“Virgin River” star addresses Brady's shocking fate after season 7 cliffhanger: 'He's got the worst luck'
“Virgin River” star addresses Brady's shocking fate after season 7 cliffhanger: 'He's got the worst luck'
Joey NolfiFri, March 13, 2026 at 9:15 PM UTC
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Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady in 'Virgin River'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Virgin River's shocking season 7 finale left Brady's fate hanging in the balance — but as actor Ben Hollingsworth tells Entertainment Weekly, its resolution is also swimming around in his mind.
"I do — but, I can't tell anyone!" Hollingsworth insists to EW when asked if he knows whether Brady lives or dies, after the closing moments of the Netflix drama's season 7 finale, titled "David and Goliath," showed Brady careening to the ground after crashing his motorcycle on a stretch of rural town road.
The surprise moment came after he and longtime on-again, off-again girlfriend Brie (Zibby Allen) appeared to fully lean into their bombastic passion for good, in a scene that culminated in raunchy sex atop the same motorcycle that would eventually lead to his potential death.
"I couldn't believe it. At first, I was like, 'Is Brady done on the show?'" Hollingsworth recalls of reading the script for the first time. "The moment you read it, it does send a little chill down your back and make you think, is this the end?"
Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady in 'Virgin River'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Having played Brady across six seasons since joining season 2 in 2020, Hollingsworth has come to know the titular town's resident bad boy as a bit of a somber hero.
"It's tragic, and Brady is such a tragic figure. The guy should never get involved with gambling, because he would never win anything, ever. He's got the worst luck in the world," Hollingsworth says of the crash, which follows past season developments that have seen the character endure a stabbing, heartbreak, and a full-on firestorm threatening to decimate the California hamlet of Virgin River.
Carrying that pain, he feels, not only gives Brady the edge he needs to be an interesting character, but also adds emotional fuel to the fire burning beneath his leather jacket.
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"He had a near-death [stabbing] experience prior to the bike. When you have something like that happen, you take stock in what really matters in life. Obviously, that's Brie," observes Hollingsworth. "Life is too short not to seize the moment. For Brady, it's torture for him to be around the person he loves and not be with them 100 percent. That release of finally getting it, finally having it all — the love of his life, the moment of his life, because he's never really had something like this — come crashing down so quickly, is the ultimate tragedy."
He then jokes, "It's awesome that Brady had that moment of happiness, but could we not have just let him enjoy it for a few days?"
Teasing where Brady might be headed in season 8, Hollingsworth speculates, "He's a durable dude. He's durable! So I'm going to hold out hope that he stays durable. I think Brie has a thing for guys in a hospital gown, because there was her next to Brady when he got stabbed, then her next to Mike when he got shot, maybe this is all just one giant scheme to seal the deal. If we see Brady wearing a hospital gown in season 8, it's a good sign."
Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dan Brady in 'Virgin River'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Conversely, Brady's crash sequence is intercut with scenes showing the birth of Jack (Martin Henderson) and Mel's (Alexandra Breckenridge) long-awaited baby. Fans see the infant in full for the first time just as Brady crashes, leading to speculation that the child is a reincarnation of sorts — or at least representative of the cyclical ebb and flow of life.
"I love that. The Brady child!" Hollingsworth says with a laugh when EW poses with the theory. "It comes out wearing a leather jacket and riding a motorcycle. A leather jacket and a diaper! I should pull that look out on the red carpet somewhere."
Virgin River season 7 is now streaming on Netflix, with a season 8 premiere date not yet announced.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
