Pascale Hutton: 'Rosemary has always been Team Elizabeth'
On Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart, Rosemary Coulter (played by Pascale Hutton) has worn many hats over the years.
“She’s been an actress, and she’s been a gossip columnist. She has worked in the restaurant, she has played the piano, she has worked in the dress shop, of course,” Hutton said during a recent appearance on the Sarah Scoop Show.
In Season 9, Rosemary will find a new purpose, according to Hutton. But not before she attempts to — once again — do several things at once, she said.
“We’ll see her trying to wear a bunch of different hats and succeeding and not so much succeeding,” she said. “Rosemary is one of those people who always thrives in a bit of chaos.”
Hutton has played the character since the first season of When Calls the Heart premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2014. A former flame of Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing), Rosemary arrived in what was then called Coal Valley and threw herself into small-town life by trying to start a theater company. She ended up falling for Lee Coulter (Kavan Smith), and the two married in Season 3.
Becoming Rosemary
A native of British Columbia, Hutton had a long list of credits to her name when she tried out for When Calls the Heart. In addition to bit parts on Supernatural, Dead Like Me, and Royal Pains, she had lead roles on the series Arctic Air and Sanctuary.
In the interview, Hutton said she tried to dress the part for her Rosemary audition. Since she knew the series was a period piece, she styled her hair in an elaborate updo. Because the character was supposed to be wearing a red dress, she showed up in a red blouse.
But all it took was one look at her audition video for the show’s executive producer and director Michael Landon Jr. to know she was right for the part.
“He thought, ‘Oh, this is who should play Rosemary,’” she said.
When Landon left work and pulled into traffic, he got another sign. “I was on was on a different TV series at the time that was being advertised a lot,” Hutton said. “A bus pulled up right beside him, and he looked over, and there was a big billboard on the side of the bus with my face on it.”
Champion of true love
During her interview, Hutton touched on the complexity of the character she plays. Rosemary has a public persona that is confident and theatrical. In private, she is quite sensitive, according to Hutton.
“I love her flair and her excitability and her enthusiasm and her theatrics,” she said. “But I also like those softer, quieter, vulnerable moments.”
As for whether Rosemary is Team Nathan or Team Lucas, Hutton said she is Team Elizabeth.
“Hands down, and this has always been unwavering, Rosemary has always been Team Elizabeth,” she said. “She just wants Elizabeth to find love again. There’s no bigger champion of love than Rosemary of love in Hope Valley.”