Role calling
There’s no denying it: Martin Henderson often ends up with the ladies. From that unforgettable cameo in Britney Spears’ “Toxic” video to being Meredith’s post-Derek squeeze on Grey’s Anatomy, Henderson has made a career out of playing graceful, romantic leads. But it still surprises him when viewers fall in love with his dreamy alter egos—like the one he currently plays on Netflix’s Virgin River. “It’s been really nice, the response to the show,” he told EW. “It’s such a cultural phenomenon.” Here, the 46-year-old New Zealand native looks back on his lifetime of playing the really good guys.
Home and Away (1996)
One of Henderson’s first projects was playing Geoff Thomas in this long-running Australian soap opera. “It was a very short little stint on the show,” he says. “He was a naval captain or something, or an officer, because I was dressed in navy whites. I came on to marry Isla Fisher’s character [Shannon Reed], if memory serves me right.”
The Ring (2002)
The production was already scouting locations in Seattle when Henderson got the call to star opposite Naomi Watts in this horror mystery. “I didn’t even meet the director, Gore Verbinski, until I arrived on set. He just saw my tape and liked it, I guess. It was kind of one of the most seamless audition processes I’ve ever encountered.” The movie, which went on to make more than $240 million worldwide, was a game-changer for Henderson. “It exceeded everyone’s expectations. It’s become a classic,” he recalls. “It definitely puts me on people’s radars. Prior to that, I was still sort of running around town, desperately trying to get a job.”
Virgin River (2019-present)
Based on the Robyn Carr novels of the same name, Virgin River has become a much-needed salve for viewers wanting a little escapism, especially during the pandemic. Now in its second season on Netflix, the show stars Henderson as Jack Sheridan, a bar owner who falls hard for the nurse practitioner (Alexandra Breckenridge) who moves into his idyllic mountain community. “There is something unusually… what’s the word… comforting and cozy about it,” he says. “It’s refreshingly romantic, particularly in an era where so much of what we find on television, particularly on cable and on streaming, is this tends to keep pushing the envelope darker, more sinister material. When I read this, I thought it would be quite nice to just play someone who is wholesome. People still want some goodness. It feels like an honor to be bringing that to people’s homes right now.”
