Virgin River’s Kandyse McClure has opened up about her new role as Fire Chief Kaia Bryant in the Netflix drama and her ‘intimidating’ first scenes with co-star Colin Lawrence

Virgin River fans are on the edge of their seats as season six is less than 24 hours away. The Netflix romantic drama, featuring Mel Monroe (played by Alexandra Breckenridge), Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) and other beloved characters, has kept viewers hooked.

Last season saw a dramatic increase in emergencies and natural disasters, including a vicious wildfire that nearly destroyed the town. However, Hope McCrea (Annette O’Toole) saved the day at the last minute.

The town’s safety was further ensured by the arrival of Kaia Bryant (Kandyse McClure) and the CalFire firefighters. But it wasn’t just wildfires causing sparks – Kaia quickly began a romance with Jack’s best friend Preacher (Colin Lawrence) and has since become Virgin River’s Fire Chief.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Time, McClure shared her experiences from her first days on set. “So many things happened, it was such a potent time,” she said.

“I had an immediate feeling about Kaia that doesn’t always happen with characters. I just loved her right away. She seemed so dynamic and full of life”, reports the Express.

She also praised the show’s production, saying, “This show is a well-oiled machine. It moves forward. Everybody knows their role so well, everybody knows their place so you’re jumping into a fast-moving river.”

McClure was already familiar with her regular scene partner Lawrence, which helped her feel comfortable on set.

“It was a little intimidating but luckily I had one known friend, I know Colin Lawrence, I know him personally,” she said.

“We’ve been friends for a really, really long time so I knew there would be a friendly face, I knew there was someone on side with me. So we just got to do it.”

McClure then joked: “I feel like half my job is just poking Colin.”

Despite their long friendship, they had to get over the awkward first stages of playing a couple as this was the first time they had acted in scenes together.

“As well as I know Colin I actually know his wife [Lucia Walters] a lot better!” McClure admitted. “So this was the first time we were in such direct and intense work together.

“Colin is the best scene partner, he really is. I wish I could say something scandalous but I can’t!

Can Preacher escape his legal trouble this season? ( 
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(Image: NETFLIX))
“He reads the scripts immediately and calls me, like 20 minutes later, and he wants to talk about it,” she said. “He’s incredibly prepared and has a very patient approach to things.

“I’m a little more dynamic. I like to have everything under my belt but also feel on the fly and see what’s going on.”

“It’s fun that way because I kind of knock him off his rhythm a little bit and he pulls him in. So it’s a great balance, but I do drive him crazy!”

Fans are eagerly anticipating more sweet moments between Preacher and Kaia in the upcoming season, and they’re on tenterhooks to see if the Fire Chief will return her new partner’s declaration of love.

Virgin River season 6 premieres Thursday, December 19 on Netflix.