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Virgin River‘s Ben Hollingsworth broke his silence on his costar’s shocking offscreen exit — including why he is worried ahead of season 8.
Hollingsworth addressed Lauren Hammersley and Marco Grazzini‘s surprise exits, telling Entertainment Weekly on Monday, March 16, “We found out about a month ago, when [showrunner] Patrick Sean Smith reached out to the cast members. He didn’t want us to find out via an article, and I reached out to Marco immediately and offered my condolences. But also, I let him know how much the show won’t be the same without him, and how much he meant to all of us.”
Hollingsworth noted that this “is just the start of great things” for Grazzini.
“He’s a talented actor with a lot to offer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s leading his own series next year at this time,” he added. “What people might not realize about Marco is he’s such a sweetheart and a fantastic guy. We’re all going to miss him. He adds this specific flavor and texture to our set that will be sorely missed.”
After season 7 premiered on Thursday, March 12, Smith confirmed that Hammersley and Grazzini will not be returning for more episodes of the show.
“For me, I’m just trying to look to the longevity of the show and making sure that the characters that we’re keeping have enough story engine in them to keep going,” Smith told Deadline. “So I can’t say there are any specific cast shakeups planned, but I think we will have to start to — as characters run their course — make some decisions and bring in some new blood.”
Hollingsworth, meanwhile, admitted “it stings a bit” saying goodbye to two costars.
“But I do know that he’s off to do great things after this,” he shared before weighing in on his own concerns about his future on the show. “You never know. There are a lot of cast members and story lines on the show. Part of what makes any show good is the unexpected!”
Hollingsworth said the onscreen changes make him “a little worried” about his character Brady’s fate. In the season 7 finale, Brady ended up in a shocking motorcycle crash after finally getting together with Brie (Zibby Allen).
“That’s pretty much on par for Brady’s luck,” Hollingsworth quipped during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “I guess I just can’t have nice things. I guess Brady just can’t have nice things.”
Hollingsworth hinted that “it won’t be all smooth sailing” when Netflix’s longest-running scripted series returns for season 8, adding, “But it’s just nice to see [Brady and Brie] together.”
While fans are holding out hope that Brady will survive the incident, Hollingsworth teased that viewers can’t “assume anything” about his character’s fate.
“I definitely can’t spoil that. I think that’s going to be something that the audience is just going to have to wait another year to find out,” Hollingsworth told Us before confirming he knows where Brady will end up.
He continued: “I would love for Brady to be back. That would be nice. I’d love for him not to die — especially because he finally just got what he wanted.”
Virgin River is currently streaming on Netflix.
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