Vienna Leacock Plays Angela on 'When Calls the Heart' — Is She Really Blind?
"She didn't want to make a mistake. She knew that the character was blind, and she knew there was a massive responsibility."
Published March 24 2026, 9:45 a.m. ET
When Calls the Heart fans fell in love with Angela Canfield immediately upon her introduction in Season 8. Fans' affection for the character only grew when the public learned the wholesome connection between the actor and her on-screen father. Angela is played by Vienna Leacock, who is the real-life daughter of Viv Leacock, aka Joseph Canfield — Angela's dad! Adding to the cuteness, Angela's brother Cooper is played by Vienna's real-life brother, Elias!
Delighted by the Leacock family, viewers decided to look deeper into them. One of the most pressing questions fans had was whether or not Vienna is really blind. Angela is a person who's visually impaired, which is a large plot point for her character in the show. The public wanted to know if Vienna's performance was coming from her own experiences and, if not, how she prepared for her role on When Calls the Heart.
Is Angela from 'When Calls the Heart' really blind?
Although Angela is blind, Vienna is not, but the actor insists she did her due diligence for the role. Vienna says she learned Braille as part of her research. She's expressed how important the role is to her and how much she wants to do Angela justice.
Echoing Vienna's sentiments, Viv told Entertainment Tonight, "She didn't want to make a mistake. She knew that the character was blind, and she knew there was a massive responsibility, as far as, there are loved ones who have blind people in their family, you've got to do this right."
The internet has mixed opinions.
There are basically two arguments when it comes to casting a non-disabled actor for a character who is disabled. Some people say the whole point of acting is pretending to be someone you're not. Others argue that the practice takes away rare roles for those who may not be given other opportunities in Hollywood.
Some may remember that Sia was cancelled for casting the neurotypical Maddie Ziegler to play an autistic person in Music, and that fans turned on Bryan Cranston for playing a person who's quadriplegic in The Upside. Adam Scott also faced for his role in My Blind Brother, which is an interestingly similar situation.
One of Reddit's more even-tempered posters wrote their opinion on the topic: "I think if it's depicted well with good intentions, then I don't see an issue. I love seeing disabled rep through characters! Of course, it's great when actual disabled people can play the characters, but if a certain actor fits the vision better, then they fit it better."