On the Netflix series Virgin River, the residents of the small titular town experience some pretty big issues. Aside from the series’ two lead characters Jack and Melinda, whose scenes we found ourselves fast-forwarding through, it was the stories of the supporting characters that caught our interest.
Virgin River follows Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a nurse practitioner who moves from LA searching for a fresh start. She settles in a remote northern California town and is surprised by what — and who — she finds.
While the romance drama’s main focus is on the Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) relationship, we get to know the interesting and fascinating denizens of the town, whose lives intertwine with the leading couple. The one storyline of the series that quickly had us invested was the story of Lilly.
Kind-hearted and steadfast, Lilly is an irreplaceable member of the Sewing Circle. She is selfless and unwilling to burden others. When her terrifying secret that she birthed and subsequently anonymously left her newborn baby at the Mullins’ Family Practice, she decides to keep the information hidden in fear that the news could shatter her family as well as the entire community.
RELATED | “Lilly is a humble, kind, salt-of-the-earth type,” Lynda Boyd says about her character, in an exclusive interview with PopWire. “She is a farmer, so she is very grounded and in touch with nature and animals, particularly her horses.”
The Vancouver-born actress, who was offered the role of Lilly after originally auditioning for the role of Connie, the general store owner, shares that she had to do quite a lot of research for her role on the Netflix series.
“I personally have never given birth, so I had to do some research on having a child at home by myself, which is what happened to Lilly,” Boyd says. “She was also suffering from grief having lost her husband Buck mere months before she realized that she was carrying a child.”
Though Hope (Annette O’Toole) says her good friend Lilly has never been depressed a day in her life, she and nurse practitioner Mel speculate that Lilly is suffering from postpartum depression. “This is more than just being depressed,” Mel tells Hope. “It’s a serious condition that can happen after giving birth and it can appear without warning.”
Boyd confirms that after the secret birth, her character Lilly was hit with an extreme case of postpartum, which was something else, the actress says, she needed to research. Lilly didn’t want to get her family involved with her situation and felt at her age and with the farm, she couldn’t take care of her baby Chloe. And with Lilly being isolated with limited social support, it’s not an ideal situation for someone battling depression.
A lot of Lynda’s scenes channeling Lilly were tough and looked to be incredibly emotionally draining. Getting into that mindset for the cameras, Boyd says that “preparation is key,” and adds that she’s worked with her co-stars and directors before, so she had a lot of trust and faith in them.
To keep things light on set between those tough and emotional scenes, Boyd says there were “lots of laughter” while “hanging with my peeps!” Due to the Covid precautions, however, they couldn’t really fraternize between scenes, “but on set, we were always in hysterics because we all know and like each other’s senses of humor.”
Thankfully for Lilly, a lot of her rough and dark times were starting to clear, as she ultimately asks for help and finds herself surrounded by love and unwavering support from those closest to her; her best friend Hope even offering to personally make sure she’s looked after. “Lilly, I’ve known you for over 20 years,” Hope tells her. “We’re family, and family helps family.”
It’s that family and circle of friends of Lilly’s that is ultimately the heart of the show. Whenever the Sewing Circle gathers and has a good time, it brings a smile to our faces. It genuinely looks as if they are really enjoying themselves. “They are all long-time friends of mine,” Boyd says of the actresses playing her Circle sisters, “so little to no acting is required!”
When asked if she gets to hang out with her Sewing Circle sisters off the set, Boyd replies, “Of course!” which makes us extremely happy. She shares that she and Nicole Cavendish, who eventually got the role of Connie, did a play together just before being brought onto Virgin River, and Teryl Rothery (Muriel), she’s known since they were teenagers.
For those who have yet to see the new season, Lynda Boyd reveals that in regards to her character, it is one you can not miss. “Season 3 is my biggest arc yet. And also the most challenging. When you see it, you’ll understand what I mean…”
Virgin River is now streaming on Netflix.