Boss on Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr, Timeline

When “Virgin River” showrunner Patrick Sean Smith chosen to extend to the universe with a prequel, he knew the casting had to be correct. Fortuitously, he found Jessica Rothe and Callum Kerr to deal with the roles of Mel’s mom and father, Sarah Jensen and Everett Reed.

“It was a search. It was on a regular basis the plan that this would possibly doubtlessly be a back-door pilot, introducing this new timeline, so we strong with that in ideas,” Smith tells Choice ahead of the Season 6 drop, all through which Rothe and Kerr make their debut. “We did chemistry reads with them and some completely different actors who had been truly unbelievable. Nevertheless Jess and Callum had such a spark collectively, such a fire collectively that it felt like we had hit gold in casting them.”

The spinoff, he says, will focus “not merely the romance of Sarah and Everett, however moreover the origins of Virgin River inside the Seventies.”

Whereas Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) mother died when she was youthful, Mel’s natural father was launched inside the Christmas explicit as she went on a look for him solely to grasp he’d been in Virgin River all these years. John Allen Nelson portrays Everett in present day — and from the second they strong him, they knew they wished to dissect further of the connection.

“He was in two scenes, and he was good,” Smith talked about. Whereas Season 6 was on a regular basis going to focus on the wedding between Mel and Jack (Martin Henderson), it moreover dives into Mel establishing a relationship alongside along with her father — whereas concurrently making an attempt to plan to walk down the aisle as soon as extra.

“Virgin River” premiered in 2019 and has already been renewed for a seventh season. The drama is based on Robyn Carr’s novels; it was developed by Sue Tenney, who served as showrunner until Smith took over in Season 5.

“Virgin River” Season 6 drops on Netflix Thursday, December 19.