Exclusive Interview
Erin Krakow Dishes on Magical ‘When Calls the Heart’ Reunion With Daniel Lissing in ‘Santa Tell Me’
When Calls the Heart fans are getting a real treat this holiday season. Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing reunite in Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas movie Santa Tell Me, which premieres November 9. This marks the first time the former costars have shared the screen since Lissing’s departure from the Hallmark drama series in 2018. Krakow spoke with Swooon about this long-awaited reunion.
“We had talked about it years ago, trying to find a project or create an opportunity that would bring us together again,” Krakow said. “I think that I just became very focused on When Calls the Heart, and Dan has other projects that he’s been working on, so it kind of took a backseat for a while, and then this was just a really fun surprise when the opportunity to reunite came about.”
She revealed that their roles as Olivia and Chris in Santa Tell Me aren’t “entirely dissimilar from the oil and water dynamic that our When Calls the Heart characters, Jack and Elizabeth, had with each other in the beginning. It was a lot like riding a bike. You remember how to do it. Obviously, there were things about our individual processes that have changed over the years, but it was really lovely to work together again and kind of easy to just fall into our old rhythm of working together.”
Eike Schroter / Everett Collection
Krakow noted that this reunion was “Hallmark’s brain child.” She added, “They thought that it would be really fun for us to reunite on a more contemporary project.”
In Santa Tell Me, Olivia finds an old letter from Santa promising she’ll meet the love of her life by Christmas Eve — and his name will be Nick. The interior designer winds up meeting three guys named Nick and has to navigate this holiday romances. She’s also intrigued by her charming co-worker, Chris.
“Her journey to love hasn’t really been smooth,” Krakow said about Olivia. “She’s put a lot into her work life, which, luckily, she’s very passionate about. She’s just sort of on the precipice of a promotion, finally getting all she wants in her work world when, by some magical interference from Santa, she learns of her soulmate and has to go on this journey to figure out who he really is, while balancing the stress of this new element of her job.”
The script “jumped off the page” for Krakow. “It had so much humor, tenderness, magic, and fun. It allowed me to explore a more comedic role, which has always been a passion of mine. When I was reading the script, I was excited to see it come to life, regardless of if it was me doing it or someone else.”
In her younger years as an actor, Krakow wanted to focus on sketch comedy and improv. “I sort of thought maybe someday I’d be doing something in the like Mad TV, SNL world of things, and my path took a different direction, but I still have that interest and love for it, so it’s always fun anytime I get a chance to explore physical comedy.”
After this reunion, When Calls the Heart fans are sure to be asking when Krakow and Lissing will share the screen again. “Oh, gosh. I’m trying to finish off Season 12 of When Calls the Heart. We’re in our last week of that right now and that is all consuming and really has my complete focus. But who knows what the future holds?” she said about another reunion with Lissing.
Santa Tell Me, Movie Premiere, November 9, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel
