Hope McCrea isn’t a busybody — at least, Annette O’Toole doesn’t think so. On the one hand, she should know: The actor has been playing everyone’s favorite messy small-town mayor since Virgin River debuted in 2019. Then again, fans might wonder if O’Toole simply has a soft spot for Hope, a character who quite literally bodies her way into everyone’s business on a regular basis.

But no. As O’Toole tells Tudum, “I’ve always been kind of shocked when I’ve heard that [people think Hope is a busybody].” She knows that Hope can be a bit much, but that’s intentional. “I just wanted there to be energy — I wanted her to just kind of attack her life,” she explains. “I think because she’s the mayor, she feels like she can go anywhere and that she has the right to put her nose in places.”

Hope & Doc Get Into an Argument | Virgin River S1E1

O’Toole’s loyalty and admiration for her character is endearing, and the actor’s nuanced performance balances out any face-clutching frustrations audiences might have with her endless scheming. For all of Hope’s many faults and transgressions, O’Toole believes that the Virgin River mayor is simply someone who loves deeply, wants what’s best for everyone in her orbit and will exert all the energy she’s got to make it happen.

“I don’t think she sleeps much,” says O’Toole. “She lives on basically air, chocolate, wine and coffee — everything that stimulates you. She’s got a lot to accomplish.”

And accomplish she has, all the way back to the opening minutes of the show. In the series premiere, we learn Hope has taken it upon herself to hire a brand-new nurse practitioner for the local doctor’s office. The problem? She doesn’t tell the curmudgeonly Vernon “Doc” Mullins (Tim Matheson) that she hired someone on his behalf or that the new employee, Mel Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), has already moved into town. The other problem? Doc also happens to be Hope’s husband, and they’ve shared a tumultuous 20-year estrangement.

“People think she’s a busybody, or nosy, because she went behind his back and did something that was completely up to him,” O’Toole says. “I think it was a good idea, but she needed to talk to him about it. She’s just very impulsive.”

Of course, a lot has transpired since those early days in Season 1, including the end of the estrangement between Hope and Doc, who rekindled their love affair and renewed their vows after Hope’s heart attack inspired her to reevaluate her priorities. The show’s fourth and latest season was also a huge deal for both O’Toole and her character because Hope had only appeared in Season 3 via video calls, as O’Toole chose to pause filming due to COVID.

“I couldn’t [film] in Season 3 because I couldn’t be away from my mom, who’s now 96,” O’Toole says. “At that time, there was no vaccine. I was afraid I was going to be stuck in another country and not be able to get home.”

The producers temporarily wrote O’Toole off the show, creating a storyline wherein Hope was away from Virgin River caring for her sick aunt. However, at the end of Season 3, Hope gets in a car accident while returning to town and winds up in the hospital in critical condition as the finale cuts to black. In the new season, the once endlessly energetic character has to slow down, rely on other people and attempt to heal from a traumatic brain injury. For O’Toole, Hope’s return in Season 4 feels like coming home again — and lends itself to some trial and error as Hope confronts some of her tendencies.

“[She goes] from somebody who is so capable to not being capable,” O’Toole says. “She’s not able to drive. And there’s that scene [in Season 4] when she’s trying to drive. She’s not thinking about the fact that she could hurt somebody. She’s only thinking about herself.”

Still, O’Toole believes that forcing Hope  to slow down and consider how she shows up for herself and the people around her will ultimately precipitate a renaissance. She’s particularly excited about Hope’s relationship with Denny (Kai Bradbury), a mysterious new character who shows up toward the end of Season 4 claiming to be Doc’s long-lost grandson.

“I realized the other day that Denny is the only one who didn’t know the old Hope,” says O’Toole. “There are no expectations with him. She doesn’t have to prove she’s ‘still got it’ or that she’s still OK. He just accepts her for how she is.”

Accepting Hope for Hope is something that’s central to her character’s arc, whether it’s through the eyes of her husband, the other characters in Virgin River or audiences watching at home. Hope’s imperfect approach is one O’Toole finds “endlessly fascinating” to explore, letting Hope adapt and change while staying true to who she is.

“Hope is always going to have the residual effects of her injury, and it might pop out at certain times,” O’Toole says. “I don’t know what’s going to be in store, but I am excited for her to get back to her work as mayor — maybe the reason people think she’s a busybody is because you don’t actually see her doing work. You just see her showing up, pouring coffee and telling people what to do.”