Heavy/Getty Marcus Rosner plays Austin McMurray in Hallmark's "Ride"
Fans of actor Marcus Rosner, who’s appeared in more than a dozen Hallmark projects over the last decade, have been excited for a chance to see the actor in a recurring role on the network’s new series, “Ride.” But a major plot twist with his character in the series premiere left so many of them stunned and upset that he’s now addressed the backlash on social media.
Spoiler alert: Details about the first episode of “Ride” are included in the story below.
In “Ride,” 33-year-old Rosner plays champion bull rider Austin McMurray. But in the series premiere on March 26, 2023, his character died in a tragic event. Jumping to a year later, the show centers around his family, including mom Isabel — played by Nancy Travis — and his wife Missy, a trick rider played by Tiera Skovbye, trying to pick up the pieces after his death and save the family’s Colorado ranch.
Many fans expressed their sadness and frustration on social media after the premiere, worried that Rosner won’t be part of the series moving forward. The buzz has grown so loud, in fact, that Rosner has had to address fans to assure them he will return to the show.
Marcus Rosner Uploads Video to Explain His Future on ‘Ride’
HallmarkHallmark’s Marcus Rosner
Fans were caught off guard by the death of Rosner’s character, with many expressing their surprise and frustration on social media.
One fan tweeted, “Marcus Rosner’s character died?! I thought 1-year-later, he’d be recovering, and rushing to compete, quicker than he should.”
Another wrote, “I can’t believe we lost Marcus Rosner’s character less than 10 minutes into the first episode I’m going to need to see him in flashbacks in future episodes or something at least #HallmarkRide“
Fans also took to Rosner’s Instagram page to express their despair in the comment sections of his posts.
“Oh Marcus! Not fair– did not see that coming,” one wrote, while another commented, “WTH? Why, why why! 😢”
Rosner addressed the backlash in a video, taken while sitting in his car, which he posted in his Instagram Stories on March 27, the day after the premiere aired.
“I just wanted to hop on because, if you watched the premiere of ‘Ride’ last night, it’s come to my attention and Hallmark’s attention that some of you wonderful folks out there have been lamenting the early death of my character, Austin McMurray,” he said.
“And I just want to tell you that it’s eternally flattering,” Rosner continued, assuring fans he will return in the series. “But Austin died with a lot of secrets, obviously, and those secrets need to come to light. You may not be seeing me as much as you would hope, but perhaps more than you will be expecting.”
“And on top of that,” he added, “I just really hope you stick with the show. It’s filled with such amazing people. It’s filmed in an incredible location very, very close to my heart. And it’s gonna be great.”
Marcus Rosner Says He Loved Filming ‘Ride’ Where He Grew Up
HallmarkTiera Skovbye and Beau Mirchoff with co-star Sara Garcia in “Ride”
Among Rosner’s castmates are Skovbye, who plays his character’s widow, and Beau Mirchoff, who plays his brother Cash. The trio participated in a Facebook Live session to promote the show on March 24, during which Rosner said that his mom was especially thrilled when he landed a role on the show, given that it was filmed in Alberta, Canada — in his hometown of Calgary.
He added that he was excited once he arrived on set and realized Hallmark was using a “techno crane” to capture the beautiful landscape of the area where he grew up.
“I was even more excited when I saw the trailer (for the show),” Rosner said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, they got our province in the best light.'”
He also told Digital Journal in early March that “learning all about bull riding and being out on a ranch in my home province of Alberta really felt like getting back to my roots.”
Rosner has filmed many Hallmark movies over the years so landing his role on “Ride” wasn’t quite as thrilling as it was for Skovbye and Mirchoff, who have both found success on other networks, but are excited about joining Hallmark. Skovbye has starred in multiple TV series including NBC’s “Nurses” and CW’s hit show “Riverdale,” while Mirchoff’s credits include MTV’s “Awkward” and Freeform’s “Good Trouble.”
Mirchoff, 34, said one of the reasons he was so excited to land the part is that he, too, grew up in Alberta, in the city of Edmonton.
“I called my mom and told her the news,” he said during the Facebook Live, saying she was thrilled that he’d be filming “closer to home” in Canada. Mirchoff also shared that he found out he’d gotten the job while he was on a trip with friends.
“I was at a bachelor party in Phoenix, actually,” he shared about the moment he learned he’d landed the part. “We had just floated down a river, actually, tubing. So we were having a really fun time celebrating my buddy and everything, and we’re on the way home and I got the phone call, and then we celebrated more with a bunch of the guys. It was really cool.”
Skovbye, 27, said getting cast in “Ride” was so unexpected she burst into tears as soon as she got the news. During the Facebook Live, she shared that her manager tricked her momentarily into thinking that she didn’t land the series. The actress explained that she had just finished a workout class when her manager texted that he had some news, which she immediately sensed wasn’t positive.
“Normally when there’s good news, he’ll call me and it’ll be like a conference call with the whole team,” she explained. “And if there’s bad news, he’ll just send an email or text like, ‘Hey, call me when you have a second.’ And that’s what he did. He texted me and I was like ‘I didn’t get it.'”
“So I, like, was calling him prepared for the disappointment. Like ‘Oh, you know, they loved you but it just didn’t go your way,” which I feel like we’ve all heard a gazillion times. And then I called and it was a conference call (with the whole team) and they were all like ‘Oh you got it!’ and I cried.”