Coal Valley Kids Chat: Lizzie (Cassandra Garner) Boys

Coal Valley Kids Chat (Originally posted April 24, 2014)Featuring Donna Pasowysty and (her daughter) Lizzie (Cassandra Garner) Boys.

‪#‎WhenCallsTheHeart‬
Episode 2: Cease and Desist

‪#‎Hearties‬ – Welcome to the second edition of COAL VALLEY KIDS CHAT.
THANK YOU, Donna and Lizzie for sharing with us your insights and experiences on the set of “When Calls The Heart.”

A special “Thank you” to the very gracious Donna who shared:

Being on the set of When Calls the Heart in the town of Coal Valley has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience. The crew is great and the cast amazing. Lizzie has made friends in her CV classmates and I’ve made wonderful friendships with their parents. We’re a team, supporting and nurturing each other, all of us grateful for the wholesome and positive program of which we’re a part.

Now, let’s hear from Lizzie:

“Coal Valley is my home because….” Those are my first lines as Cassandra Garner, a quiet, gentle girl who feels the blessings of living in Coal Valley. On my first day on the “When Calls the Heart” set I felt myself transform into her after the costume and hair people made me look like a girl from 1910. I was excited and nervous as I walked from the circus (the area with the makeup, costume, study, and personal trailers) to the Coal Valley town set down a dirt trail through the woods. My pinafore dress swished and my old-fashioned boots clicked on the hard wood floor of the saloon as I walked to stand in front of my new classmates. I was so nervous that my mouth was dry and my muscles were rigid as I hadn’t met anyone yet. As I started to speak through Cassandra’s mouth, I became aware of the set – the saloon, our makeshift classroom, looked so real! I felt the heat of the bright lights that give sun through the windows (even when it’s pouring rain outside, like it often is in Vancouver) and of the soft haze in the room that gives good definition to the film on screen. Once the camera focused on me, the sound microphone was in place over my head and the director called “action,” I looked at the other students and began to share Cassandra’s love of Coal Valley and I started to feel at home. Emily, Gabe, Rosaleen, James, Rachel and all the other Coal Valley kids looked back at me with such welcoming kindness. Miss Thatcher knelt beside me and gave me words of encouragement. Michael Landon, Jr. was so patient and gracious in his direction. After about 15 takes of the same scene (from front and back angles,) I felt comfortable and felt just right as Cassandra. Coal Valley is my home because… it is a magical set where I’ve made true friends in the other children and from where I have learned a lot from the crew and cast.

(Photography credit: Copyright 2013 Crown Media United States, LLC)