(This story contains spoilers for Virgin River Season six.)

In the early seasons of Virgin RiverStar Benjamin Hollingsworth was where the problem was, but now he’s changing his evil character in season six.

The 40-year-old Canadian actor who previously found success on the CBS medical series Code Blackeventually found his home in the Netflix series, which follows relationships, drama and romance in Virgin River, a fictional small town in Northern California. While Hollingsworth started playing the villain Brady, he was on a mission to show a different side of his character. And over six seasons (Virgin River was also extended for a seventh), the actor slowly removed his mask from Brady.

“I love redemption arcs because I understand your idea of ​​the character and it’s essentially a mask that she wears,” Hollingsworth shares The Hollywood Reporter. “And then you see (his love interest) Brie (Zibby Allen) come into his life and she completely tears him up and he completely takes off his mask. And you see Brady for who Brady is: this little boy trapped in this strong external body who is used to blocking out the world.”

Below, Hollingsworth talks about his hopes for his character Brady Virgin River Season seven, what he’s most looking forward to in his new Hallmark Christmas movies, the biggest challenge he’s overcome and more.

With Virgin RiverHow do you rate the success of the series, which has just released its sixth season and has already been renewed for a seventh?

We’ve been fortunate from the beginning to have a really strong fanbase, which I think has benefited greatly from the pandemic because our show is all about community. It’s all about this idyllic time where we had this world where everyone lived in one community and got along and there were no divisions and no political divide. It really didn’t matter. You just looked after your neighbor and everyone was together and we gathered and celebrated and I think back then everyone longed for that sense of community. And that’s really the most important ingredient Virgin River. … (And) all these supporting actors, these characters are the ingredients of the main character, which I believe is Virgin River, which also gives her the opportunity to stay for a very long time because people can come and go, but the city it will always stay the same. The WiFi will always be slow and the gossip will always be fast.

Knowing you have more to explore with your character in a seventh season, what do you hope to see for Brady?

I always say Brady’s address where he gets his Amazon packages is 555 Rock and Hard Place. He lives right between them and will probably never move due to his genetic makeup. He’s constantly getting himself into trouble. For me, playing Brady was a blessing because I modeled him on a very stereotypical villain and he’s the only character out of all the main cast who doesn’t appear in the books other than a little three-page thing. So I was very lucky early on because Sue Tenney, our original showrunner, really saw something in what I was doing with Brady and we decided to do a redemption arc. And I love redemption arcs because I understand your idea of ​​the character and it’s essentially a mask that she wears. And when you see how he handles these situations, you can see him take off his mask for just a second or two. …And then you see Brie (Zibby Allen) come into his life and she completely opens him up and he completely takes off his mask. They see Brady for who Brady is: this little boy trapped in this strong external body, used to blocking out the world. And he lets her in, and that’s really captivating for the audience because you go on this journey with this character and you’re rooting for him at the end. … With that feeling, I don’t want Brady to take a step backwards. … I feel like he’s after his money. I can’t imagine him just letting Lark (Elise Gatien) go. … I would like to see Brady continue to pursue Brie. I think this is the love of his life. I don’t think he should give up on her, and I don’t think he’ll ever be truly, truly happy again until he can be with Brie.

You also starred in two new Hallmark Christmas movies this year: Deck the halls on Cherry Lane And Christmas with the Singhs. What are you most excited about for fans?

What I love about Christmas is that even if you are not Catholic, Christian or Jewish, people can feel the magic of Christmas because everyone turns their attitude away from politics, aggression, frustration and work and opens their heart a little. … (Before filming for Christmas with the Singhs) I watched Jim Carrey movies non-stop because I love nostalgic Jim Carrey. But specifically for this character, I wanted to make him kind of goofy. So I did a lot of physical humor and big swings on things and because I saw Jim Carrey, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe he got away with this thing.’ It’s so big!’ He literally jumps off from everything on set, but it’s entertaining and fun. And I thought the energy in (Christmas with the Singhs) might actually work because the whole idea of ​​the movie is fun. The other (Deck the halls on Cherry Lane), I play a computer scientist in 1960. So you can imagine what that looks like. I’ve got the comb on, I’m clean-shaven and I talk in that old-fashioned way. And it’s a super sweet, super cozy Christmas story set on the same street across four different decades.

