Jack Wagner Says Kiss with Melissa Gilbert on ‘When Calls the Heart’ ‘Sprung a Whole Well of Romance’

Romance is in the air on When Calls the Heart!

After Hope Valley residents discovered Jack Wagner’s Judge Bill Avery and Melissa Gilbert’s Georgie McGill had a history together and the pair shared a kiss in the season 12 finale, the 65-year-old actor is teasing what’s ahead for the characters.

While comparing his The Bold and the Beautiful character Nick Marone (which he is set to reprise) to Bill, he told Entertainment Weekly, “The difference in being able to do The Bold and the Beautiful, coming back as Nick, are the layers. This guy is completely about romance.”

“And there’s been really nothing romantic for quite a while on When Calls the Heart, except Melissa Gilbert came on last year and is returning, which is awesome,” he continued. “They have a backstory and a history, and I kissed her in the final episode last year. So that sprung a whole well of romance for my character.”

After sharing that he was “so grateful” for the opportunity on When Calls the Heart, he explained that Gilbert’s return to the series has “given me the opportunity to kind of exercise something in myself that has been a little dormant for a while,” he says.

Gilbert’s return for season 12 was first confirmed during the annual Hearties Family Reunion in Vancouver, British Columbia in September 2024.

Earlier this month, the 61-year-old actress announced she would be reprising the role for the upcoming 13th season. During an appearance on Hey Dude… The 90s Called podcast, she shared that she was “very excited to go back.” 

“I’ll be back and forth to Vancouver a bit more, I think this year,” the Little House on the Prairie alumna added.

In February, she told Entertainment Weekly that she was also eagerly waiting to see how the story between Bill and Georgie played out.

“I would love to see what happens with Bill and Georgie going forward, because it is left as a romantic cliffhanger,” she shared.

“I also think it’s really great to portray the beginning of a romantic relationship with two people our age,” she added. “Just because you’re over 60 doesn’t mean you’re dead.”

The same month, Gilbert opened up to PEOPLE about working with Michael Landon Jr., whose father Michael Landon costarred with Gilbert on Little House on the Prairie, on the Hallmark series. 

The elder Landon played Ingalls family patriarch Charles, while Gilbert starred as daughter and protagonist, Laura.

“It’s like going home. Working with Mike Jr. is like going home,” she said.

“I know that whatever he has me doing and saying, I can trust is going to be wonderful and exciting and interesting. We’ve been friends for 50-some-odd years, and I adore him, I adore his family. I think his wife is just the greatest,” she raves. “It’s just so nice to be back in an environment where I feel completely protected, appreciated, and loved.”

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When Calls the Heart is set to return in 2026.