Why Virgin River Actor Marco Grazzini Feels Like His Career Is “Just Getting Started”

Ahead of Virgin River’s season 7 premiere, Marco Grazzini talks about his upbringing, acting, and lessons learned with Vogue Philippines.

In 2004, actor Marco Grazzini was on the set of a toothpaste commercial shoot in Zambales. Over the span of three days, they shot in a hot desert, playing one of two “delirious airheads” searching for water and gas, and hallucinating that waves of toothpaste were splashing on them. As silly as it sounds, this was the moment Grazzini knew he wanted to pursue acting. “It sparked a creative curiosity in me and an unrelenting passion for the craft,” he tells Vogue Philippines.

From his beginnings as a model in the Philippines, Grazzini these days is now playing Mike Valenzuela, a former Marine turned LAPD detective in Netflix’s Virgin River, one of the platform’s longest-running original series. 

Although the spark began in the Philippines, the actor’s roots are in Canada, where he was born and raised. Born to an Italian father and a Filipino mother, he describes growing up in Toronto being surrounded by “a vast array of people and customs.” He shares that this largely informed his connection to stories about identity, migration, and “people living in the in-between.” “I’ve always felt like both a place of belonging and an element of being an outsider in both Italian and Filipino culture,” he says. “That duality taught me adaptability and an early awareness of what it means to belong while still feeling slightly outside the frame.”

After graduating with a double major in Languages and Sociology, he became more involved with the Filipino community in Toronto, hosting pageants and shows. As he became involved, his mother’s friends encouraged him to return to the Philippines and “become an artista.” During his six months in the Philippines, he worked on commercials, runway, and editorial jobs, but ultimately became homesick. While he returned to Canada, he remains grateful for his time in the country: “The Philippines is where my dreams started to become a reality, so it will always hold a precious place in my heart.”

Ahead of Virgin River’s season 7 premiere, Grazzini talks with Vogue Philippines, reflecting on his career, lessons learned, and Virgin River. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

You’ve worked on several exciting projects, such as Kim’s Convenience, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Total Drama World Tour, and, of course, Virgin River. How would you describe where you’re at in your career now, and what else would you like to explore?

I’m so grateful for every opportunity, heartbreak, and interaction that I’ve had in my 20-plus years in the business. My love for the craft is as big as ever, and I’m hungry to get challenged by different scripts and unearth new versions of myself. I love sci-fi and comedy and am actively writing a couple scripts with my writing partner. Energetically speaking, I feel like my career is just getting started, which can be a good place to operate from.

Virgin River is one of Netflix’s longest-running original series. As an actor, how does it feel to play a character for that period of time? What can we expect to see from Mike in the coming season?

Mike feels like such an ingrained part of me; I root for him like family. After a couple of seasons playing the same character, it really does start feeling like you’re just being yourself in front of the camera, and you start wondering, “Am I even doing anything? Should I be doing more?” That can be a dangerous impulse because now you might be messing with something that’s been working well.

There’s a lot going on for Mike in season 7; it’s very fast-paced, and that momentum makes it tough to navigate some uncomfortable truths. Balancing the life he wants with Brie against what she did to him in season 6. Without a doubt, season 7 was the most fun I’ve had on the show.

You’ve been acting since 2006, but what’s something that most people still don’t know about you?

I’ll give you two things: One, I was quite shy growing up. To this day, when I bump into friends from elementary school, they frequently say, ‘I never thought you would have become an actor. Surprise! Two, I’m an avid soccer and NBA jersey collector. I’m talking game-worn, rare pieces, some that are even older than me. Boys will be boys sometimes.

For young actors or artists who are just starting out, what advice would you give?

First and foremost, you gotta love it! Acting and the arts in general can be a cruel calling. Your love for your craft has to persist as your north star. With a smartphone, internet, and now AI, you have everything you need at your fingertips. Make your own stuff, as amateur and green as it is, and put it out there. Learn from your mistakes, celebrate your growth. Surround yourself with good-hearted, disciplined, and like-minded colleagues and grow with them. Have fun! Never forget why you got into this in the first place.

What’s something you’re looking forward to in the future?

I am in constant awe of my daughter, and she’s only two and a half years old. She’s got such a wonderfully infectious energy, and is truly the most funny and loving person in the room. I cannot wait to see the places she’ll go and the things that she is capable of.