- - ‘When Calls the Heart’ Star Kavan Smith Opens Up About Leland Becoming a Foster Parent (Exclusive)

Debra WallaceJanuary 11, 2026 at 11:02 PM

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When Calls the Heart’sKavan Smith, who portrays beloved Hope Valley Mayor, Leland Coulter -- a devoted husband, father, and friend -- is eager to talk about the new season, which he says starts “with a big bang” for the townsfolk.

“I think that Leland has been floundering for a little while, juggling too many jobs, and he just missed some of his personal input on things,” Smith exclusively tells Parade. “I think that this year, with losing Goldie National Park as well as Benson Hills to the wildfires, he’s really had to step up his mayoral role.”

Smith adds that as the season progresses, we see that Leland gets more involved in Hope Valley and his family. “Rosemary and Lee bring in a foster kid, and being a foster father is an extremely big story arc for Lee this season.”

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One exciting aspect of the new season is the addition of Alex Maclsaac as Gwendolyn, a young girl from Benson Hills whose father was hospitalized after the fire and had no available caretaker. Leland and Rosemary took her in after Gwendolyn bonded with their daughter, Goldie, and Leland is learning a lot about being a foster parent.

“Getting to know Alex has been my favorite part of the season,” Smith revealed. “We were messing around and doing some practical jokes on some of the directors, and it was like having a little accomplice. Alex is a great kid. My close friend, Pascale Hutton (who plays Leland’s feisty wife, Rosemary) joked, “Oh gosh, we are going to have two Kavan’s on the set for a while.’ ”

Ellie Sweiss, Kavan Smith, and Pascale Hutton in the Hallmark series 'When Calls the Heart'

Smith said that the story arc over several seasons was gearing up to the opening of Goldie National Park, and having the park burn to the ground was a big loss for the Coulter family.

“Lee, in particular, is really trying to find his passion, which has been several years in the making. I think commemorating the park after their daughter was an extremely big deal,” Smith explained.

“Now, to lose something that gave him meaning is a big loss for his family. But they don’t have any chance or time to wallow in that loss because right away, there are people who have lost even more, so we are helping these families,” he said.

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“I think that part of the catharsis, and part of Lee and Rosemary being able to get over their loss, is that they have to foster this young girl who has her own trauma, and so I think instead of wallowing in the loss they really rally.”

The focus of life after the fires was “picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off, and what Hope Valley does best, is rally together, put community first, and that’s what happened in typical Coulter and Hope Valley fashion.”

Alex Maclsaac as Gwendolyn in 'When Calls the Heart'

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Smith has also starred in many Hallmark movies, including the 2021 Hawaiian romantic comedy, You Had Me at Aloha, with Hutton. He and Hutton also have a series of Hallmark mysteries called Nelly Knows. The two actors have closely bonded over the many seasons.

Smith says that Lee and Rosemary becoming parents was not always a foregone conclusion. He added that Hutton pushed the agenda for a while, but convinced the network and the writers that the Coulters needed “the blessing of a baby” in their lives.

“When we first met Ellie Sweiss, the little girl who plays our daughter, Goldie, she immediately won over everyone’s hearts,” Smith recalled. “Her biggest thing this season is that her mom would bring her to the set and give her a bucket of candy. But she wouldn’t eat it; she would hand it out to all of the cast and crew in between scenes. She is the sweetest three-year-old girl.”

Related: Erin Krakow Teases ‘Never-Before-Seen’ Elizabeth and Nathan Moments in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 13 (Exclusive)

He said he learned quickly how invested the fans are in When Calls the Heart. “A bunch of us were flying to Kansas City for a Hallmark event, and a businesswoman was sitting next to me who recognized me from my voice,” he said.

“I introduced her to the rest of the cast sitting all around us, and she told me that When Calls the Heart got her and her family through the pandemic. It is moments like this that you realize that this show wouldn’t have any legs if it weren’t for the fans,” he said. “Over the years, it has been a privilege to go from not quite understanding this [fandom] to completely getting it and embracing what the Hearties are all about.”

Erin Krakow as Elizabeth Thornton and Kavan Smith as Leland Coulter in 'When Calls the Heart'

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Overall, for Season 13, Smith says the focus is on Hope Valley as a small town that always “puts community first. There are a lot of good things happening in the town; everybody’s coming together, and then, unfortunately, we are subjected to a big forest fire that blows in. Winds save us in the final minute, but at our salvation, we lose the town next door to us, which is just down the road, and we end up taking that entire town in.”

He said that what When Calls the Heart does best is showing the community coming together, “and how you’re going to solve the problems of the world instead of separating and making camps.”

Related: The Complete ‘When Calls the Heart’ Family Tree: Every Relationship Explained

To Smith, “Everything that happens in our show in the first two episodes, in particular for Lee, is that he goes from being very depressed and upset about the park, to understanding that there’s much more here than just a park and/or a fire. This is all about proving time and time again that when people come together, they can accomplish and overcome anything.”

Smith teased that the new season is about family, healing, getting over trauma, and budding romance. “I do think that wedding bells are possibly somewhere in the distance, and I see a deepening of Lee and Rosemary’s marriage as they undergo more trials and tribulations, along with their plucky little town.”

When Calls the Heart airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on Hallmark and the next day on Hallmark+

Up Next, Rosemary Preps to Launch a Radio Show on the Next Episode of 'When Calls the Heart

This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”