How Andrea Brooks Disguised Her Pregnancy During When Calls The Heart Season 10
One of the returning cast members in Hallmark's "When Calls the Heart" Season 10 was Andrea Brooks, who plays the character Faith. Soaps She Knows shared that fans speculated Faith was pregnant in that season. While actor Erin Krakow did tease babies in "When Calls the Heart" Season 10, she was referring to the character Rosemary's baby. Another pregnancy was behind the scenes, though, as Brooks was expecting during the Season 10 filming.
Brooks talked about the experience of filming the show while pregnant in an interview with TV Fanatic. "In some ways, this is a weird season for me because I do end up being nine months pregnant by the end of the season," she said. "So, I do carry a lot of very strange props." The actor noted that the size of Faith's medical bag grew throughout the filming process. After all, it needed to cover her baby bump since her character was not meant to be pregnant.
Brooks admitted that when looking back at the making of Season 10, the main thing on her mind the entire time was wondering how to keep anyone from noticing her baby bump. That's why she's looking forward to not worrying about that in the future. "I'm also excited to get through this season so that eventually, we get to [Season] 11, we can air that, and then I have a waist again," she said.
When Calls the Heart costume designer saved Brooks' pregnancy-hiding costumes
When Hallmark star Andrea Brooks spoke to TV Fanatic about filming "When Calls the Heart" while pregnant, she commended Barbara Gregusova, who does costumes for the show, on her work in helping hide the pregnancy. "She's so good with angles and cut clothing in ways I had never thought about," Brooks raved. She also told Gregusova she wanted to interview her about her talents. "She really has so many fantastic ideas for covering a pregnancy," Brooks said.
In addition to costumes and props playing a part in hiding Brooks' baby bump, the actual scripts of the show helped as well. "We wrote scenes in interesting ways that everything could be hidden," Brooks told the outlet, "but it really becomes this extra element that, on top of your character, your performance, your story, and all the normal things that you worry about."
In an interview with TV Goodness, Brooks also said the costume designer saved costumes from when Brooks was pregnant with her daughter, Viola during the filming of Season 7. "[Gregusova] said, 'Just in case, I figured if you ever had another kid,' which was amazing," Brooks told TV Goodness. Unfortunately, the actor said certain costumes got very hot since she was pregnant, making her want lighter-weight clothes no matter the weather or season.
Andrea Brooks shared behind-the-scene baby bump photos on Instagram
Actor Andrea Brooks shared her pregnancy announcement on her Instagram page in November 2022, and then posted a behind-the-scenes photo after Season 10 finished filming. "Bumping my way across the finish line!" Brooks said in the caption. She also thanked the "When Calls the Heart" team and expressed gratitude to the Hallmark Channel. About a month later in December 2022, Brooks' son Levon was born and she posted a mother-son photo.
In June 2023, approximately a month before the premiere of "When Calls the Heart" Season 10, Brooks shared a compilation video showing the progression of her baby bump over the course of filming. Brooks said her baby was 10 pounds, which worked well for Season 10. "I'm so excited for you to see all the hilarious ways we hid the bump this season," she said, adding she was excited to share more behind-the-scenes shots. Brooks even gave Hallmark a shout-out: "Thank you @hallmarkchannel for supporting moms!"
One of Brooks' Instagram posts showed the magic of costuming. In the first photo, Brooks is wearing one of Faith's party dresses. From the front, her baby bump can't be seen. But the second photo shows her from the side, and the bump is visible. One fan commented, "All through the season, I was trying so hard to find a moment where your belly wasn't blocked, but you were just too good at covering it up!"