Kandyse McClure dishes on the love conundrums ahead in season seven of this hit small-town romance
When Virgin River’s Kandyse McClure gets approached by fans expressing the joy this heartwarming show brings to their lives, what she would like them to know is . . . she gets it. “It was really an answered prayer, career-wise,” says the South African-Canadian actress, who joined the fictional Northern California town in its fifth season, after making a name for herself on Battlestar Galactica, Hemlock Grove and other darker projects. “I had spent so much time in this world of genre and thriller and horror and devastation,” says McClure. “I mean, Battlestar was an excellent show, but not a happy one. I’ve been killed on camera so many times and in so many ways that I did say to my agent, ‘Can I just not die anymore? I don’t want to cry anymore. I want somebody who’s going to be messy, but there’s hope that she’s going to do something different.’ And here comes Virgin River.”
Kaia Bryant, chief of the Virgin River Fire Department, is not uncomplicated — but there’s little chance she’s going to be mauled to death by a fellow character. “I love the messy, ‘Can-do, we’ll try . . . Oops, I did it again’ quality of who she is,” McClure muses. “She’s a little all over the place.”
While a pro at work, where Kaia sometimes acts like a baby giraffe taking its first steps is in the relationship space. The last season of this B.C.-lensed series ended with her declaring to boyfriend John “Preacher” Middleton (Colin Lawrence) that she may not be cut out for marriage. “It’s the story of, ‘It’s me. I’m not good at relationships. I wouldn’t want to do that to you.’ That’s where Kaia is,” the actress explains. “‘What if I break your heart? What if I say something that I didn’t mean and now I’ve hurt you? I don’t want that for you. Maybe stay away from me, but love me.’ Of course, Preacher is just so steady and so amused.”
Despite Kaia’s proclamations at Jack (Martin Henderson) and Mel’s (Alexandra Breckenridge) wedding, these two start the new season on stable ground. “We’re in a really steady, loving, together place,” says McClure. “I feel like they’ve proven themselves to each other. Kaia was with him through the court case, and the devastating possibility of losing him really solidified for her that this is a love that deserves a care that is maybe uncomfortable for her, but that she’s willing to explore. But I mean, it’s TV, so . . .” she laughs. On that note, when an old acquaintance of Preacher’s returns to town, Kaia suddenly and surprisingly starts to doubt herself. “It’s that insecurity of, ‘All this time, I was questioning whether this place and you met my needs, but do I meet yours?’ Once that doubt creeps in and starts rolling around in your head, you have to resolve it.”
Preach and Kaia are not the only couple in Virgin River having to overcome a few unexpected obstacles in season seven. Nurse practitioner Mel Monroe — now Monroe-Sheridan — and barkeep Jack Sheridan should be in the throes of passion as newlyweds, but the sudden possibility of becoming parents dredges all kinds of emotions to the surface. “It’s that thing when you love someone or something so much of, ‘Am I going to be disappointed again? I don’t know if I can take that kind of disappointment,’ ” says McClure. “Mel has really just gone through it, not only emotionally and psychologically, but physically.”
Meanwhile, Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) is right on the cusp of motherhood, which is about to shake up her world. “I love how uncompromising Lizzie becomes when she’s pregnant,” McClure says. “She’s sweet, almost Pollyanna-ish, and all of a sudden meets the reality of life and responsibility in a way that I don’t think she thought about before.” Alas, once Lizzie does give birth, she must grapple with the effects of postpartum. “The writers on the show have a real gift for dealing with some very challenging subject matters and making it approachable, in a way that people can relate to and discuss it at a slight remove,” McClure explains.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Virgin River if the town didn’t rally in support of their own. Whether it’s Mel and her fears about losing out on parenthood, Lizzie and her doubts about rising to the occasion, or Kaia and her feelings of relationship inadequacy, the other women of the community are always there for them. “They don’t seek to solve anything, but that presence is the greatest thing. The currency is listening and being there,” says McClure, who this year is included in the vaunted “sewing circle.” “First of all, they’re so funny,” she beams about the older generation of Virgin River’s female residents. “I said to [showrunner Patrick Sean Smith], ‘How does Kaia get in with the sewing circle? Can we do something about that? I want to know this sense of lives lived — with those actresses as well as the characters that they play.”
Meanwhile, behind the scenes is a supportive yet serious group of collaborators. “It’s not a challenging set at all. It’s a lovely work environment,” McClure reflects. “I love the ease of communication we have with the writers, and that there’s always somebody there. If you have a question, they’re really open to it. But you’ve got to be on your stuff. You’ve got to come prepared. You’ve got to come with ideas. You’ve got to come with problem-solving, because that’s the standard, and I love that we’re all on that page.” That being said, the Virgin River-ness of it all can’t help but seep in, even off-screen. “This is a feel-good show. This is about care and connection, so there is that element of it that runs through set. There needs to be ease and calm that goes on behind the scenes,” says McClure. “I think [Smith] has been such a great leader, because he is so chill, so smart, so on top of it. But there’s also no skating through things, and I love and appreciate that.”
Virgin River, streaming on Netflix