Deadline reported in an exclusive that actor Mitchell Slaggert (Wish Upon, Moss) has been cast in a major recurring role in the upcoming eighth season of Virgin River. The Netflix romantic drama recently started production in Vancouver, with an estimated potential release timeline of one year after filming begins.
Adapted from the book series of the same name by author Robyn Carr, Virgin River centers on the relationships of characters in a remote Northern California town, following the journey of Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge; American Horror Story, This Is Us) as she moves to the town of Virgin River for a fresh start to leave her painful memories behind. However, small-town living proves to be not as simple as she expected.
Slaggert will play the role of Eddie, per Deadline, “a charismatic EMT who may surprise you by fixing your soul along with your body. He’s a laidback charmer who never pictured himself in a small town, but with natural curiosity and a zeal for life, Eddie is going to explore all that Virgin River has to offer.” At this point in time, it is unclear who Eddie works for, but it’s implied by his profession that he’ll be interacting with N.P. Mel (Breckenridge) and Vernon “Doc” Mullins (Tim Matheson; The West Wing, Van Wilder), along with Fire Chief Kaiya Bryant (Kandyse McClure; Higher Ground, Sew the Winter to My Skin) and (if he recovers after his motorcycle crash in the season seven finale) volunteer firefighter Daniel Brady (Ben Hollingsworth; Code Black, Nancy Drew).
Among all the exciting potential friendships lies the certainty audiences are familiar with in Virgin River – Eddie, given the nature of the story, will certainly become involved in the series’ romantic entanglements.
Lead actress Breckenridge commemorated the start of production on season eight of Virgin River with her co-lead Martin Henderson on April 23, reports Deadline, leading to the estimated release date for the season to follow around year afterwards. mxdwn previously reported on the series being renewed early for the eighth season, making Virgin River Netflix’s longest-running live-action scripted series.
Via Deadline, Slaggert previously played the role of Jackson, Kimberly’s (Pauline Chalamet; What Doesn’t Float, The King of Staten Island) love interest, as a season two series regular for HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls and formerly starred opposite Sasha Pieterse as the title character and male lead of Lifetime holiday movie A Carpenter Christmas Romance. He is also known for his character arc during the first season of Paramount+ drama Landman. Slaggert is represented by Authentic Talent, Vision PR, and Apeture Talent.