Jennings was cast into the role of Virginia after she auditioned for another part in the program. She was originally contracted to appear in ten episodes of the program. However, after her first day on set, Jennings was offered a three-year contract, which she accepted. In February 1999, it was announced that "Sunset Beach" had decided to end Jennings' contract with the serial, after they axed Virginia from the series. However, producers decided to not to kill her off and did not rule out a future return.