Erin Krakow and Kevin McGarry Hallmark Media/Sven Boecker
When Calls the Heart’s Elizabeth Thornton has romanced multiple men throughout the series — and her season 11 love interest is a familiar face in Nathan Grant.
“Nothing is official,” Erin Krakow, who plays Elizabeth on the Hallmark Channel series, teased during an interview with Entertainment Tonight published on Thursday, March 28. “I think that would feel way too soon.”
Krakow, 39, noted that while the budding relationship between Elizabeth and Nathan (Kevin McGarry) is a long time coming, it won’t happen overnight.
Nathan professed his love for Elizabeth during season 8, but Elizabeth didn’t feel the same. Instead, she got engaged to Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) the following season. However, Elizabeth called off her engagement to Lucas during the season 10 finale, which aired in October 2023.
Hallmark Channel’s longest-running series, When Calls the Heart, is gearing up for its season 11 return. The 12-episode installment, which premieres on Sunday, April 7, will pick up at the conclusion of season 10 which saw Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow) breaking off her engagement to Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) after he had just been elected […]
“We do want to be respectful of the fact that Elizabeth and Lucas had a very real and loving relationship,” Krakow told the outlet. “It just wasn’t, as it turns out, meant to be Elizabeth’s lifetime or Lucas’, so we are being respectful of that.”
She played coy about when Elizabeth would fully move on with Nathan after years of being close friends. “They’re waiting for their right moment,” Krakow said of the couple’s season 11 connection. “And, of course, there are things that come up along the way to interrupt that.”
Erin Krakow Hallmark Media/Ricardo Hubbs
The actress revealed, “It’s a slow burn. We’re taking our time.” She teased that when viewers watch Elizabeth and Nathan interact for the first time after her split, “You do feel that sparks are flying. But even though those sparks are flying, they still are taking their time.”
Krakow pointed out that it’s been three seasons since Nathan “confessed his love,” so Elizabeth “doesn’t know for sure that he still has feelings for her.”
She added, “I think Nathan doesn’t want to assume that just because Elizabeth and Lucas broke up, she has feelings for him. So, it’s kind of a dance.”
McGarry, 39, told ET that he thinks “Nathan was created for Elizabeth” even though she picked Lucas over him years prior.
The Hallmark Channel has become the one-stop-shop of holiday movies and light-hearted rom-coms over the years — with many fans tuning in to see their favorite leading ladies. Whether it’s When Calls the Heart’s Erin Krakow or Sweet Autumn lead Nikki DeLoach, the network is full of talented women telling heart-warming stories. Hallmark’s long list […]
“I really feel like [Nathan] not finding a place, him not finding a partner, was deliberate. He was meant to kind of just wonder, while she was kind of moving forward with Lucas,” McGarry explained of the Canadian Mountie being single for so long. “I think it was always meant to be this and that they were meant to be endgame. And I really like how it’s been done.”
Season 11 of When Calls the Heart premieres on Hallmark Channel Sunday, April 7, at 9 p.m. ET.