HAVEN: Interview with Emily Rose and Colin Ferguson

The people over at Syfy have been granting us a steady stream of interviews with the stars of their original series Haven. This week we were able to chat with Emily Rose and Colin Ferguson.

Read our interview below and be sure to check out an all new episode of Haven Friday 10/9c on Syfy.

Stephen King’s Blessing
Emily Rose: We’ve always been really excited to have kind of what we call the Stephen King blessing. He’s like very aware of what we’re doing and, you know, signed off on us at the beginning. We’ve always absolutely wanted to have him come do a cameo or write an episode or something like that. We haven’t had that opportunity.

On Working with Lucas Bryant
Colin Ferguson: He’s a pain. From beginning to end, what a chore. No, we did have a movie together a bunch of years ago, and he’s just a phenomenally nice guy sort of through and through. But I think that can be sort of be said of most of the people up here. It’s one of the reasons that I really wanted to do it.
I’ve been, you know, I’ve been familiar with these guys and been hanging out with them since their season premiere way back in the beginning. That was down in Los Angeles. And not knowing I would ever have a part in it, I’ve been at the premiere and the finale airings of every one that they’d done over at John’s house in Los Angeles. So being able to step into a group of people who, you know, they’re your friends, you know them, and was sort of a big thing for me coming out of a show where I had a family, you know.

Who is William?
Colin Ferguson: Thanks, Em. We are going to find that history about who William is and what their relationship was. How much history we can’t really say, although I think I can’t say that it’s not going to be left completely up in the air. As the season wears on — that’s not complimentary — as the season progresses, that’s the right word, you find out sort of the problems and strengths of their relationship and you find out if it’s going to be an addition or subtraction to the town. So that stuff definitely plays out.
But I mean there are bigger questions, you know, up in the air right now with, you know, is it Lexie or Audrey, and then what will happen with all that. So my part plays out for sure, but I guess that’s about all I can say. What do you think, Em?

Emily Rose: Yes, I think that’s really good. I think that, you know, when you watch Haven, you’re not necessarily completely in the point of view of Audrey, but that is a large part of the point of view I think, in my opinion, and obviously because I’m playing Audrey. But I feel like, you know, for the first bit of it, there is a bit of a fog surrounding William. Who is he? What is their connection? Why is he so familiar with her? All these things. And, you know, leaving the audience wondering in that way, it really puts them in on Audrey’s or Lexie’s, you know, mindset about who is this person just walking into my life and shouting off all this stuff about me.

Colin Ferguson: But we’ve had a really fun time playing into it. I mean it’s been – they’ve done a really good job of writing both sides of that equation, so that we – I mean you genuinely don’t know, hopefully, you know, that like, gosh, is he nice but just a little off, or is he off and pretending to be nice?

Favorite Part of being their Character
Colin Ferguson: What I like most is what they’ve – that they’ve given me so much to play. You know, when you come in to be – to service, you know, a show the way that had been brought in, the fear is that you’re going to be the plot hammer. You’re just going to come in and like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and everybody else with just cool reaction.
But they’ve actually written this great role that has so much subtexts because you’re not really sure what he’s doing from time to time, and that was a huge gift for me. So I think probably that’s what I’m most grateful for and what I like the most, that he does that with humor. And yes, I would say that three times in a row if I could, but that’s where I’m at.

Emily Rose: Yes. I think for me, as far — I just choked a little bit there — I think for me, Audrey is such a fun character to play in general because she gets to be all these different people. And so with Lexie, I feel like one of the fun things for me to play with her was like all of the external things that she was — her hair, her rings, her nose ring, the dark sort of edgier kind of point of view, and just the humor.
I mean Audrey is so serious all the time because she has to be. And so playing Lexie was like a breath of fresh air because she didn’t take anything seriously. She’s like there to have a good time, party a bit. And if she gets freaked out, kind of cool and crazy. But she’s mainly there like razzing everybody and, you know, just kind of a party girl.
So that was like, you know, just the most, I don’t know, the detail and just the thing that always caught me off-guard when I was getting to film was I was like, I get to say that line in a completely different way and it’s hilarious. That’s really fun. So that was part I enjoyed the most with Lexie.

