After we discovered the mind-blowing crossover between Grey’s Anatomy and Virgin River, we couldn’t help but wonder if there are more secret connections. And while we knew Virgin River was a small town, we never realized just how small it is…until now.
As it turns out, two of the show’s cast members previously starred in Smallville: Annette O’Toole (Hope McCrea) and Colin Lawrence (John “Preacher” Middleton).
First, there’s O’Toole. You may recognize her as Martha Kent (or “Ma Kent”), the adoptive mother of Superman, in Smallville. Although she starred in 136 (!) episodes, she wasn’t the original actress. As you may recall, she served as a replacement for Cynthia Ettinger, who played Martha in the pilot.
After Smallville, O’Toole went on to play Hope in Netflix’s Virgin River. As the mayor and wife of Vernon (or “Doc”), Hope is a respected resident of the small town. In season three, the character travels to Florida and only appears in video calls, but that’s expected to change in the next installment.
As for Lawrence, his involvement is a tad more complicated. You see, the actor had multiple appearances in Smallville, but he never portrayed the same character. In season four, Lawrence played Agent Stocker. In season five, he made a cameo as an unnamed doctor. In season eight, he re-appeared as Captain Nichols, the jet pilot who flew Tess Mercer and Clark Kent to Los Angeles.
Since then, Lawrence has become one of our favorite actors on Virgin River. The star plays Preacher, a former US Marine who works at Jack’s bar. Although his storyline ended on a cliffhanger, we’re just glad to see he’s sticking to one character (at least for now).
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