What is Aren Buchholz Doing Now After Leaving When Calls the Heart?
Surprise: he's had his blood sucked a lot.
Summary
- Jesse Flynn (Aren Buchholz) stole our hearts during Season 3 of When Calls The Heart.
- Buchholz exited the show after six seasons of playing Jesse.
- He has since been involved in a wide variety of acting projects, including a recurring role on a vampire comedy.
- A recent interview revealed that Buchholz was originally supposed to be on When Calls The Heart for only a few episodes!
With 11 seasons under its belt, When Calls The Heart has had its share of character exits. Some we'll never get over – RIP Jack Thornton! – and some have left us hoping that we'll see the beloved characters again.
One example? The handsome Jesse Flynn (Aren Buchholz) who arrived in Hope Valley in Season 3. When Jesse first appeared, it looked like the show was setting him up as a major villain. Jesse was an outlaw who wanted Pastor Frank to relapse into his sordid former life and rejoin the gang. Instead, Jesse began to regret his past and decided to mend his ways – due in large part to his attraction to Clara Stanton (Eva Bourne).
What Has Aren Buchholz Been Up To?
Since leaving When Calls The Heart, Buchholz has appeared in a wide variety of projects, from the R-Rated thriller Heatwave to the TV movie Why Can't My Life Be A Rom Com? However, most of his time has been taken up with the comedy-horror series Reginald the Vampire, where Buchholz has appeared in 16 episodes as Reginald's rude boss Todd.
Buchholz is clearly having a great time on Reginald the Vampire – you can find a variety of adorable pictures from the set on his Instagram account. Fans, be sure to take note of the way he describes himself: Actor. Writer. Dinosaur.
Will Jesse Return?
So far there don't seem to be any plans to see more of Jesse Flynn on When Calls The Heart. At the end of Season 8, the now-married Jesse and Clara moved away from Hope Valley to start a new life elsewhere.
While it's been more than three seasons since the couple has made an appearance on the show, we know that they are alive and thriving on a homestead somewhere. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed that Jesse and Clara will make an appearance in the future… perhaps with an adorable baby in tow?
It Was Supposed To Be Different
Fun Fact: When Buchholz first auditioned for the role of Jesse, the character was only supposed to appear in a handful of episodes. In an interview with Parade.com, Buchholz said:
'[Jesse] was only supposed to be a recurring guest star, maybe a 3-5 episode arc. So I think the producers' original intention was for him to be this misguided kid who, with the help of Pastor Frank and the rest of the town, turns over a new leaf.'
Thanks to Jesse's instant chemistry with Clara, what was supposed to be a short arc turned into a multi-season love story.
A Late Cliffhanger
Last season of When Calls The Heart left fans gasping when Mountie superintendent Andrew Hargraves (David Lewis) informed widow Elizabeth that he had some news to tell her about her late husband.
Fans will remember that Jack Thornton died very shortly after his wedding to Elizabeth way back in Season 6. Elizabeth has since moved on and has developed a budding relationship with Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry). But is the show set to bring back a fan favorite character six seasons later?
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait at least another year to find out. When Calls The Heart Season 12 is currently slated to be released some time in 2025.