Chat with Daniel Lissing – Part 1

American fans may know Daniel Lissing as Navy Seal James King from the short-lived ABC series, Last Resort with Andre Braugher and Robert Patrick. (“That was a great show. Really good fun,” Lissing says.) Most of his newfound fans know him from Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart, in which Lissing stars as Mountie Jack Thornton.

. . .

Let’s talk When Calls the Heart!

Can you tell me what Jack’s going to be up to this season?

I can tell you certain things… I’ll give you a hint. There’s a lot of romance.

With…? [laughs]

[laughs] A girl named Elizabeth Thatcher, I don’t know if you’ve heard of her?

Jack, at the start of the season, is in a place where he’s falling in love with Coal Valley. He’s falling in love with Elizabeth Thatcher, but saying that doesn’t mean they’re meant to be together. She comes from a very different world than he does and there are elements that can potentially keep them apart. He ends up going to Hamilton in the first episode, which is where she is from – from a very prominent family there – and sees the other side of the coin – how she lives. He’s confronted with the harsh truth that he is, in society’s eyes, below her. In his own eyes, no, because he doesn’t look at the world that way.

Also, there is a childhood friend of Elizabeth’s that comes into the picture. He’s a real nice guy and from the right stable, so to speak, from the right class and is crazy about Elizabeth too. Jack’s not having any of that!

Who influenced you to go into acting?

I grew up loving film and television. Film, in particular. I would never feel as inspired – it’s sort of the same for music with me as well, but I never got the same kind of feeling with music as I did with watching film. I felt inspired. The way different genres would make me emote as a human being. I wanted to be part of that world. I had my favorite actors growing up, I still do now. I would get turned on by great performances. It’s something that always interested me and excited me.