Working with Robert Maillet and Kyle Mitchell?
Colin Ferguson: They’re awesome. They’re great guys. I mean the first thing that Kyle and I had to do was fight and sort of to choreograph it. And, you know, typical to television, you choreograph this massive fight which is like, you spin you, and you spin you, and you swing this, and, you know, you see the file cut and it’s about six seconds long. So we got to know each other really, really quickly. And Robert’s amazing. I mean he’s a really funny guy. And he and Adam know each other sort of tangentially from the wrestling world. So that was really fun to hear them sort of shoot stories back and forth, you know, while we’re waiting for stuff to do what.

Emily Rose: Yes. And Kyle is so funny. If you go throughout the seasons, you’ll see him kind of sprinkled around. But it’s neat that we have him land this sort of, you know, really farmy sort of role.
And Robert is just the nicest guy you’ve ever met, so sweet, so kind, and just, you know, such a gentle giant, which is always really awesome. It’s just great to have, you know, real characters to play around with. They’re fantastic.

Colin Ferguson: And did it air, did they use the take when it aired when the two of them walked over completely in synch? Did it air?
Yes. Okay. That was them. That was – those two working out of bed, and then they did it and Shawn, who was the director, he said, I love it, let’s keep it. So they’re very funny guys on their own.

What Fans Should Look Forward To
Colin Ferguson: I would say this season. I’m really excited for them to see this season. From what the feedback we’ve been given from the post-production people and the executives, that they’re unbelievably proud of the season, that it’s coming together in a way that they’re really excited about and maybe even one of the best seasons that they’ve seen. So when you hear stuff like that, you sort of can’t wait for it – for the whole season to get out.

Emily Rose: Yes, definitely. And I think – yes. I mean – I think I’m just – the thing that I always enjoy the most about Haven is the relationships between people and how those changed or altered by the external circumstances. So for me, I think my favorite moments of this season are between some of the key relationships that are set up and how those change or are affected or altered by all the different variables that we draw into play. So it’s really exciting to see, you know, Lucas react to some of the things he has to react to, a new way. And it’s really exciting to see, you know, William and Lexie and that new relationship and how – what the, you know, just the different elements of humor you get within that.
So to me the thing I’m looking forward to the most is the relationship aspect of the season.

Colin Ferguson: I’m going to throw in also on that. I mean one of the joys of working on this show with these people is that they’re all really fantastic people, so all day long we watch each other struggle trying to get certain moments, certain ways on camera, and that’s where a lot of the humor on set comes from, when, you know, you’re failing to get there or you finally got there. And I mean, just I’m looking forward to seeing all those little victories put together, you know, and so we can watch them together. And it’s just nice to be proud of the people you work with when you, you know, when you look back. So that’s something I’m looking forward to.

Who is Emily’s True Character – Audrey, Sarah, Lucy or Lexi?
Emily Rose: Yes, I definitely think it’s something that he might be involved with. I think for me it’s not so much my concern that the audience necessarily learns what her true identity will be, but resonate with that true identity. Because the thing that I sort of struggled with in setting up Lexie for the beginning of the season was the concern I had in that, you know, I love launching a new character and now this is the first time that I’d been able to actually play that character for a prolonged amount of episodes. But how do I feel about Audrey not being there? And how do I feel about her being missing? And will the audience miss her like the characters miss her?
And so some of the stuff I’ve been, you know, reading on Twitter that sort of confirms that, about, you know, liking Lexie but missing Audrey, and I love that people miss Audrey because I feel like that’s what the other characters are going through and what she kind of feels about her own self. So my concern isn’t necessarily that, you know, they will understand who she is as much as they will resonate with who she is if and when she finds herself and kind of loved her just the same, because they’ve been with Audrey for three seasons, you know, obviously.
But what happens if Audrey goes away? What happens if Audrey changes? What happens, you know, to these friends that you sort of made throughout these years? That’s kind of the bigger question for me in terms of what the audience connects with. And just in terms of, you know, an actor to a character too, trying to make sure that I do her justice and play her in a really truthful way and don’t let go of her in the midst of all these other changes, you know, because I do think she is such a key part of what Haven is. So, yes.

Haven airs Friday 10/9c on Syfy