After years of starring on shows known for salacious storylines, it’s a “miracle” Jack Wagner was cast on “When Calls The Heart” in 2014, according to his former “Melrose Place” co-star and Hallmark Channel alum Daphne Zuniga.
“Basically, Jack Wagner’s doing the pendulum … starting from the darkest of the dark comedy to the Hearties in, like, one career,” she joked on March 22, 2025, episode of her “Still This Place” podcast, which she co-hosts with fellow “Melrose Place” alums Laura Leighton and Courtney Thorne-Smith, all of whom have appeared in Hallmark movies.
Wagner, 65, laughed with the actresses as they teased him about his reputation on “Melrose Place” compared to his buttoned-up role as Bill Avery on WCTH, which was just renewed for a 13th season.
‘Melrose Place’ Alums Jokingly Ask Jack Wagner Whether Producers Really Knew Him Before Casing Him on WCTH
Thorne-Smith, who starred in Hallmark’s three “Emma Fielding Mysteries” from 2017 to 2019, said that before Wagner joined their podcast, she went down a “rabbit hole” online, exploring the “incredible” Hearties’ fandom and noting “they maintain this all year, this connection around this show.”
“I think it’s extraordinary, because I think we’re all really looking for community, and what a sweet way to find it,” Thorne-Smith said.
“Yeah, good point Courtney,” Wagner replied. “I think this show resonates with people given our, you know, political temperature in the country for the last 10 years or more, right? I think people look for something that’s safe … you know, we don’t show blood, we don’t show sex, we don’t show nudity, we don’t use profanity, but yet we can shoot a gun.”
Zuniga, who starred in the 2010 Hallmark movie “A Family Thanksgiving,” interjected, “It’s kind of a miracle you were cast (on the show) if you really think about it. I mean, you have good agents!”
Laughing, Thorne-Smith asked, “Had they not met you Jack?” and Leighton chimed in, “Did they know you!?”
Wagner chuckled, “We’re all still fooling ’em, right, girls?”
He joined WCTH during its first season, thanks to original cast member and friend Lori Loughlin recommending him to producers, he told the “Still This Place” co-hosts.
Jack Wagner Admits He’s ‘Grown Up’ Since His Days on ‘Melrose Place’
HallmarkZuniga, Leighton, and Thorne-Smith gave Wagner a hard time on their podcast, laughing about him being “the most fun troublemaker on set,” per Zuniga’s assessment.
Leighton, who last appeared on Hallmark in 2018’s “Christmas On Honeysuckle Lane,” asked Wagner, “Do you think that the ‘When Calls the Heart’ cast and crew … see the same version of Jack that we saw? Like … do you have to temper, sort of, your (personality)?”
“I hate to say this, but I might have grown up a little bit,” Wagner responded, causing the women to gasp. “Maybe, you know, maybe my goal (now) is to not to see how sarcastic I can be on set to make the crew laugh at anyone’s expense.”
Wagner explained that he’s “always been a real believer (that) laughter really makes a set much more enjoyable” and lightens the mood, especially on days they’re filming highly emotional scenes. But Wagner admitted his sense of humor has changed over the years.
He said, “I just think maybe I’ve maybe grown a little bit and (the humor is) not at … my other actors’ expense, it’s more self-deprecating.”
Wagner has always loved having good camaraderie with his fellow cast members, no matter what show he was starring on. But he told Us Weekly in early March that he believes the lead actress always makes or breaks a show.
“I think the success of (WCTH) has to do with Erin Krakow, our lead actress. I’ve always felt that way about any show that I’ve been on. It was Heather (Locklear) from ‘Melrose.’ It was ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ with Katharine Kelly Lang.”
“When it trickles down from people who root for and love your lead actress and your lead actor, they invest,” Wagner explained of the show’s fans. “It is an investment. They feel like they know us, and we feel like we know them.”
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Hallmark Alum Says It’s a ‘Miracle’ Jack Wagner Got Cast on ‘When Calls The Heart’