Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson. Courtesy of Netflix
Virgin River lastly let Mel and Jack stroll down the aisle through the season 6 finale — and stars Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson are trying again on their finest reminiscences from the massive day.
“Watching Martin cry each time I walked down the aisle,” Breckenridge, 42, solely shared within the newest problem of Us Weekly. “I wasn’t crying. I used to be like, ‘Oh no, the place are my tears?’ , comfortable tears. I’m like, ‘The place are these?’ However each time I might stroll down the aisle, he’d get all [misty eyed]. He was being actually sentimental, and it was very candy.”
After six seasons of breakups and make ups, a fake paternity check and a heartbreaking being pregnant loss, Mel (Breckenridge) and Jack (Henderson) stated “I do” surrounded by their family and friends within the season 6 finale. It was an emotional second for all concerned within the collection, and whereas Breckenridge was in a position to hold her eyes dry, Henderson defined why the second resonated with him so deeply.
“Clearly, I’ve invested loads of power and emotion into the character of Jack and his love for Mel, which is form of the crux of the present in a method,” he stated. “So to lastly get to that second, and for Mel to be strolling up the aisle radiant and so stunning, I felt that love that I feel these characters have for each other. It was simply actually transferring.”
How the marriage was shot, Henderson added, felt so “stunning” and “tender” for the 2 characters, who’ve been by means of a lot collectively. “I used to be fairly overwhelmed and really emotional about it. It was so transferring,” Henderson continued. “It has been six seasons main as much as that. … I poured my coronary heart and soul into [Mel and Jack] and I used to be so comfortable for Jack to have this lady be his spouse and what meaning to him.”
Henderson famous how monumental the second was for followers as nicely, who’ve recognized that Mel and Jack had been destined soulmates from the pilot. “They belong collectively,” he stated. “The viewers is aware of that when she walks into the bar [in the pilot]. So it felt just like the fruits of all that power and romance and love and emotion that has existed between them for six seasons.”
Henderson definitely wasn’t the one particular person on set feeling the waves of emotion. Breckenridge stated most individuals attending the ceremony had tears of their eyes.
“I feel there have been lots of people that had been weepy,” she advised Us. “Like, with [Mel’s father-like figure] Doc [played by Tim Matheson] strolling me down the aisle … after I was doing my vows, I might hear sniffling behind me.”
Whereas Henderson will doubtless keep in mind Jack’s wedding ceremony day for the remainder of his life, there was one specific season 6 second he’s selecting to overlook: performing an intimate striptease for Breckenridge to Large & Wealthy’s “Save a Horse, Trip a Cowboy.”
“I actually, utterly blocked that out of my thoughts,” Henderson quipped of the second, which noticed Jack undress whereas donning a cowboy hat. “That was some of the excruciating moments of my life, not to mention my profession.”
All jokes apart, Henderson wished to make sure the scene felt genuine to who Jack was as a personality — which is why he turned down the chance to have knowledgeable block the dance and as an alternative leaned into his personal inventive freedom.
‘They supplied, ‘Do you wish to choreograph it?’ And I believed, ‘Oh, sure, I do. I undoubtedly need assistance.’ However then I used to be getting near type of going to the primary assembly and I thought of it. I used to be like, ‘Hold on, that’s gonna look actually bizarre. Jack Sheridan, the Marine, bar proprietor from Virgin River simply busts out in some form of Magic Mike, perfectly-choreographed gyrating? That’s simply gonna look comedic. It’ll look foolish.’ So I stated, ‘ what? No, overlook about it. Simply play the tune.’”
What got here of that call was an instantaneous fan-favorite second and spotlight of the complete six seasons, which Henderson described as an try by Jack to “entertain his drunken fiancée” after she was devoid of strippers at her Bachelorette get together. Fortunately for Henderson, Breckenridge was the right scene companion to assist him really feel comfy being so weak — particularly when manufacturing needed to reduce off the music halfway by means of filming.
