Lori Loughlin‘sWhen Calls the Heartcostar Paul Greene has broken his silence in the wake of her alleged involvement in thecollege admissions cheating scandal.
In an interview onPopcorn Talk Network’sI Could Never Beseries, Greene, 44, opened up about how the scandal has affected the cast and crew of the Hallmark Channel show, whichsevered tieswith the actress after the news broke.
“They’re doing some reshoots in Canada, and I mean, everybody has really been very, very careful ’cause it’s a very sensitive time,” he said. “Everybody is trying to collect themselves and pull it all together, make a statement that doesn’t offend, but still supports, that’s loving.”
“But also everyone’s dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s on the corporate side,” he added. “Every angle you could look at this [from] has had to have been handled very carefully.”
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On March 12, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced that it had charged 50 people, includingFelicity Huffmanand Loughlin, in the cheating scandal. The two actresses, along with coaches, admissions counselors, parents and Loughlin’s husband, fashion designerJ. Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of alleged crimes such as falsifying SAT scores and lying about the athletic skills of their children.
Singer has since admitted his role as the ringleader of the scam and has pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
Last week, Loughlin and Giannulli were indicted on an additional charge offraud and money laundering.
Theypleaded not guiltyon Monday. If convicted, they face up to 20 yearsin prisonfor each charge. Their attorneys have not returned PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Mossimo Giannulli and Lori Loughlin.Donato Sardella/Getty Images for LACMA
“We’ve all known Lori for a really long time,” he said. “And when someone’s your friend and something happens to them, you don’t stop being their friend. You support, no matter what happens.”
“I can only speak for myself,” he continued. “All I do know is that if you had a good friend and they were accused of something, you haven’t even heard their side yet, you’d be there for them no matter what.”
The show, which premiered in 2014, underwent a“retooling” hiatusafter dropping Loughlin. It has since beenrenewed for a seventh season,and Greene said he thinks the scandal will actually “bind everyone together” in the long run.
“Adversity brings family together. It really does,” he said. “I’m talking about the whole thing — between the characters and the actors, between, the fans and the relationship and the love they have for the show.”
“I feel like everyone’s really pulling together now and doing the very best that they can with what they’ve been given,” he continued. “And still time will tell. Things are going to continue to unravel and I think we’ll look back on this as a moment that everybody was very generous — especially the Hearties, they’ve been generous and patiently waiting. It really does speak to the loyalty of our fans.”
When Calls the Heartreturns May 5 and will air a second brand-new episode on May 6 at 8 p.m. ET, both on Hallmark Channel.
source: people.com
