Virgin River’s Annette O’Toole in season 6, Hope’s ex-husband and others

Virgin River star Annette O’Toole opens up about her character Hope’s journey in season six — including what it was like filming the stripper scene.

“The scene I had to shoot was a bit tricky,” O’Toole, 72, told the exclusive My Weekly while promotion of the sixth seasonwhich was released on Netflix on Thursday, December 19.

In the said scene, which takes place in the fourth episode, a stripper meant for Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and her friends—who are celebrating Mel’s upcoming wedding at a bachelorette party—happen to see Hope McCrea (O’Toole) and her knitting club at Jack’s Bar. Hijinks ensue.

While filming was “really fun,” O’Toole said it was also “bittersweet,” as Hope’s friend Muriel put it (Teryl Rothery) was awaiting a diagnosis of breast cancer. O’Toole explained how she was “thrilled” with Muriel – who was given a spicy lap dance by an erotic dancer, to the delight of the other women – because for her “the terror and the feeling of you ending my life” was relatable
situation.

“That’s a real thing for everybody because you never know what’s going to happen. But especially for older people,” explained O’Toole. “You don’t know what’s around the corner. So you have to embrace every moment. And that’s why I love the scene.”

For O’Toole, delving deeper into the “complicated” dynamics and characterization of each woman in the knitting circle became one of her favorite parts of filming.

“They’re older women and they still have these wonderful, rich lives and issues and problems that they’re dealing with with each other and with their town that they all love deeply,” she said. “I love how dedicated everyone is to their community.

While moments with her circle were filled with joy, O’Toole also faced more complex, emotional moments for Hope this season. Her ex-husband Roland (John Ralston), was introduced in episode six and their turbulent past was revealed when she went to visit him to adopt a horse. O’Toole admitted Our that filming these scenes was “weird” because she had previously made up her own past for Hope in her head, noting that for her the character was “a widow twice”.

Despite initially having a different vision of Hope’s past, O’Toole acknowledged that introducing an ex “makes sense” for Hope dramatically — and could serve as a potential storyline for Season 7.

“I have no idea how it’s going to turn out,” she said Our. “I think it’s good that they leave the door open. So they’re enemies enough where it could be a good narrative next year.”

O’Toole added, “They are.” I’m already writing the 7th seasonand I don’t know what they do with it. I didn’t talk to (showrunner) Patrick Sean Smith. So I think that would be fun. I think anytime you can throw more hardships, not hardships, but more problems into a relationship, not just a relationship but just for a character to deal with, the better, especially if it’s going to be a long-running show. You have to solve these problems and things. And it can’t just be smooth sailing.”

Of course, Hope is happy in her current relationship with Doc (Tim Matheson). After years of ups and downs between them, season 6 allowed the pair to lean into their romance — something O’Toole “loved” as he explored it.

“We can just play with it,” she said of her on-screen chemistry with Matheson. “That’s what we like to do. And we prepare, we try to fill in the holes that… that aren’t explained in the script. We just go through them ahead of time.”

While Season 6 gave Hope and Doc a well-deserved honeymoon, Season 7 will likely be more challenging for the duo. First, there’s the return of Roland plus the issue of Doc’s practice being in jeopardy, which was revealed in the final moments of the finale.

Regardless of what lies ahead, O’Toole is grateful to “inhabit” someone like Hope, whom she’s learned to look up to over the past five years.

“He has a lot of qualities that I wish I had,” she said Our. “I wish I was more of a pit bull sometimes.” And he always knows what to say. He’s just a big, big person inside. She has great feelings for everything and nothing is trivial to her. I think it’s interesting to play. There’s just a lot about her that interests me.’

O’Toole added that while many people argue that Hope is too “bossy” or “habitual”, she sees this as a good thing, calling it proof that people are “interested” in the character. The Smallville the alum also gave the credit to showrunner Smith, who secured it Virgin River it is a balance of authentic storytelling while maintaining a means of escapism.

“It’s not just, ‘Oh, it’s a romance show.’ Yes, it’s beautiful and you have all these beautiful, beautiful people running around. But it’s also real,” she said. “It’s something that people can strive for, to have that sense of community where people really care about each other and are always there, always showing up with a cup of coffee and (saying), ‘Tell me what (you need) ‘how are you feeling?'”

Virgin River Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.

With reporting by Kat Pettibone