Smuggler-with-a-heart-of-gold Duke is one of the best parts of one of my favorite shows, Haven. Eric Balfour was kind enough to take time out from the current shooting schedule to speak with the media about the second season, which premieres this Friday, July 15 at 10/9c on Syfy.
Pazsaz Entertainment Network asked him how the cast dynamics have changed as the show has progressed, and what he enjoys about playing Duke:
Eric Balfour: Well last season, we – me and Lucas – have had a history together… We worked on the show before and we have a really good rapport. And Emily and Lucas had worked before together, but we hadn’t all worked, the three of us together. And we really became friends last year. And this season we really have learned to look after each other and support each other. And it really is a really tight bond.
Most shows don’t have this small of cast. Most shows have seven or six (stage) regulars or even sometimes more. It’s really the three of us that are permanent fixtures on the show. So we really have become like this little unit and little family in a way.
And so I think the biggest difference from this season to last is just our comradery and our comfort level. I mean I love Emily and Lucas and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them.
SciFi Vision: Are we going to get see more about how what happened with Duke and Nathan?
Eric Balfour: We are definitely going to start to see Duke and Nathan’s relationship evolve. Thus far we haven’t spent a lot of time as we did last year examining their history. I think last season we had a lot of references to sort of what caused their rift and the possibilities of what they once were friends and no longer are. But this season we’re really sort of moving forward with their relationship and seeing what it’s evolving into.
SciFi Mafia: Hello, Eric. Thanks so much for being on the call today. I really appreciate it.
Eric Balfour: No, my pleasure. SciFi Mafia — I love it.
SciFi Mafia: Thanks! It’s a great site to work on. I was a major fan of Lost — including the finale — but a lot of people were disappointed that they never got an answer to why. You know, why was the Island that way? So I’m wondering for Haven, do you know if there’s going to be an answer as to why there are Troubles or why they came back?
Eric Balfour: I do know for a fact that Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, the creators of the show, definitely, 100%, know exactly what’s going on in this town. So some day, I know they.will, but I think it’s probably not going to happen for like Season 5 or 6. They’re going to prolong it as long as they can, but they definitely, definitely, definitely have an answer.
SciFi Mafia: And do you have a guess?
Eric Balfour: Do I have a guess? I’ve always imagined, in my mind, that what’s going on in Haven is in some ways – it’s almost like global warming. As things shift in the universe of Haven and the world shifts and humanity shifts, things change. And while at one time, Haven, this town, was exactly, as its name ensues, was a safe haven for people that had these supernatural curses or troubles or afflictions.
And so as nature changes, something happened in the energy of this town that, you know, created this Molotov cocktail of supernatural occurrences. And I always felt that it was much more evolutionary versus being one single action.
SciFi Mafia: I love that idea. Mention that to the creators and maybe they’ll include that.
Eric Balfour: I will.
BigDaddyHorrorReviews.com asked:
When you don’t fully understand what’s happening to the character, because they haven’t written that far yet, how do you play the part, still?
Eric Balfour: Yes, what it usually entails is a lot of phone calls and emails back and forth from the writers. Because this show is so intricate in its dynamics, you’re always having to ask questions and to get questions answered. There’s two different schools of thought. Some people like to keep the actors guessing, because they want their responses to be honest.
For me, as an actor, I (always) like to know what’s coming ahead, because I feel like it is my job to paint a palette, and to know that if I’m going from A to B, there’s certain hills and valleys that I’ll want to hit along the way. So I like to know the answers. So a lot of the time it’s me reading the next week’s script and then sending like two-page emails to the writers with a thousand questions and they just go, “Oh, man. Balfour is emailing us again. What are we going to do?”
But they’re always really cool about it. And they always take the time to answer our questions and talk us through things. And they’re – I’ve got to hand it to them. They’re amazing in that way, that really appreciate and respect how much we have breathed life into these characters. And so they really do value our opinions about what our characters do. And it’s really neat. It’s cool.
SciFi Mafia: I saw your interview with Kevin Pollak, and am wondering what was going on with the status of your musical comedy pilot?
Eric Balfour: We are moving full steam ahead and we actually plan on shooting the pilot right when I get done basically with Haven. We’re doing some work on the outline of the show and just had a really great meeting with Fuse yesterday, actually and really excited. There are – everyone is really sort of excited about where we’re going with it. They’ve been really great and I’m just excited to work with them. They’re a young, hungry network and they want to do something really special and they want to do something bold. And I’m just stoked to be working with them.
SciFi Mafia would like to again thank the exceptionally cool and charming Eric Balfour for taking the time to talk with the media about Haven. Get caught up by picking up the season 1 DVD set, and watch the Haven marathon on Syfy this Friday starting at 8:30/7:30c. You can see my review of episode 1 of the new season here.
Season Two of Haven premieres this Friday, July 15 at 10/9c on Syfy.
