Hallmark Nathan and Elizabeth on "When Calls the Heart"
Erin Krakow, who portrays Elizabeth on “When Calls the Heart,” opened up about the finale and how the future is looking for Nathan and Elizabeth on the next season of the show. Her revelations came after season 10 featured some major plot twists, including the breakup of Elizabeth and Lucas’ engagement.
Elizabeth Needs Love in Her Life, Krakow Said
Hallmark“When Calls the Heart”
Krakow spoke with ET Online about the “When Calls the Heart” finale and plans for season 11. When asked if fans should hold out hope that Nathan and Elizabeth will have a romance, she said yes — but it will be a romance that’s respectful to viewers still adjusting to all the changes.
“Yes,” Krakow said, smiling. “I guess I’ll just say yes. I mean it never hurts to have hope. Though I’m sensitive for any of our viewers who may have just watched all of this go down. I know it’s very fresh for them. And for that reason, I’d just like to say that we take our time with any of this… We are intentionally being as respectful as we can. But it’s really important that Elizabeth have love in her life and we’re on that journey.”
When asked if she can picture Elizabeth and Nathan ultimately ending up together, Krakow enthusiastically said that she could.
“I do…” she said. “I absolutely think it makes sense. And I think that everybody deserves a happy ending… That’s what we’re after.”
She said season 11 will resolve some cliffhangers right away, including finding out about Lucas’ well-being. But Nathan and Elizabeth’s journey will be slower.
“We will be dropping hints as much as we can,” she promised.
As for the most pivotal scenes in season 10 that led to the breakup, Krakow told ET Online that Elizabeth’s conversation with Nathan about what she really wants in life played a big role in that. The conversation happened in episode 11, just before she decided to end her engagement.
“It was a huge moment between Nathan and Elizabeth…” she said. “I think Nathan was really challenging Elizabeth to be true to what she was feeling… At the end of the day do you want to go be a governor’s wife in the big city? … I think it was that conversation that really shook Elizabeth… In the wee hours of the morning when she’s sitting at her table with Rosemary, tearfully talking about what’s truly in her heart, she realized it wasn’t that. And I don’t know…if she would have come to that realization if Nathan hadn’t challenged her to really think through what she wanted in her life.”
Part of what led Elizabeth to end things with Lucas, she added, was having other feelings she couldn’t deny.
“There’s just maybe something else happening in Elizabeth’s heart that she can’t quite deny as much as she once tried,” Krakow said about Elizabeth and Lucas’ breakup.
She Said Lucas & Elizabeth Breaking Up Was the ‘Right Move’
Hallmark“When Calls the Heart”
Krakow also spoke to ET Online about Elizabeth and Lucas ending their engagement in the penultimate episode of season 10.
“I think it’s a really good, authentic, challenging, emotional story,” she said about the characters’ journey. “And it may be tough on some of our fans, but … it’s a story of two people who … still have a very deep love for one another… They were just being true to what was in their hearts and you can’t argue with that. They’re being true to their authentic selves… I think it was the right move.”
She said several things drove them apart, one of them being Lucas’ big dreams contrasted with Elizabeth’s desires for a small town life.
“Lucas always had these big dreams and grand gestures,” Krakow told ET Online. “He’s wanting to surprise Elizabeth with a house on a hill somewhere, and Elizabeth wants to stay in her modest rowhouse and be close to her community. When thinking about political aspirations, Lucas is really intrigued by that. I mean, not at first necessarily. He’s excited about moving to the big city and making these changes for the town and the community. Elizabeth doesn’t really share those dreams. And that is totally OK, because they can be individuals who still really care about each other but aren’t necessarily meant to be together forever.”
Krakow also assured viewers that they won’t lose McNally in season 11. The showrunner and McNally himself also revealed that he’s returning, which you can read about in Heavy’s story here.
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