The death of Virgin River's central character (played by Alexandra Breckenridge) Mel's mother has always haunted her. However, season 6 of the Netflix series offers fans a much-anticipated look at her mother Sarah's life through flashbacks to the 1970s. Jessica Rothe enters the role, playing “a free-spirited, resourceful activist from the big city who tries to avoid a traditional life.”

Flashbacks examine Sarah's doomed romance with Mel's biological father Everett (played by Callum Carr). This relationship was one that Rote felt a kinship with. “We all have that thing that keeps us thinking about our first love and keeps pulling us back again and again,” Rothe told TV Insider. 'Sarah is realistic, but she's also an optimist. She knew she and Everett would find each other again, and she believes in the world in that sense.”

Rothe is slowly building a strong resume that spans multiple genres, and fans will get to know her better as she becomes a mainstay in the Virgin River universe. (Below are some of the highlights of her new addition to the Virgin River cast.

Growing up in Denver, Colorado, as the daughter of a doctor and an elementary school teacher, Rothe was allowed to participate in extracurricular activities such as theater and choir. It was like, 'If you get an A on a science test, you can go to rehearsal,'” the 37-year-old recalled to Popsugar in a 2017 interview. A high school teacher recognized her talent and encouraged her to pursue this career. She attended Boston University and moved to New York to do theater (“I've never done television or film,” she jokingly recalled of her original aspirations).

Meryl Streep drew inspiration from her chameleon-like performance. She said, “Because people didn't want reality in the same way. Because people didn't want reality in the same way.”

After a few smaller roles, including opposite Emma Stone in La La Land, Rothe appeared in the 2017 horror film Happy Death Day, playing Teresa “Tree” Gelbman, which Vulture described as a reason why time-loop stories “don't work at all.” Rote's undeniable power of charm,” while Evening Standard and DuJour called her work in the film and its 2019 sequel a ”scream queen.”

Lhote was drawn to Tree because she considered her a strong female character with a multifaceted personality. She said, “What attracted me to Tree is that she's an unexpected scream queen. She is sassy, brassy, multi-faceted, and flawed. She drinks, has sex, makes mistakes, and is a real bitch at times, but at the end of the day she has a new heart,” Rothe told Flaunt. 'I could be funny, scary, angry, and heartfelt all in the same movie.'

Between the release and release of the film Happy Death Day, Rothe appeared in the 2018 rom-com Forever My Girl. A few years later, in 2020, she appeared in the tearjerker All My Life and the jukebox musical Valley Girl. The Hollywood Reporter described her dramatic handling of the material as “impressive,” and fans expect she will handle the role of Sarah with care.

Before her breakout role in the “Happy Death Day” franchise, she appeared in the 2016 MTV short-lived series “Mary + Jane,” which centered on a cannabis delivery business. When I decided to do “Mary + Jane,” one of the things I was most excited about was the demographic I was approaching, primarily women between the ages of 12 and 25,” she told Women's Wear Daily. “We talk a lot on the show about things I wish I had seen on TV when I was a teenager, like female entrepreneurship, how it feels when your best friend has something you want, how to deal with jealousy in a healthy way, and how to be competitive in a healthy way."

The 2023 film ” Her appearance in Boy Kills World further pushed the idea of female empowerment.”

Her role in the 2023 film Boy Kills World pushed the idea of female empowerment even further: at Comic-Con Cape Town in April 2024, the actress mastered 17 martial arts and told fans that “women are strong and badass.” She firmly believes that “there is enough room at the table for all powerful women” and believes in closing the gender pay gap and women's right to choose.