How to Get Cast on ‘Virgin River’

Created by Sue Tenney (“Good Witch,” “Cedar Cove”), the series follows Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner who seeks a fresh start in a remote Northern California town. But she quickly learns that small towns aren’t always synonymous with quiet living. She finds herself at the center of drama when she falls for Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a local bar owner and former Marine. (Spoilers ahead!)

At the end of Season 4, Mel and Jack get engaged after they find out that they’re expecting a child. These major life changes will serve as the catalyst for even more drama in the upcoming season, as Mel grapples with impending motherhood and Jack confronts his demons—and his ex-girlfriend.

The primary cast includes:

• Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda “Mel” Monroe
• Martin Henderson as Jack Sheridan
• Tim Matheson as Dr. Vernon Mullins
• Colin Lawrence as John “Preacher” Middleton
• Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady
• Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey as Ricky
• Annette O’Toole as Hope McCrea
• Lauren Hammersley as Charmaine Roberts
• Nicola Cavendish as Connie
• Sarah Dugdale as Lizzie
• Teryl Rothery as Muriel
• Marco Grazzini as Mike Valenzuela
• Zibby Allen as Brie Sheridan
• Gwynyth Walsh as Jo Ellen
• Mark Ghanimé as Dr. Cameron Hayek
• Kai Bradbury as Denny Cutler
• Markian Tarasiuk as Parker

Tiffany Mak is the show’s primary casting director. She is known for hits such as “The Adam Project” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

When the show launched in 2019, Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee of Barden/Schnee Casting joined “Virgin River” as casting directors for the Season 1 finale. With decades of experience between them, Barden and Schnee know what works when it comes to getting cast. 

“One thing that actors often forget is every time you go on an audition, you’re going on a job interview,” Schnee told us. “I think people can get a little blinded by the art and forget the sort of practicalities of filmmaking and TV-making. You’re coming in to interview to be part of a fairly massive operation.”

In many cases, actors audition for one role only to land another; that’s what happened for a few “Virgin River” mainstays. Lauren Hammersley told the “Chatting With B” podcast that she read for the part of Mel before getting cast as Charmaine Roberts, Jack’s former flame. 

“When they said there was another character named Charmaine, I went through the books, and she was, like, 10 years older than Jack; and you can tell that she used to be pretty, but she had a couple of kids,” the actor said. “I was like, ‘Oh.’ Then finally, one of the producers went, ‘We rewrote the roles to be something else,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, good.’ ”

On another episode of the same podcast, Mark Ghanimé, who joined the cast in Season 4 as Dr. Cameron Hayek, said he tried out for one of the lead characters. “I actually auditioned back in Season 1 for the pilot; I auditioned for Jack. Clearly, I didn’t get the part, and it went to a very well-deserved actor, Mr. Henderson,” he said. “I really liked the script, and I thought, It is a great show. Nothing came of that, obviously. And then when they reached out to my team for [Cameron], it came through the casting, directly to my agent. And they were like, ‘We really think he’s right for this part.’ ”

Similarly, Kai Bradbury, who plays Denny Cutler, told PureWow that he originally auditioned for the role of Parker in Season 3, which ultimately went to Markian Tarasiuk. “Shortly after that, I got my audition for Denny. At the time, [he] was set to be a recurring character to come into the new season,” he said. “When Season 4 came around, they approached us with the option to be a series regular. I was very grateful for that opportunity.”

Netflix confirmed that “Virgin River” will return for a sixth season, but a filming date hasn’t been announced just yet.

In the meantime, check out our roundup of indie projects that are still casting (and fall within the strike rules). You can find more audition advice in our guide to getting cast on a Netflix project.

Do your homework: “I first start by researching everything about the project itself—who wrote it, who is directing it, and what studio or network it’s for. All of these things go into the tone of the project/audition,” Benjamin Hollingsworth (Dan Brady) told Cool America. “It is imperative that you are aware of the type of story you are hopefully going to be a part of so you can live in that space. Then I try and learn my lines as early as I can so they have time to marinate in my imagination for a few nights.”

Be bold: “I try to make strong choices that will set me apart from the pack,” said Hollingsworth. “Now more than ever, casting directors are seeing more and more actors for one role, so you really need to do something that will make you stand out. A choice or a line read that’s different from the way everyone else does it is the best way to make [your] mark.”

Tim Matheson (Dr. Vernon Mullins) agrees. “Every five or six years or so, you need to mix it up and find a different way of working or looking at it or a different style,” he told Smashing Interviews. “You’ve got to shake it up, because there are cycles, and if you just keep doing the same thing, you’re going to end up doing the same thing…. I just wanted to keep growing and changing. As you age, the parts you get change and differ, so you want to still be doing interesting, challenging work.”

Learn the difference between wanting and allowing: “It’s like, the minute we want something, we’ve mentally positioned ourselves as separate from it. The more we want it, the harder we reach for it. And the more we reach for it, the further away it seems,” says Zibby Allen (Brie Sheridan).

“Feel the difference in these two sentences: ‘I want to book this job so badly’ versus ‘I allow myself to fully inhabit each moment of the audition, regardless of the outcome.’ Or, ‘I want to cry here because it says “character cries” ’ versus ‘I allow grief to express itself through me here.’ ”