in mid-December, noting that “this universe is such a warm, generous place to be.”
New episodes of “Hope Valley: 1874” drop each Thursday on Hallmark+.
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