Why Jack Sheridan From Virgin River Looks So Familiar

After a solid decade in the original programming game, it's clear that Netflix is out to turn Hollywood on its head by lining up high-profile projects with some of the best filmmakers in the game — including the likes of Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuarón, and The Coen Brothers. Yet as much as the streamer wants to court audiences drawn to critically acclaimed works from auteur filmmakers, it's just as eager to attract those in the mood for more comfort-driven fare.

That's hardly a bad thing, for the record. Especially when Netflix is still delivering quality offerings. Chief among their most successful serialized dramas is the heart-rending series "Virgin River," which finds Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge), a troubled  doctor, looking for a fresh start in the titular Northern California town. Once she gets settled there, she realizes getting her life in order will take more than a change of scenery. Fortunately (for her and for viewers), she also finds romance in the guise of Jack Sheridan, a local restaurant owner whose face will no doubt seem familiar to many viewers. That face belongs to actor Martin Henderson, whom you've likely seen before.

Martin Henderson is currently earning raves for his performance on the streaming hit "Virgin River," but he's been getting as much praise for his work in various film and television projects for a couple of decades now. The actor's most recent big-screen appearance came in 2018's "The Strangers: Prey at Night," a sequel to 2008's low-budget horror hit "The Strangers." That original film found the home of a bickering couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) besieged by masked nihilists determined to torment and murder them. 

"Prey at Night" picks up a decade later, with Henderson and his on-screen wife Christina Hendricks taking their family on a brief sojourn to a trailer park to spend some time with distant relatives. Once there, the Cortez clan finds the masked strangers have already taken up residence in the community, and are set to terrorize the family in unimaginable ways. Though it lacks the same visceral punch as the '08 original, "The Strangers: Prey at Night" is a worthy follow-up, delivering its own blend of thrills and chills, and showcasing better-than-solid work from both Hendricks and Henderson.  

Though he's worked steadily in film over the years, Martin Henderson has been a regular presence on the small screen as well, landing roles in intriguing dramas like "Secrets and Lies," "The Gloaming," and the Sundance Channel's short-lived Jason Momoa vehicle "The Red Road." However, most television fans no doubt recognize Henderson for his recurring role on ABC's long-running medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

Henderson made his first appearance on "Grey's Anatomy" in the series' 12th season, going on to appear in 48 episodes of the series as Dr. Nathan Riggs, a cardiothoracic surgeon with some very specific ties to Dr. Owen Hunt (series regular Kevin McKidd). For those not well-steeped in "Grey's Anatomy" lore, Riggs was set to marry Hunt's sister Megan prior to the pair splitting up and Megan going missing in the wilds of Iraq. Once the good doctor joined the staff of Grey Sloan, he promptly wooed Ellen Pompeo's character, Meredith, though their romance was ultimately ended by the unexpected return of Megan (Abigail Spencer) in season 14.

Yes, that is a distinctly "Grey's Anatomy" sort of narrative. But thanks to some crack work from Henderson, the ensuing drama frequently erred on the side of understated, making it one of the more resonant romantic subplots the series explored.

For most folks, Martin Henderson's face undoubtedly looks familiar because they are fans of one of the scariest horror movies produced in the modern era, 2002's stunning "The Ring," the American remake of the Japanese horror classic "Ringu." Equal parts nerve-racking thriller and grisly horror affair, "The Ring" followed journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) as she ran down a fabled "cursed" videotape that may or may not have caused the death of her niece (Amber Tamblyn) and several of the teen's friends.

She's aided in that endeavor by her photographer/videographer pal, Noah. As it happens, Noah is also the father of Rachel's son Aidan (David Dorfman), both of whom — like Rachel — are tabbed for certain doom after separately watching the video themselves. Yes, that was indeed Martin Henderson portraying Noah in "The Ring." In the end, Noah is the only one of the three who succumbs to his horrifying fate. And even as Henderson doesn't really have much to do in "The Ring," the genuine horror the actor displays in Noah's shocking final moments ensures the character's loss is genuinely felt.