Fans of Hallmark star Ryan Paevey were surprised when he announced he was taking a break from acting,
In a statement to a fan website, the actor cited hacked bank accounts, stolen money, and a desire to be near his mother during a health crisis for his break.
“The industry hasn’t felt like the place for me in quite some time now, and my mental health has suffered from it,” Paevey, 39, told heavy.com. “It’s taken me to a bit of a dark place, made me into a version of myself I don’t like very much. I’ve vented some of my anger and frustration publicly, and for that, I apologize.”
Ryan Paevey
A native of California, Paevey was spotted and signed by a modeling agent when he was a teenager. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, he said that after high school he was doing a few shoots and tending bar to make ends meet when he landed the role on General Hospital.
“My managers were like, ‘Quit your day job. You got a thing,’” he said.
Paevey said he learned about acting on the job. When his run on General Hospital came to an end, he didn’t know what he would do next. That’s when Hallmark stepped in.
Paevey on Hallmark
The actor’s first role for Hallmark Channel was in the 2016 movie Unleashing Mr. Darcy. In this modern take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Paevey starred opposite Cindy Busby as Donovan Darcy, a dog show judge.
He went on to star in Harvest Love (2017), Marrying Mr. Darcy (2018), Hope at Christmas (2018), From Friend to Fiance (2019), A Summer Romance (2019), Christmas at the Plaza (2019), Matching Hearts (2020), A Timeless Christmas (2020), Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (2021), A Little Daytime Drama (2021), Coyote Creek Christmas (2021), Two Tickets to Paradise (2022), A Fabled Holiday (2022), Fourth Down and Love (2023), and Under the Christmas Sky (2023).
Taking a break
Paevey told fans that a number of things led to his decision to take a break from acting.
“I’ve had bank accounts hacked, money embezzled, investments stolen….things that, while difficult, can be recovered from,” he said. “But after all that, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. I left Los Angeles to be closer to her, and feel the need to devote more of my time, energy, and resources closer to home.”
Paevey told fans he would be focusing on his jewelry-making business, Fortunate Wanderer, and staying in touch through his newsletter.
“I have so, so much to be grateful for,” he said. “I am grateful to this industry as a whole, I am grateful to General Hospital for giving a green actor a chance and tolerating his learning curve, to Hallmark for changing my life and taking me to places that have become my favorite on Earth, to my managers for seeing something in a grunt with no resume and helping to architect a whole new trajectory and life for him, and to all of YOU who have helped raise up this handyman and bartender and taking him on a decade-long adventure the likes of which he never imagined.”
Hallmark responds
A spokesperson for Hallmark Media said the company wishes Paevey well.
“We’re very sorry for all that Ryan is going through and our thoughts are with him in his effort to take care of himself as well as his mother and we wish him well,” read Hallmark’s statement.
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