Ben Hollingsworth would love to reunite with Jana Kramer on a new project after they played love interests in a Christmas movie — and what better way than to have her join Virgin River?
“I had such a great time working with Jana. She’s so professional but such a friendly and nice person,” Hollingsworth, 42, exclusively told Us while discussing his upcoming participation in the Meet Cute Con. “Our families got along really well. I brought my family out to Nashville when we were shooting The Christmas Ring, and she had us over to her house a couple times.”
Hollingsworth loved the friendship he formed with Kramer, also 42, adding, “We just had a really great chemistry right off the bat. So I would love to do something with Jana. You know what? She’s been very vocal about wanting to be on Virgin River. So maybe that’s the play is [to] try and get her on Virgin River.”
The actor loved Us‘ idea of having Kramer shake things up by creating a new love triangle with Brady (Hollingsworth) and Brie (Zibby Allen).
“That makes perfect sense. I think that would be great,” Hollingsworth added. “New characters come and go on Virgin River, and they change the feeling of that community. But the core of it is still the same: people who show up for each other, who love each other, who support each other, who go through everything together — that’s what makes this show special. So to bring someone like Jana in, of course, would be amazing.”
Based on Robyn Carr’s book series, Virgin River follows the lives of residents in a small town in Northern California, including Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson). The hit series, which premiered in 2019, also stars Colin Lawrence, Annette O’Toole, Tim Matheson, Hollingsworth, Sarah Dugdale, Allen and Kai Bradbury.
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After finding success, Virgin River went on to become Netflix’s longest streaming series with seven seasons — and counting. Hollingsworth spoke to Us about how the love for the show inspired the upcoming fan convention Meet Cute Con in Nashville.
“We have the best fans. They’re the ones who got us here, and we’ve gotten to meet a lot of them just walking around Earth. Wherever we are in the world, there’s a Virgin River fan somewhere, and they’re the best people,” he gushed. “They’re so nice, and they’re so kind, so what an opportunity to come to Nashville [and meet them]. Nashville itself is so much fun, but to celebrate Virgin River with the fans and come together and make a community — which is essentially what makes Virgin River so special — is that more special.”
Hollingsworth expressed excitement at the chance to reunite with his Virgin River costars in a cozy environment with their fans.
“To form our own little small town for a weekend and talk all things Virgin River — and there’s a few other shows there too that they’re going to be having panels [for] — is great,” he continued. “They’re doing it at the Loveless Barn, which is this iconic Nashville cafe that’s super intimate. It’s not a large convention center, which doesn’t really feel like Virgin River. This definitely feels like something right out of Virgin River. The fact that we’re able to all be there at the same weekend and do our first public, fan-facing event is going to be exciting.”
Meet Cute Con will also include cast members from One Tree Hill and The Way Home — with more surprises on the way.
“There’s also maybe a few more people from Virgin River coming, which is going to be amazing,” Hollingsworth teased to Us. “But I did a Christmas movie with Jana Kramer, and the entire time I did not hear her sing once. So she’s performing at the event. I am going to be in the front row of that as a very, very big fanboy. I am going to be singing along.”
He concluded: “What Meet Cute Con is doing is it’s creating that same kind of small-town vibe for the weekend [as our favorite shows do]. So for just this one weekend, we all get to be a part of this small town, and we’ll see each other multiple days, and we’ll enjoy the food in a small town, and I think they have a bunch of installations and activations that are all focused on small-town life. It’s going to feel very intimate, and you’ll be feet away from us. We’ll be able to talk and actually have a more intimate, real small-town-esque experience. So I’m looking forward to immersing myself into our own little small town for the weekend.”
Meet Cute Con: Small Town Swoon is taking place November 6 to 8 in Nashville.