Both Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) and Lee (Kavan Smith) arrived in Hope Valley with flair and, in Rosemary’s case, drama. It wasn’t long before they endeared themselves to Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” fans. While they briefly pretended they were married before they’d even dated, it wasn’t long before they were truly smitten with each other.
For Smith, his fondness for Hutton extends into real life. “She’s one of my best friends,” he said during a “When Calls the Heart” press junket. However, while he lists Hutton among his “top five,” he admitted it took him longer to reach the same status.
Hallmark“We joke about, in the beginning, that I would be lucky if I ever broke into her top 100,” he said.
“But she told me the other day that I broke her top five,” the “You Had Me at Aloha” star added. “Which is pretty awesome.”
Thirteen Years of Gold: The Shared Humor That Bonds Smith and Hutton
Hutton’s Rosemary arrived in Hope Valley during Season 1, determined to reunite with her ex, Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing). She soon realized that he was head over heels for Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), and reluctantly moved on. When Smith’s Lee rode into town on his motorcycle in Season 2, he immediately caught her attention.
It’s pretty easy to forge a bond when you work closely with someone for thirteen years, but Smith admitted that it didn’t happen overnight. Instead, it took them some time to find their groove and figure out how they meshed.
“As it turns out, for both Pascale and I, we kind of define everything through our sense of humor,” he said. “And as soon as I found out what her sense of humor was, I knew we were golden.”
“But I guess the chemistry just comes down to the fact that neither of us take ourselves too seriously on set, but we take the work seriously,” he said.
“Every day I go to work with her, I’m excited to do whatever scene we’re going to do,” he added. “And it’s been like that for 13 years.”
Kavan Smith on Character Evolution: Trauma Forged New Depth
The “Nelly Knows Mysteries: A Fatal Engagement” star has often talked about Lee’s calm, collected personality. But over the years, he realized that in real life, you can’t always be patient or rational, and he had to change his portrayal a bit.
Hallmark“Once trauma and tragedy start to happen, you have to develop some depth, more depth, and things will get through,” he said. “You can’t be Teflon through everything.”
“When you add family, a wife, and a family and businesses and friendships, you can’t help but change,” he added.
