HopeValley: 1874 has cemented itself in our heart and that’s because it is a show that we truly love. We’re dialed in, waiting for the next episode after the episode ends. It’s a show of love, perservance, and creating a new frontier. It’s a story of resilience and mystery.
Part of the greatness of the show is the casting. Not only Bethany Joy Lenz and Benjamin Ayres, but Jill Hennessy, Roan Curtis and Lachlan Quarmby. Each one has a strong presence in the series and each one is an important part of the puzzle that makes this show great.
I feared watching 1874, because prequels and sequels always scare me. What if they mess up what is perfect? What if they mess up a fandom? 1874 doesn’t do that. It is a show that can stand on it’s own and does stand on its own.
When I asked Jill Hennessy, Roan Curtis and Lachlan Quarmby about why they wanted to be involved with the show, knowing how devoted that the When Calls The Heart fandom is.
Lachlan said, “There’s something interesting about spin-offs and prequels, especially when the original show has such a strong fan base.As a fan myself, I remember thinking, ‘I’m not going to like this spin-off because the original is already perfect.‘ But sometimes, I ended up liking the spin-off even more.”
He then continued, “So there’s this really fertile ground where we can borrow what people already love, introduce something new, and blend it together into something fun—and hopefully, people enjoy it.”
We talked about spin-offs and. what they mean. We talked about the strong female leads and what they mean.
That’s one of the things I loved about this show and this character. But really, all the women are strong. Hennessys character of Hattie spoke about the strong women in the show, ” In a fledgling community like this, starting from nothing, it’s almost “no rules.” Historically, many women actually ran trading posts—especially First Nations, Métis, and new immigrants. These posts were the hub of the community. Everyone depended on them for survival. So you saw more equality in gender roles than people might expect.”
She then continued, “One of the things I love about the show is how everyone relies on each other. The relationships—between men and women, and especially between the women—are really meaningful. I love Hattie and Rebecca, and Hattie with her daughter.”
And then added, “And Hattie’s humor—she uses it to cope. Dealing with prospectors, ranchers, all these personalities—sometimes the best response is just to crack a joke and say, ‘Let’s keep it simple—just give me your money.‘”
Unfortunately my time ran out before I could ask Roan Curtis what I wanted to ask, but I do appreciate her being patient throughout the entire interview. You can see it below –
Hope Valley:1874 airs on Thursdays on Hallmark+.