Back to the beginning: What originally motivated you to work as an actor?

I think it was a combination of several things. The first was when I saw an outdoor Shakespeare play when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I had no idea what was going on, but the actors spoke with so much passion, and Shakespeare almost has a rhythm and dynamic parameters, and I was drawn to that. Then there were sword fights and people dying and all these wonderful things. As a 5- and 6-year-old, you’re like, “Oh, what is that?” That piqued my interest.

Growing up, my father had always done community theater, nothing professional, but he did community musicals. And I remember seeing him on stage one time and – he was dying on stage – everyone around him was crying and being really touched by it. And I felt myself having those feelings even though I knew it was my father on stage. I knew it wasn’t real. Then I lost understanding and focused on what was happening to the character. I thought, “Wow, this is the coolest magic trick in the world.” That it has such power to tell the story that affects all these people.” …It’s so interesting and the show would be over and I would see my father and him differently than before. And before, I looked up to my father, but then I looked up to him even more because I knew what it meant to be a strong father figure but then also vulnerable enough to die on stage. It was a very poignant core memory for me.

When you have a day off, what does your perfect day off look like?

It depends on which city I am in. I love being outside. So when I’m near Virgin River and Squamish (British Columbia, Canada) I want to go for a hike up a mountain or something. There is something very affirming about striving to get somewhere up and looking down. I feel like you deserve the best things in life. Hard work allows you to gain perspective and feel reward. If you don’t put in the hard work, the reward isn’t quite as satisfying. … Life is often about perspective, so I often try to use these days to regain perspective, because I have three children – 8, 6 and 4 – and my career is pretty busy anyway, so it’s difficult to take stock of life when you’re so busy. … And I play hockey, but I play so much hockey and it’s a different kind of relaxation, it’s more of a physical thing.

What challenge did you overcome to get where you are today?

I have ADHD and was only diagnosed a year and a half ago. My son also has ADHD and I learned a lot about what it was like for me growing up as a child right after his diagnosis. Like, “Oh, that makes so much sense.”…That was something I struggled with all the time (in school), and even now I still struggle with it. However, it resembles the classic idea of ​​the superhero using his power. I have harnessed my ADHD to the point where it has become a superpower in some aspects of my life. When I’m on set, the cool thing about someone with ADHD isn’t that they can’t concentrate, but that they have trouble focusing on things that don’t interest them. So if I’m working on something that really interests me, like a character that I really love, like Brady or Dr. Mario Savetti (in CBS’ Code Black), I hyperfocus. So this kind of hyperfocus is essential in acting because you have to block out everything else. Everything has to depend on the actor who is opposite you, and when it’s just us, just the two people there, you almost feel like you’re floating.

What would you tell your younger self if you saw where you are now?

I would just say play and enjoy every aspect of what you are about to do. Never forget the power that lies within, because this is a special, unique power that should be respected and honored, but also never lose the sense of play. Don’t grow up emotionally. Our imagination is the one thing that diminishes as we age. Keep, plant, nurture and protect your imagination at all costs because it is your superpower and never let anyone say you can’t do it because you can and have done it.

If you had to describe what makes Benjamin Hollingsworth Benjamin Hollingsworth, what would you say?

What makes me me? I feel like I’m very empathetic. It’s about playing a range of different characters from different backgrounds and constantly looking at the world from different perspectives. I forgive quickly because I also make a lot of mistakes. It’s part of what makes us human again. I constantly make mistakes, constantly learn from them and constantly apologize for them (Laughs). And I think what makes me most me is that I’m so grateful for every single day that I live, like I wake up and feel like it’s a gift.