“There was a little bit little bit of dialogue, sadly, form of interlaced amongst the strip. So as a way to get the sound for her traces and my traces, we couldn’t have music taking part in,” he advised Us. “It was so embarrassing. I used to be dying. There’s no music, there’s no beat. I’m simply, like, doing this ridiculous dance. However I’ll say, Alexandra Breckenridge was so sort and current and he or she performed it reverse me with simply, like, such pleasure and enjoyable,” he stated. “And that was why I feel in the end I made a decision, ‘This could simply be these two actually having fun with one another.’”
The marriage (and bachelor/bachelorette chaos) was undoubtedly the head of season 6, however Mel and Jack had been on their very own respective journeys, too. Breckenridge was notably invested in Mel’s story line together with her organic father, Everett (John Allen Nelson), whom she reconnected with on the finish of season 5. The twosome spend Virgin River season 6 attending to know one another whereas additionally connecting over their mutual love for Mel’s mom, Sarah, who died when she was 11 years outdated.
“I discovered it to be actually touching, particularly as a result of I do know what it’s to lose your mom,” Breckenridge, who’s personal mom handed away, advised Us. “So I used to be in a short time linked on that degree. l at all times have been to [Mel], however what she’s going by means of emotionally with discovering her father and with the ability to have this glimpse into what her mom was like [was special].”
Though Mel and Everett skilled a number of bumps within the highway whereas looking for their new regular, their dynamic rapidly developed all through the season, and is one thing Breckenridge is trying ahead to persevering with with season 7.
“’I’m very curious to see the place that goes,” she advised Us. “I like how Mel tries to open up her relationship together with her father, and he retains attempting to push her away as a result of I feel he doesn’t wish to expertise the loss once more. , loads of occasions individuals who lose folks, they’re scared to like anybody once more, as a result of they’re scared, they’re gonna undergo that ache. However you possibly can’t dwell with out it, you understand? It’s not a life if you happen to don’t love once more.”
As Mel continued to navigate her new relationship together with her father, Jack was additionally on heis personal private journey, one which Henderson believes was about making “peace and coming to phrases with what his army background meant to him then, but in addition what it means to him now.”
“We watched him combating that when he needed to reconnect together with his ex-wife. And the medal that’s given to him, he’s type of virtually disdainful about that and shuns this concept that it was factor,” he defined. “And he’s form of throwing the infant out with the bathtub water in a method as a result of there’s a lot ache and remorse round a number of the issues that occurred.”
Henderson famous that Jack was additionally pressured to stability his personal unfavorable feelings about his time within the military whereas additionally supporting Ricky (Grayson Maxwell Gurnsey), who returned to Virgin River earlier than getting deployed. “Jack’s attempting to remain the course and keep supportive and never undermine this poor child. [Ricky’s] already bought his personal insecurity and his concern, and Jack’s attempting to say, ‘Hey, it’s OK. I used to be scared too.’ And there’s this grey space round that, and Jack, emotionally, and he doesn’t know the right way to really feel.”
Each Mel and Jack’s particular person story traces will doubtless proceed into season 7, however the duo will even be dealing with loads of different obstacles collectively. The ultimate moments of season 6 noticed the duo each entrenched in cliffhangers, with pregnant teen Marley (Rachel Drance) asserting she needs Mel and Jack to undertake her unborn child. Jack, in the meantime, went over to verify on a lacking Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) and located her residence ransacked earlier than opening her toddler twins’ bed room and discovering one thing surprising — a reveal the viewers has but to see.
Mel and Jack, in fact, have been wanting a child collectively for awhile, however after Mel skilled her second being pregnant loss in Virgin River season 5, their future as mother and father has been up within the air. Season 7, nonetheless, might imply massive adjustments for the newly married duo.
“Jack’s nonetheless form of holding out for this household that he needs and is sort of anxious and desperate to know the place that’s gonna lead,” Henderson shared, whereas Breckenridge teased there are 1,000,000 ideas racing by means of Mel’s head — however that doesn’t imply she’s closed off to the concept.
“She’s identical to, in full shock,” she defined. “I imply, she simply bought married. That is actually the morning after she wakes up, and he or she’s in shock. After which there’s, like, that hope that type of begins to creep in. We’ll see. I don’t know.”
Virgin River is now streaming on Netflix.
