Lucas Bryant
Posted: August 8, 2011
_
Lilja: My first interview with the cast of Haven is with Lucas Bryant and when I call my contact person at the set of Haven to speak to him during his lunch break it’s Lucas himself that answer the phone. So, you're shooting season 2 of Haven right now?
Lucas Bryant: Yes, we are, we are shooting episode eight right now.
Lilja: How did you end up playing Nathan on Haven? Did you audition or where you offered the role?
Lucas Bryant: I had a long audition process in Los Angeles. Many with Emily Rose (who plays Audrey [Lilja's comment]) and I think that they thought that our chemistry was undeniable...and then I bribed some with chocolate [laugh].
Lilja: Yeah the chemistry between you to shows very well in the series I think. You look like you work very well together.
Lucas Bryant: It's her not me [laugh]
Lilja: I think it's both of you.
Lucas Bryant: I guess so...
Lilja: Where you familiar with the book, The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, before you got the role?
Lucas Bryant: No, but I read the book right after I got the role. I had read some of King's books but not The Colorado Kid so I read that and it's what we use for inspiration for the series. It's a tale about a mystery that doesn’t get solved and that is just really the source for the show.
Lilja: Where you surprised that your character isn’t even in the book?
Lucas Bryant: I didn't know what to expect when I read the book and to be honest I was a bit confused. In the book they talk about one case and the mysterious facts of this case and that it wasn't solved and no one could solve it. And the book ends with no answers. So it's more of an philosophical experiment really and it asks the question ”What do we do when we don't have any answers?”
And it was a bit surprising to read that Nathan wasn’t in it but then that is exactly where we are with this show, what do we do when we don't have any answers? We're at a place with a lot of questions and a lot of mysteries and we don't have a clue on what's going on.
Lilja: When you ended shooting of season 1, did you already know there would be a season 2?
Lucas Bryant: No, we didn't. We found out last year in October (season 1 ended October 8 [Lilja's comment]) so we had finished shooting for a couple of months. We were doing a press tour in Europe for the international release of the series and that's when we found out, that's when they announced it. I was very happy with it.
Lilja: Me to. Season 1 ended with a real cliffhanger.
Lucas Bryant: It did, I know. What an ending. It needed a second season to explore that story.
Lilja: What has the reaction from the fans been on the series?
Lucas Bryant: Really positive. The fans support has been amazing. We're very lucky and I think the Syfy Channel in the states already has a lot of fans built in and they watch shows that are on that channel and that really worked. It wasn't anything I really had experienced before and it was a real surprise. But also international as well, really well received. Everywhere it's aired it's done really well for us so hopefully we'll be doing it for many more years.
Lilja: You have some really interesting guest stars this second season. I'm thinking of Jason Priestley and Edge.
Lucas Bryant: Yes, Edge was here, he was a big scary guy but really a sweetheart. A really good guy. And Jason Priestley is hilarious. His been a really good addition to the team. Both of them are really lovely, lovely guys.
Lilja: And Jason is also directing some episodes?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, his directing the next episode. He'll start directing next week.
Lilja: Have you ever consider directing an episode?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, absolutely, that is something I'm very interested in. I told them that this year, whatever they needed me to do, whatever hoops they wanted me to jump thorough, I'd jump through. I'd love to direct an episode.
Lilja: Is that a natural step for you to go, from acting to directing, or is it hard to switch? To be the boss all of a sudden?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, well, I think the more acting you do the more likely it become that you'd like to direct. I think you realize as an actor that you develop a certain point of view and at a certain time you want to be able to shoot something in a way that you envisioned it. But I don't know if it's a natural transition. Obviously the time you spend on set as an actor is great training. Just being on set is great training, to see how these directors work. We have guest directors on the show and sometimes they come back so we get to see how each of them work differently and what works best and what the show does best. It's just great training to get all this time on set and I spend as much time with the directors as I can.
Lilja: Has the team gotten tighter now that you have worked together for a season already when you start up on season two? Is season 2 easier to do than season 1 was?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, I would say so in general. It's easier in that I know Eric and Emily and that we are more comfortable in our roles. Not as nervous about figuring out the show so I think we take more risks and we're more looser. In that respect it is easier but the challenge is to take the show in the direction that really pays of everything we have done before. So it's more of an challenge for the writers in where do we go now?
Lilja: Do you have more influence on your character? Like if the writer writes something that you feel you character wouldn't say or wouldn't do in that particular way. If you say that, will they change it?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, they have given us much more power and they are very open to suggestions that we have but on the other hand that is what they do best so they often knows best. But when there are specific questions about what I would or wouldn't do they do take my input and I really appreciate that.
Lilja: Going back to Stephen King. There has been some connections to Stephen King in season 1, is this something that will continue during season 2?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, definitely. The writers have a lot of fun putting in little Stephen King connections through each story. Some of them are more obvious than others, others are really obscure references that only his true fans would recognize.
Lilja: Are you a big fan of King’s work or have you just read some of his books?
Lucas Bryant: I can't say I'm a big fan because that doesn’t do service to his true fans because he’s such a prolific artist. He has created so much and I'm only familiar with a fraction of that but the things I do know about I'm a fan of but there are so much of his that I don't know of.
Lilja: When season 1 premiered it was heavily promoted as Stephen King's Haven. Do you feel now with season 2 that the show is more independent or is it still dependant of Stephen King's name?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, I think we used his name as much as we could and it's obviously a great selling feature and the show, perhaps even more this season that the last, resembles a Stephen King creation.
Lilja: The fans that you hear from, are they mostly Stephen King fans or just fans of the show? Or is there a good mix of both?
Lucas Bryant: Yeah, I think there is a good mix but many are just fans of the Syfy genre in general and most of the fans have been, maybe that's just what they telling me, fans of the characters and I think that is very lucky. To get people to identify with them and wanting to spend time with them every week, that is the biggest challenge and something I think we have succeeded with.
Lilja: Do you communicate much with the fans? I noticed that your co-actors are very active on Twitter but I didn't find you out there. Are you keeping away from things like that?
Lucas Bryant: No, I'm not on Twitter or facebook. Both Emily and Eric do a great job on promoting the show. I just don't have... I don't know, my thumbs are just too big to work those little buttons. [Laugh]. I don't know what my excuse are...my excuse is that I have a young daughter and I spend all my extra time with her.
Lilja: Yeah, that's a much better way to spend your time.
OK, I think that's all. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Lucas Bryant: You’re welcome. Thank you.
Lilja: Now Lucas runs of to Emily's trailer and bangs on her door. She takes the phone and...Hello...
