Anyone caught up with Virgin River knows that Denny has pretty much become a main character in the most recent seasons. We weren't too sure how to feel about him at first (we had our reasons), but his beautifully complex storyline has now made him one of our favorite characters on the show. Especially with how much he grew in season 5!
But did you know that Denny could have been played by someone else? That's because Kai Bradbury, the actor who currently has the role of Denny, originally auditioned for a completely different character on Virgin River!
There are so many reasons as to why this fact is crazy to think about. For one, Kai has made Denny his own, so it would be hard to imagine anyone else as him! Also, if not Denny (the initially soft-spoken, somewhat mysterious character who turned out to be the sweet, compassionate soul we know now), then who else would he have been?
The answer *may* shock you!
Who did Kai Bradbury originally audition for on Virgin River?
In an interview with PureWow last year, Kai touched on all things Virgin River season 4, including the entire audition and casting process he went through.
“I auditioned for Markian Tarasiuk’s role as Lizzie’s L.A. boyfriend that we meet in season three,” Kai said.
Quick recap: The "L.A. boyfriend," if you remember, is Lizzie's ex, Parker. We met him when he paid her a visit during her already-stressful break up with Ricky. He basically tried convincing Lizzie to leave Virgin River all together! According to him, life in big city was much better than her small-town life. (Cue the eye-roll.) Lizzie ultimately didn't end up taking Parker up on this offer, and we hadn't really heard much about him since.
We're not sure if it's because we're used to him being the light-hearted and kind guy he is now—but seeing Kai play Parker doesn't sit right with us.
How did Kai Bradbury get the part of Denny on Virgin River?
Luckily for Kai (and for us), Netflix gave him an audition for Denny, Doc's long-lost grandson with a degenerative condition called Huntington's Disease who now dates Lizzie on the show.
“At the time, it was set to be a recurring character to come into the new season,” Bradbury said in the same interview with PureWow. “When season four came around, they approached us with the option to be a series regular. I was very grateful for that opportunity.”
Well, here's to hoping we get more Denny content on Virgin River season 6!
Josiah is the Digital Content Producer for the commerce team at Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Runner’s World, and Bicycling Magazine. He also writes for “BIO Buys”—a column on Biography.com—giving readers the lowdown on what products their favorite celebs are using. In another life, Josiah was an editor at ThePioneerWoman.com, where he sharpened his expertise on all things lifestyle, food-news, and entertainment. Outside work related matters, he’s a fan of Studio Ghibli films, unimportant reality TV drama, and melancholy Lorde songs.
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