How Old Virgin River's Main Characters Are Compared to Actors?
Who do you think plays a character 15 years younger than them?
Netflix's Virgin River is a unique show in the way its timeline flows. Since Mel first set foot in the idyllic Northern Californian town in Season 1, less than a year has passed in his fictional universe.
The upcoming holiday specials will mark the first time the residents of Virgin River have celebrated Christmas, which is hard to believe as we've spent almost four years with the romantic show and its characters.
Of course, this brings up the issue of the actors getting older and changing while their characters have stayed the same age for five seasons. If you're wondering how big the age gap is between the cast of Virgin River and their on-screen counterparts, we've counted it for you.
Mel Monroe 33, Alexandra Breckenridge 41
8-year difference
Virgin River doesn't directly state the ages of its characters, including the protagonist. However, there are several clues from their backgrounds and Robyn Carr's book series that help to figure them out.
In the case of Mel, the author confirmed on her website that the main character is 32 when she comes to Virgin River. Since Mel had a birthday in the Season 3 premiere episode, we can assume that she is currently 33.
Alexandra Breckenridge turned 41 in May of this year, which means she started playing Mel when she was 37.
Jack Sheridan 40, Martin Henderson 48
8-year difference
Jack didn't celebrate his birthday on-screen, which means he's either still 40, as Robyn Carr listed on her site, or he had a celebration between episodes. Martin Henderson will be 49 in a month, which makes him 8 years older than his character.
Cameron Hayek 45, Mark Ghanimé 45
No age difference
Dr. Cameron first appeared in town in Season 4, and his character is new to the Virgin River universe. Since his age is not mentioned in the show, it is natural to assume that the character is about the same age as the actor playing him. And Mark Ghanimé will be 46 in December.
Muriel St. Claire 56, Teryl Rothery 60
4-year difference
The question on everyone's mind after Season 5 is how big the age gap is between the new couple, Cameron and Muriel. Well, according to Robyn Carr's website, Muriel is 56 at the beginning of the show, which means she is about 11 years older than Cameron.
As for the actress who plays her, Teryl Rothery will be 61 in November, so she was Muriel's age when she came to film for Virgin River.
John Middleton 38, Colin Lawrence 53
15-year difference
The biggest age difference in the series is between actor Colin Lawrence and his character John Middleton aka Preacher. Considering Preacher's friendship with Jack, he is of a similar age, but looks a bit younger, which makes us think he is about 38. Lawrence turned 53 this month, which makes him 15 years older than his character.
Other Names
Here is the list of other Virgin River characters' ages compared to the ages of the actors playing them:
- Hope McCrea 76, Annette O'Toole 71
- Doc Mullins 70, Tim Matheson 75
- Brie Sheridan 30, Zibby Allen 42
- Mike Valenzuela 36, Marco Grazzini 43
- Dan Brady 35, Benjamin Hollingsworth 39
- Charmaine Roberts 38, Lauren Hammersley 42
Source: RobynCarr.com.