Hallmark's Hunter King Doesn't Rule Out A Return To Soaps After Y&R Exit
Fans of the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" most likely recognize Hunter King as Summer Newman, the role she played for 10 years and 766 episodes. Her tenure as Summer included storylines involving many love interests and varying degrees of drama and betrayal — essential ingredients for any great sudser.
King has now moved from the soap world to Hallmark for a variety of projects, and the love interests she acts alongside in those films are quite different than Summer's lovers from "Y&R." In her first Hallmark film, "Hidden Gems," King and Beau Mirchoff played Addie and Jack, who go on a scuba diving quest for Addie's missing ring in Hawaii. King weighed in on the future of "Hidden Gems," thinking that a potential sequel would be fun. Now that she has signed her deal with Hallmark to be in more of their movies, would she ever go back to the world of soaps?
King did not shoot down a possible return to soap operas
When Hunter King was asked about a return to "The Young and the Restless" in an interview with Soaps, she said, "Never say never." But she is thrilled with her Hallmark contract, and at the moment, that seems to be what she's sticking with. King continued, "I feel so lucky to have had those years over at 'The Young and the Restless.' So, for now, that chapter is closed, and who knows what's going to happen. We'll see."
In another interview, King revealed she is keeping an open mind about the possibility of acting on a different soap opera. She reiterated her previous thoughts, saying, "Who knows what will happen in the future, but definitely never say never." King also said that playing Summer was enjoyable because the character has many layers: sometimes, she was nice, and other times, not-so-nice. Only time will tell if King's Hallmark roles will be just as fulfilling.
King loves the vibes of Hallmark movies, on and off set
So far, Hunter King has been in four Hallmark projects: "Hidden Gems," "Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths," "A Royal Corgi Christmas," and "The Professional Bridesmaid." She told TV Fanatic that she was a fan of the Hallmark movies even before she started to work on them, and she likes that projects from the network are quintessential feel-good stories. She also remarked how making the films is a lot of fun and that she loves working alongside the Hallmark casts and crews. King mentioned, "I feel right at home with Hallmark. It's a very exciting family to be a part of."
In addition to the good energy on set, filming with Hallmark has allowed King to work in exciting spots. "Hidden Gems" was filmed in Hawaii, and "A Royal Corgi Christmas" was filmed in Ireland. She's also been able to learn new things for her roles. For example, in "The Professional Bridesmaid," King and her co-star Chandler Massey — who played Will Horton on "Days of Our Lives" before joining Hallmark – had to learn how to waltz for a ballroom-dancing scene.