‘Virgin River’ Star Martin Henderson Talks Season 7, Mel and Jack’s Hardships and That Shania Twain Dance Scene (Exclusive)

There are a few things that you can always expect from an episode of Virgin River: faith, love and plenty of drama, and the most recent season delivers all of it.

Virgin River, which just dropped its 7th season, follows Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), a nurse practitioner who relocates to the remote town of Virgin River after a devastating loss. But when she arrives, Mel is surprised by what she finds.

Now in Season 7, Martin Henderson, who stars as Jack Sheridan, has been facing the brunt of the chaos alongside new wife Mel as they walk the path towards starting their family. The newlyweds go through the ups and downs of the adoption process while also dealing with their own personal struggles.

Woman’s World had a chance to catch up with Martin Henderson following the most recent season to talk about Mel and Jack’s journey, why faith is important for them and a few moments of light amidst so much darkness.

Woman’s World: Mel and Jack have been through so much together and this season they were tested even more. How do you feel their relationship has evolved while facing all of that pressure, especially as newlyweds and now parents?

Martin Henderson:  What I like about the relationship is that I feel like we’re doing a good job of showing what it is to be with somebody and to weather the inevitable hardships and adversity. It’s been a theme of their whole journey, even before they were a couple. Mel, of course, was just completely undone by the grief of losing Mark [her first husband] and her miscarriage and a stillborn birth. And Jack was just, like, “I’m here for you. I’m not going anywhere.”

Many couples don’t survive things like that and yet their love and their commitment is proving to be undying. It might not always look sweet and fluffy, there’s a lot of darkness and hardship, but the love is enduring. That’s really a hallmark of who they are as a couple and how much they love one another. Despite how difficult it gets and how dark it gets, they still remain committed and you really see in Season 7 this idea of faith being voiced.

She [Mel] says, “I just don’t know about faith.” And I [Jack] say, “That’s when you need it the most.” When they go to Mexico and the couple says, “You guys need to just have faith,” that’s a big part of their current journey, and they’re going to need a hell of a lot of that now that they face the precariousness of their baby’s condition

Woman’s World: One scene that felt very powerful was in Episode 7 after learning Marley might keep the baby, when Jack ordered a drink at the bar to remind himself there are still some things he could control. How did you feel about that scene and what do you think it says about Jack’s strength?

Martin Henderson: I kind of read it both ways. He was playing with fire in a way, putting a drink literally under his nose, which is dangerous for someone like him. Obviously, had he succumbed and drank, he would have unraveled. But he used that danger as a testing ground for his resolve to show he’s overcome this. This was a big problem and I’m going to remind myself. Obviously, calling her [his sister, Brie], I think he’s also saying, “I can’t do it alone. I am trying to remember that I have control over some part of my life, but I actually need support,” which I think is also really important, and it’s a huge part of what the show is all about.

It’s about community and relationships and the way people will show up for one another. I really liked that scene, and it was kind of cool the way she reminded him of the parable of good news and bad news. It’s very easy to say, “Oh, this is terrible,” and then we want to take control and change it and manipulate it. But sometimes, the things we think are bad turn out to be really good.

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Woman’s World: Not only is Jack dealing with the adoption issues but he’s also coping with Preacher leaving at the bar. What do you hope for Jack and Preacher’s friendship in the next season?

Martin Henderson: I want them to stay as bonded as they’ve always been. I think that friendship is just a really special one. They’ve been through so much together with going to war and losing friends and the trauma of all that. There’s such a deep bond there. And Preach has been there for Jack in so many ways.

I think it was really appropriate that Jack, even though it breaks his heart that his buddy would leave their joint venture, really does respect that Preacher needs to fulfill whatever potential he has, and it would ultimately be selfish for Jack to try to stop him from stepping out on his own. It’s an act of love, but it’s certainly a sacrifice for Jack too, because he doesn’t want to not have him there.

But had he not done that, it would have really damaged their friendship. Jack ultimately did the right thing, even though he didn’t want to do it. And then, we’re left with Preacher wondering, “Well, do I want to leave?” So, we’ll see.

Woman’s World:  One of the highlights this season was when Mel and Jack danced to “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” in the cabin—what was your favorite moment of theirs?

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Martin Henderson: It definitely wasn’t that (laughs). I was like, “You want me to what to what?” No, that was fun. Actually, I always dread those things, but our director of that scene was really cool, and put us at ease.

One of my favorite scenes was actually when Mel comes to find Jack and he’s fiddling with the sprinklers. Then Mel comes up and they’ve both just been through this horrible uncertainty and they’ve been in a washing machine of doubt—will they be parents, won’t they? —and then she expresses that she’s losing faith and Jack is able to tell her that when we lose our faith is when we need it the most.

It’s in those darkest moments and I just thought that was a really simple handling of that idea of what faith can be. If you can remember in those moments to just open up and trust, because it’s so hard when you’re scared of losing something. But I thought that was a beautiful scene and then with the sprinklers and the rainbow— it was just very hopeful.