Alexandra Breckenridge almost rejected the popular Netflix series Virgin River even after being almost broke for a very peculiar reason.

Alexandra Breckenridge has become almost a household name due to her phenomenal performance in Virgin River. The show finds her portraying Melinda Monroe, opposite Martin Henderson’s Jack Sheridan.

Alexandra Breckenridge in a still from Virgin River | Credits: Netflix

Based on Robyn Carr’s popular book series of the same name, the show just concluded its sixth season last December. Fascinatingly, it had already been renewed for another season before Season 6 even premiered.

However, things might have been vastly different if Alexandra Breckenridge stuck to a drastic decision she made ahead of the show. The actress recently revealed that she almost turned down the role off the bat, even though she felt suited for it. Thankfully, the showrunners changed her mind.

Alexandra Breckenridge almost turned down Virgin River

The popular Netflix series Virgin River follows Melinda Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) moving to the quaint Northern California town Virgin River while dealing with grief in the wake of a personal tragedy. Slowly, she learns to heal and finds love again with the help of Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson).

Alexandra Breckenridge in a still from Virgin River | Credits: Netflix

The show recently aired its sixth season that finally saw Mel and Jack tying the knot after dealing with various ups and downs in their relationship. As per Variety, it also set the premise for a spin-off series based on the backstory of Mel’s parents starring Callum Kerr and Jessica Rothe that is already in development.

Interestingly, though, none of this would have happened if Breckenridge stuck to her decision to reject the show altogether. The This Is Us star recently appeared in an episode of Katee Sackhoff’s podcast The Sackhoff Show.

During the interview, she divulged that when she was offered the role she had just given birth to her daughter, and her son was pretty sick.

She and her husband were trying to pack up their LA rental house to move back to Georgia, as they couldn’t afford to keep it due to being “almost completely broke”. Breckenridge desperately needed work at the time, however, when she was offered the same, she strangely rejected it.

I was looking for something more edgy. I like to do things that are a little bit more complex, and edgy. You know, philosophically interesting, and I just wasn’t looking for this kind of work at the time.

However, she noted that she really needed a job, and after reading the script she realized that she could “definitely play this part”. Moreover, her being “unattainable” at the start helped her to get the showrunners to make an offer to her right away.

Alexandra Breckenridge’s friend told her Virgin River would be a massive hit

Although she had accepted the offer from Netflix, Alexandra Breckenridge still wasn’t convinced that Virgin River would be successful.

Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge in a still from Virgin River | Credits: Netflix

She admitted in the same interview that she was sure that the series would end up in the “Netflix graveyard”, even after being made. Katee Sackhoff added that she wasn’t wrong to think that, as one of her shows has unfortunately met the same fate.

I’m gonna go out there, and do one season, ten episodes. And, you know, it’ll end up in the Netflix graveyard. As many, many shows do.

The Walking Dead star further added that there was so much going on at Netflix at the time that it was hard to keep track of. As a result, many such series fell to obscurity due to a lack of viewership. However, one of her friends claimed otherwise.

I told a girlfriend about it. And, she was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be huge’ and I was like really, you think? She was like, ‘Yeah, Yeah. It’s a bestselling book. Like it’s sold over some-odd-million copies of the book…

Well, according to Robyn Carr’s website, the series spans 20 main books, with various anthologies, and has sold over 13 million copies.

Although the series differs from the book from time to time, fans are extremely fond of what the Virgin River show has become throughout the years. Moreover, it is hard to imagine how things would have been without Breckenridge bringing Mel to life.

Virgin River is streaming on Netflix.