The highly anticipated sixth season of Virgin River is just around the corner, and fans are eagerly awaiting the return of beloved characters Mel Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson). The previous season’s dramatic wildfire plot twist, which saw Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole) save the town at the last minute, left viewers on the edge of their seats.
The introduction of Kaia Bryant (Kandyse McClure) and the CalFire team brought a new level of excitement to the show, and Kaia’s romance with Preacher (Colin Lawrence) has been a highlight of the series.
With Kaia now taking on the role of Virgin River’s Fire Chief, her character is set to play an even bigger part in the upcoming season.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Time, McClure reflected on her initial days on set and her instant connection with her character. “So many things happened, it was such a potent time,” she reminisced.
“I had an immediate feeling about Kaia that doesn’t always happen with characters. I just loved her right away. She seemed so dynamic and full of life.”
McClure praised the show’s production, saying, “This show is a well-oiled machine. It moves forward. Everybody knows their role so well, everybody knows their place so you’re jumping into a fast-moving river”, reports the Express.
Fortunately, her familiarity with co-star Lawrence helped her feel at ease during filming. “It was a little intimidating but luckily I had one known friend, I know Colin Lawrence, I know him personally,” she said.
“We’ve been friends for a really, really long time so I knew there would be a friendly face, I knew there was someone on side with me. So we just got to do it.”
McClure then joked: “I feel like half my job is just poking Colin.”
Despite their long friendship, this was the first time they acted in scenes together so the on-screen pairing had to get over some awkwardness.
“As well as I know Colin I actually know his wife [Lucia Walters] a lot better!” McClure admitted. “So this was the first time we were in such direct and intense work together.
“Colin is the best scene partner, he really is. I wish I could say something scandalous but I can’t!
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Sky“He reads the scripts immediately and calls me, like 20 minutes later, and he wants to talk about it,” she said. “He’s incredibly prepared and has a very patient approach to things.
“I’m a little more dynamic. I like to have everything under my belt but also feel on the fly and see what’s going on.
“It’s fun that way because I kind of knock him off his rhythm a little bit and he pulls him in. So it’s a great balance, but I do drive him crazy!”
Viewers are eagerly anticipating more heartfelt scenes between Preacher and Kaia in the upcoming season, and are waiting with bated breath to see if the Fire Chief will return her new partner’s declaration of love.
Virgin River season 6 premieres Thursday, December 19 on Netflix.