‘Virgin River’: These 3 Actors Also Starred in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Virgin River has swept fans off their feet since it debuted on Netflix in 2019. The drama series which is based on the book series by Robyn Carr follows Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse/midwife who leaves her life in Los Angeles for a new chapter in Virgin River. Upon settling in, Mel finds herself drawn to Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a retired Marine who now owns the town’s bar.
While fans of Carr’s books will certainly recognize the characters, fans who have been hooked on Grey’s Anatomy for 17 seasons will also see some familiar faces.
When will ‘Virgin River’ Season 4 premiere?
Virgin River has dominated the ratings chart since the third season debuted on Netflix in July 2021. However, Netflix has remained silent about renewing the show for season 4, let alone revealing a release date. Yet, fans shouldn’t despair just yet. With such massive ratings, it’s almost inevitable that Netflix will renew the series. Moreover, some fans are convinced that filming for season 4 is already underway.
Netflix Life is reporting that the cast and crew have been filming new episodes since July 2021 and that production is slated to end in November 2021. Also, The Watershed Grill in North Vancouver, which is the location used for Jack’s bar announced on Instagram that they would be closed for filming on Aug. 17 and 18.
If Netflix Life is correct, we’d estimate that Virgin River Season 4 will premiere in the spring of 2022.
These ‘Virgin River’ actors were also in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Fans of Grey’s Anatomy were probably delighted when they saw some very familiar faces on Virgin River. Fans of the medical drama will certainly recognize Henderson as Dr. Nathan Riggs who was Merideth’s (Ellen Pompeo) first love interest following the death of her husband Derek (Patrick Dempsey). Henderson starred in a total of 48 episodes of Grey’s from 2015 to 2017.
Though Zibby Allen portays Jack’s sister Brie in Virgin River, in the second season of Grey’s Anatomy, she appeared in five episodes of the series as Nurse Zibby. Fans might be a little confused by this since Allen’s character initially wore a name tag that read Angela.
Jenny Cooper might star as Mel’s protective older sister Jo on Virgin River, but in Grey’s, she portrayed the villainous Bethany Tanner. Cooper appeared in episode 112 titled, “Sledgehammer.” Not only did she refuse to accept her daughter’s sexuality, but she also upset doctors so much that they were forced to call Child Protective Services.
This ‘The Vampire Diaries’ actor is also in ‘Virgin River’
Grey’s Anatomy isn’t the only place that Virgin River has sourced its actors. Daniel Gillies, who portrayed Elijah Mikaelson in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals also plays a pivotal role in the Netflix drama series. On the show, Gillies stars as Mark Monroe, Mel’s late husband who often appears in flashback sequences. In the first season of Virgin River, fans learned that Mark was a doctor and he and Mel had a whirlwind romance.
However, that fairytale was shattered when their first baby was stillborn. From there, amid their respective grief, the pair never got back in sync especially after continuous rounds of IVF proved unsuccessful. Sadly, in a flashback, we learn that Mark dies in a tragic car crash when a truck hits the vehicle that he and Mel are driving in.
Though Gillies only has a recurring role in the series, we expect to see a lot more of him in season 4 since Mel is pregnant and her pregnancy might be the result of an embryo that she and Mark created prior to his death. “Here’s what I’ll say, somewhat enigmatically: the good news about being the dead husband is that you can appear at any time. I’ll leave it at that,” Gillies told Mr. WarBurton Magazine.
