Watching Season 7 of Virgin River is an emotional roller coaster ride – for viewers and the cast alike. That includes Benjamin Hollingsworth, who continues to bring depth to his complicated bad-boy character, Dan Brady, in the popular Netflix series.
Set against the picturesque California coast, the season barrels toward a jaw-dropping cliffhanger: Brady’s motorcycle accident, leaving his fate uncertain as the already-renewed Season 8 looms. And, while Hollingsworth says he can’t reveal whether Brady survives, he is hopeful.
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“Brady has been stabbed and survived; he’s been punched numerous times and survived,” he exclusively told Parade. “He’s been burnt in a fire in some sort of tinfoil burrito and survived. I’m rooting for him — but we don’t know what could happen to Brady in Season 8.”
When it comes to Brady and Brie (Zibby Allen), Hollingsworth said he and Allen wanted them to reunite, and he believes their reunion was intentional.
“The writers were smart enough to make sure they made it feel earned,” he said. “It wasn’t just like [their characters] were bouncing from one person to the next and ping ponging around.”
Hollingsworth added that Brady felt that Brie made sure she wanted to reignite her relationship with Brady, and “he at the same time was committed to being there for her in any capacity for as long as he could…until he realized, at some point during the fire, that she’s everything to him, and if she can’t be everything then she has to be nothing.”
Courtest of Netflix
When it comes to the much-talked-about steamy scene between Brady and Brie that took place on his motorcycle, Hollingsworth credits Allen for the authenticity.
“The fact that viewers were meant to wait for that [sexy bike] scene to unfold, I think, made it more rewarding,” he said. “I’m really happy it paid off and that people are enjoying it, because we knew how important it was to the story and how important it was to Brie and Brady’s story. But yeah, my back hurt for a few days afterward for sure.”
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Hollingsworth says that he and Allen are close friends who frequently talk and text. They also team up to raise money for Melanoma Canada, a cancer nonprofit. “We conspire on everything, including breaking down every scene and talking about every script.”
“We’re very intentional about our character choices and protecting our storyline,” he added. “From the first day when she came in during Season 3, I saw it as an opportunity to really expand who Brady is and an opportunity to show this different side of Brady, and she came in with this wonderful ability, energy, and talent.”
For all of us romantics, Hollingsworth said if he were in charge of writing their next chapter, “I don’t know what’s next for them, but I would love to see them have joy and happiness, and really have a honeymoon phase of being together. I would love to see him integrate more into the town.
He added, “I wouldn’t want him to lose his edge in any way. I think part of the thing that makes Brady unique is that he’s a rebel, and he doesn’t follow anyone’s rules, which I think that naturally gets him into trouble. I think that it’s important that trouble is around him, just hopefully not on top of him.”
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Looking back on several highlights of Season 7, Brady attempted to get back the money that his former girlfriend, Lark, had stolen from him in the prior season. But when he saw Lark’s young daughter, Hazel, he changed his mind about demanding the money.
“I think we are seeing a lot of personal growth from Brady,” Hollingworth said. “Maybe, earlier in the series, he would have made a different decision about the money, but this came from him being selfless and learning lessons the hard way. I also think he has always seen Hazel as a reflection of himself when he was younger.”
He continues, “Brady identifies with not really having a solid upbringing, not having a whole lot of money, and bouncing around from place to place. The most rewarding thing for him to do in that moment was to supply not so much for Lark, but Hazel, with that future.”
“Use this money and make sure that she has a better upbringing than we had, and that’s a pretty amazing gift,” he said. “It’s something that, if we didn’t see Brady go through all the struggle, that wouldn’t have been as significant.”
Marco Grazzini as Mike and Sara Canning as Victoria in 'Virgin River'
Season 8 will also be missing two major characters. Detective Mike (Marco Grazzini) and Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), who will not be returning, putting a kibosh on the Brady-Brie-Mike love triangle. Mike seems to have moved on from Brie with Victoria (Sara Canning), a medical investigator working on a case in Virgin River.
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Hollingsworth said that he and the other cast members were “shocked” to find out that Grazzini was leaving. “Marco is such a terrific actor and such a terrific guy, and so is Lauren, so we’re going to miss them tremendously,” he explained.
“But [showrunner] Patrick Sean Smith mentioned that he would love to have them back at some point, in some capacity, when the storyline made sense for it. So it might not be so long and may not be a farewell to Mike on the show, but we will have to wait and see.”
Courtesy of Netflix
Another major part of Season 7 is the emotional storyline involving Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) about whether they will adopt Marley’s (Rachel Grance) soon-to-be-born baby boy, especially after her boyfriend, Eamon, came to Virgin River after tracking her down.
Hollingsworth said that Mel and Jack have had their share of heartache. “Breaks seem hard to come by in Virgin River, because I think Brady is in a similar boat, where he doesn’t get a whole lot of breaks,” Hollingsworth said.
“I think that’s kind of the human condition, right? We all struggle with things, and even on the outside when people look perfect, or they seem to have it all, I’ll be the first to admit that life is tricky and hard and complex, he said.
“But in those struggles and in the complexities of life, you find characters whom you become more and more invested in. As much as we want good things for our heroes and our characters on this show, sometimes they have to go through tough stuff in order to come out the other side, and then that makes the wonderful moments that much sweeter.”
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Benjamin Hollingsworth as Brady in 'Virgin River'
Looking back on the seven seasons, Hollingsworth said he enjoyed spending time with his co-stars at Jack’s Bar.
“We don’t drink at Jack’s bar, but we hang out and sip water at the bar, where we have a lot of memories, especially memorable introductions, steamy times, and pool games. I enjoy walking through the sets, because they have a time warp feeling of transporting you to Virgin River.”
When asked why he wants viewers to watch sSason 7 and return for Season 8, Hollingsworth said he does not want the series to end anytime soon.
“I want there to be Seasons 9, 10, 11, and 12, so I want everyone to be loud on their social media, and especially say how they would love to see Brady back. I think season 7 is one of our better seasons, and I think that every year we try to step it up,” Hollingsworth said. “And if someone wants a refresher, all of the seasons are there to binge away.”
Virgin River Season 7 is streaming on Netflix. Seasons 1-6 are also available to stream on Netflix. Virgin River has been renewed for Season 8 and will begin production shortly.
Up Next, ‘Virgin River’ Season 8 Shocker: Who’s Staying and Who’s Leaving?