Get to Know 'Virgin River' Actor Benjamin Hollingsworth with These 10 Fun Facts! (Exclusive)

The third season of Virgin River is out now on Netflix and we caught up with actor Benjamin Hollingsworth to celebrate the success of the new season.

The 36-year-old actor plays Dan Brady on the show and he previously has appeared in the CBS drama series Code Black, as well as movies like The Joneses and Cold Pursuit.

We chatted with Benjamin and he told us 10 Fun Facts that fans might not know about him. Check them out below!

1. The anti-dad bod: Before I started on Virgin River Season 3, I was not in the best shape of my life. We were 6-months into the pandemic. Pizza and sweatpants was not only a thing, but a requirement most days. I heard from our showrunner that I’d be showing a lot more skin this season, so get ready! With no gyms open, I had to get creative. I started carrying my kids everywhere. I carried them on hikes, pulled them in a bike trailer and pushed them in a running stroller. Needless to say, with three kids under the age of 5, it got me in good shape pretty quickly. If you haven’t streamed VR yet, you’ll get a few glimpses of my new and improved Dad bod.
2. Home is where the set is: I love the area we film Virgin River in sooo much that I bought land and am half way through building a second home for our family there. Overkill? Maybe, but at least work will be close to home ;)
3. Blue eye problems: Sometimes I forget my lines when doing scenes with Jack (Martin Henderson) on Virgin River. I catch myself thinking “how are his eyes so blue.” It’s a problem. But guys, they are REALLY blue.
4. Set bevies: My go to drink on set whenever I’m filming is a hot water with lemon and honey. It’s the best way to keep hydrated and the warm lemon is great for your voice.
5. From carnivore to plant lover: Before this year I was big into meats. I had to have some meat at almost every meal. My wife is a vegan and was raised a vegetarian; never eaten meat in her life. She was a big influence in me choosing to go plant-based. When the pandemic hit, I started gardening. So addictive; I had almost three dozen different plants growing. We had so many fresh veggies around the house it was easy to make the transition.

Click inside to check out the rest of the fun facts…

6. I’m basically Tom Cruise: My favorite thing to do is my own stunts. I love action. I hate watching a stunt double jump in and take over. I love the physical element of it. I usually try to do as much as the producers let me do, which sometimes isn’t enough because of insurance restrictions.
7. Masked kissing: Because we started filming in the middle of the pandemic, Netflix was great about keeping us safe. We even wore masks while rehearsing the scenes. So, you can image how awkward things got on set when there was a kissing scene and both the actors started bumping masks. I hope we rolled on one of them as it would make for some great outtake material.
8. Virgin River is cold: The scene where Brady confesses to Brie that he has a criminal record, it was so cold that it was snowing. I look at that scene today and can still see my body shaking. Pretending it’s not cold when it’s snowing is the absolute worse. I can’t complain though Zibby Allen (Brie) was wearing a dress. Brrrrrrr.
9. Not by the book: Although a lot of the plot in the series follows the books, Brady is very different in the books than he is in the show. When I was first offered the job, I didn’t know much about Brady as he didn’t have a large presence in the book. After many discussions with our showrunner, Sue Tenney, she mapped out her master plan for Brady. I was 100 percent all in and now can’t wait for fans to see where he goes next.
10. Fan Unexpected: While out in public, I often get stopped by people who are fans of the show. The majority of which are women, however, there are a few husbands that also admit to enjoying the show. They ask the big questions, like ‘Who shot Jack.’ Some have even asked for selfies with me… You know, so they can brag to their teammates in the locker room ;)

The third season of Virgin River is streaming now on Netflix!