Just Jared got the chance to catch up with fan fave actor Benjamin Hollingsworth and learn a little more about him!
You likely recognize him from his role in Netflix’s smash-hit series Virgin River. He’s also the stars of the new holiday film, Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring!
You can currently rent or purchase The Christmas Ring on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or on YouTube. Jana Kramer also stars, and you can see stills here and in the gallery of this post.
Here’s the logline for the film: A military widow falls in love while searching for her lost family Christmas Ring, an heirloom that has been in the family since D-Day.
Check out 10 Fun Facts below.
- I accidentally-on-purpose hustled my way into my first acting job: They were hiring locals as extras for a big movie filming near the small town I grew up in. When I arrived, there was a massive line wrapped around the local hockey rink to audition. I was never gonna get in, so I went back to my car, drove to my high school, and raided the drama department’s wardrobe closet. When I went back, I walked straight past everyone and onto set. Instead of kicking me out, someone asked why I was late and told me to sign in. I’ve basically been yes-anding that mistake ever since.
- In real life, I’m more “dad taxi” than bad boy: I know I play the brooding guy with a mysterious past, but most of my days are spent making breakfast, negotiating screen time, and trying to remember which kid has which practice. Not quite as sexy as a bar brawl, but the stakes feel higher.
- “Optimistic Time Traveler” on BTS (Ben Standard Time): I’m chronically late because I live with a wildly optimistic sense of time. I’ll tell myself, “It’s only a 10-minute drive,” fully ignoring the laws of physics, traffic, and the fact that I still need to find my keys. I operate on “Ben Standard Time,” which is roughly 7–12 minutes behind whatever the real world is doing. I don’t mean to be late—I truly believe I’m on time right up until the moment I’m not.
- I have large hands and give surprisingly great massages: Somewhere along the way, I became the unofficial on-call massage therapist for my wife. My hands are large and strong and are an essential part of our marriage. When I’m in the doghouse, I just put the massage oil on the nightstand.
- Not a secret that I love hockey – what is a secret is that I take it way too seriously for a grown man: If you put me on the ice, I instantly turn into a 12-year-old chasing the Stanley Cup. I’m pretty decent, but if you saw the way I play in a pick-up game, you’d think I was still auditioning for the NHL. I had the opportunity to play with some Hockey Hall of Fame’ers for an LA Kings charity game. I picked a fight with P.K. Subban—my wife was not as excited as my kids were. 🫣
Head inside to check out the rest of the fun facts…
- Speaking of kids, mine think history nights are better than movie nights: At our house, “Let’s watch something fun” often turns into deep dives on the Civil War or epic battles throughout history. I’m the dad pausing the documentary to add extra context nobody asked for.
- My memory sucks – unless it’s my line: In real life, if you ever see me staring intensely into the distance… I’m probably not plotting revenge – I’m likely trying to remember my password, what I was supposed to get from the store, or where my keys are. But give me a 2-page monologue and I’ll have it word perfect.
- I overthink a lot… except stunts: I’ll agonize over which sushi roll I want for an hour, but tell me, “Run, jump over that, and don’t die,” and my brain just goes, “Yeah, sure, we got this.” To be clear: we do not always got this.
- I always get recognized at the wrong time: I love meeting fans. And we have some of the best on Virgin River. But somehow, without fail, whenever I am in an embarrassing situation, there’s always someone who says, “Hey, aren’t you that guy?” Without fail! To which I answer, “Nah, sorry, yeah – wrong guy. Virgin what? Must be someone else.” Gaslighting at its finest.
- My real superpower is marrying way out of my league: On screen I might get the girl because it’s in the script. In real life, I somehow convinced my wife I was a good idea, and I’m still trying to live up to that casting choice.
Here’s what we know about the cast for Virgin River season 7, coming up on Netflix!