Last night, a monumental episode of Ride aired on the Hallmark Channel, and Celeb Secrets is giving you the scoop on what you may have missed.
In an exclusive interview with talented actress Sara Garcia, who plays Valeria in the series, she discussed her experience being a part of Ride, as well as her one-of-a-kind thoughts on the drama that ensues within episode six.
Credit: ©2023 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Michelle Faye
When asked how it feels being a part of Ride in general, the star gushed, “Oh, it’s been a dream come true. You know, I’ve worked my whole life to have an opportunity like this, and we worked really, really hard filming it and we poured our hearts and souls into it, so to finally see it come out and be well received, it’s more than I could have ever hoped for. It’s amazing.”
For those who may not have seen the series, Garcia describes it as “a multi-generational family drama about these three independent, resilient women who are bonded together by the love of this beautiful ranch that they all call home, and they’re trying to save it. It’s kind of on the rocks and in the wake of a family tragedy, everyone sort of gets divided, but they find a way to come back together through their grief and their love for each other and their love for their home.”
“It is a rodeo dynasty, but that’s sort of the backdrop of the show. The core of the show is this hardworking family who, you know, when I look at them, they’re like everybody else in this world. They’re, you know, struggling with grief. They’re struggling with financial hardship. I know that the climate right now is really difficult for a lot of people, and in our show we have these real people dealing with real problems, and they’re doing so and they’re moving through that by holding onto each other, and I think that that message right now is really important,” she continued.
Garcia concluded passionately, “Holding on to the people that you love and care about and looking out for your neighbor and treating people how you would want to be treated is so important.”
According to Garcia, Valeria is “a ranch-hand turned right hand to Isabel McMurray [played by Nancy Travis]” with a VERY mysterious past.
“She really feels like this comfy sweater that I’ve always had just tucked in my closet, and I pull her on and it’s so easy to like fill her shoes and play her,” Sara says of her character. “I find that I relate to her quite a bit, and maybe that’s because, you know, when you get to play such a mysterious character, you as the actor sort of get to fill in the blanks.”
“One of my goals is I really wanted to show that she has a good heart. That she’s a loyal, loving person, and yes, she makes mistakes and she makes choices that I personally wouldn’t make, but I think we can all relate to the idea that sometimes we make mistakes in life, and we can grow from those mistakes, and if we have loving, supportive people who are willing to forgive those mistakes and sort of guide us along, like Isabel does for Valeria, then we get a second chance,” she continued.
As mentioned, episode six of the beloved series is truly one-of-a-kind, changing the trajectory of the show for all of the episodes to come. In this episode, Missy (Tiera Skovbye) has an odd encounter at the Frontier BBQ with a strangely familiar woman (Holly Deveaux), which causes her to wonder if she ever really knew her late husband, Austin (Marcus Rosner), with rumors of cheating circling around.
Without giving away any spoilers, it is clear that this encounter will be VERY significant to the plot of the series.
“I think it marks a turning point for Missy in the series,” she says of the monumental episode. “It’s a cathartic experience. I mean, she lost her husband. Not only did she lose her husband, but she’s grappling with the idea that potentially there was this big betrayal in their marriage and all of it is overwhelming, and all the while she’s been at the McMurray ranch trying to take care of all the McMurray boys.”
Garcia feels as though Missy “finally [has] that cathartic release that she needs to let go,” teasing that “we’re gonna see a new Missy” in the episodes to come.
As the drama within “Ride” starts to heat up, be sure to watch our exclusive interview with Sara Garcia below to learn some behind-the-scenes secrets.
Let us know how excited you are for the rest of the series by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post, or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets, and be sure to tune in to the Hallmark Channel every Sunday at 9 PM ET/PT so you don’t miss an episode.
With reporting by Juliet Schroder. For more Country news, visit CelebSecretsCountry.com.
