When Calls the Heart Season 11 newcomer Cecilia Deacon plays an important character in the Hallmark Channel drama.
Deacon appeared in Season 11, Episode 4 as Jeanette, a mysterious figure from Lucas' (Chris McNally) past who caused conflict in the small town after she arrived.
4 Things To Know About When Calls The Heart's Cecilia Deacon
Cecilia Deacon Graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Cecilia Deacon, who hails from Ontario, Canada, graduated from New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in 2013.
The AADA produced notable Hollywood veterans like Robert Redford, Danny DeVito, and Lauren Bacall.
After graduating, Deacon appeared in Delivery Man, a movie starring Chris Pratt, Vince Vaughn, and Colbie Smoulders.
Cecilia Played a Pirate on Legends of Tomorrow
Cecilia Deacon used her minor role in Delivery Man as a springboard for greater things to come for her acting career.
One of Deacon's first major acting roles on TV is playing Anne Queen in Season 3, Episode 12 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow in 2018.
In Arrowverse lore, Anne Queen is part of Blackbeard's crew and the previous owner of the Earth Totem.
The actress' other notable credits include Nancy Drew, So Help Me Todd, Altered Carbon, and Catch-30.
Cecilia Has Plenty of Theater Experience
Deacon's acting chops are not just showcased on the small screen, but she also made waves in the world of theater.
According to The Academy Pages in March 2023, the fix-foot-ten actress performed at the Lester Martin Theatre, the Mary MacArthur Theatre, and the Mannie Greenfield Theatre in New York.
Perhaps Deacon's most memorable theater role is her appearance in No Exit in 2011.
The actress portrayed Estelle, which was described as an existential examination of the limits of human resilience.
In an interview with the International Film Review in May 2016, Deacon admitted that playing Estelle in No Exit "challenged [her] as an actor in a way no role has since:"
“It challenged me as an actor in a way no role has since. It was an exercise in despair; discovering what was each our own personal hell. But the most difficult thing about playing Estelle was not even that we were in hell; it was that the character herself found safety in all the places that I myself do not.”
As a performer, Deacon told Ein Presswire in June 2016 that she enjoys acting, noting that "there is something very liberating" about it:
"I can't describe the joy I feel when I'm working on a project; even brutal ones. There is something very liberating about acting. Actors can explore any experience the human imagination can create. I can live and breathe the world as one being in one place, then go to a completely different one."
The veteran theatre star also said that, for her, it is a "discovery and adventure on so many levels:"
"I get to create a person, become a person, or find a person. It’s discovery and adventure on so many levels. It makes the mundane just a little more magical."
Cecilia Found Her Transcendents Role Challenging
Deacon brought Cecilia to life in The Transcendents in 2018.
In the movie, Cecilia is a past lover of Rob Franco's Roger who reunited with him in the present day to give support amid the struggles that he's facing in trying to find the titular rock band.
The actress reunited with No Exit playwright Derek Ahonen in The Transcendents who served as the film's director.
Deacon explained in the same interview with Ein Presswire the complexities of her character, pointing out Cecilia's dark past and eventual path to move forward:
"She was in love with Roger years ago, and in her love for him years later, provides a safe harbor for him. She is all love… In her past it lead her to hurt and self-destruction, but when Roger returns to her life, she has moved through her personal darkness and able to be fully giving."
The actress also said that the character being deaf and confined to a wheelchair contributes to the huge challenge of playing Cecilia in The Transcendents:
"The physical limitations of the character were the most challenging aspect of her; being deaf and paraplegic for the majority of the film. I tried not to move once I got in the wheelchair for a scene. Make my legs fall asleep. And drowning out dialogue and focusing on ambient sounds to sort of shift my focus from audio cues to physical cues."
How To Follow Cecilia Deacon Online
For more updates about Cecilia Deacon, fans can follow her on Instagram (@ceciliadeacon).
New episodes of When Calls the Heart Season 11 premiere every Sunday on Hallmark Channel at 9 p.m. ET.
Read more about When Calls the Heart on The Direct:
When Calls the Heart Season 11 Cast, Characters & Actors (Photos)
Who Is Kevin McGarry? 4 Things to Know About When Calls the Heart Actor
Who Is Leaving When Calls the Heart? Every Actor Who Got Downgraded or Left
