We’re less than a day away from the return of Haven, and during a recent press call, we got to chat with Eric Balfour about his character, Duke Crocker, his role in Audrey’s past, and the challenges of the dramatic turn that Duke is going to take during the second season.
Why he loves Haven:
“I just loved that this show took place in this very quirky, macabre, funny world. And I love the character. And I love that Haven, while it has all this mystery and it has all this danger, it also has this very small town warmth and it has this, you know, sense of family and it’s strange. And I’m always pushing the producers and the writers to actually perpetuate that even more because I think one of the most interesting things about this show is how sort of odd everyone is in this town. I mean when you think about the characters, Vince and Dave who run the newspaper … I love those guys. They’re just funny and weird and goofy. And I’m hoping, as the show goes on and we move into further seasons, that we really, really keep pushing that boundary even further.”
What he likes about his character:
“I love playing Duke. I really do. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the writers for writing this character because he’s so much fun to play. He has no boundaries. He can say what he wants. He can do what he wants. He doesn’t have to abide by anyone’s rules and I think that’s probably something I enjoy in my own life.”
On Duke’s role in the mystery of Audrey’s past:
“As we’re learning that, you know, obviously, Audrey Parker’s character, or Lucy or whatever. I can’t even keep it straight at this point. But as we are learning how she is connected to Haven, we’re going to find out that Duke has a really strong significant role to play in what is happening in this town. And actually how, not only Duke but his entire family is connected to Haven and its struggles.”
On a new character who will be popping up in the premiere:
“So Duke has this woman come into this life. And Duke is sort of similar to me in that he is attracted to dangerous women. And he’s one of those guys who doesn’t like anything that comes easily. He likes the challenge and he likes a certain amount of danger and game and suspense. So this woman comes into his life and definitely starts to turn things upside down and really is a catalyst for a big part of where Duke is going this season and really in future seasons too.”
On his biggest challenge in Season 2:
“I think the biggest challenge this season was because what I love about Duke is his humor and his sort of spontaneity and his wit. And that’s, in some ways, the levity that he brings to the show. But because there are some really drastic things going on for Duke this season and some really heavy things happening, it was really challenging to be truthful and honest in the moments that those things are happening with the character, but not lose what makes him fun and not lose that sense of play that he has. Because as life gets dramatic it’s hard to laugh it off. But that’s in some ways what really makes Duke, Duke. I think like a lot of my favorite movie [anti-heroes], he has the ability to laugh in the face of danger. When you think about Han Solo or Bruce Willis in Die Hard or Indiana Jones … what makes them great is the ability to crack a joke when they’re facing their doom.”
On the importance of Haven‘s online fan community:
“The online community and Twitter is just a really wonderful fun way to communicate with the fans of the show and for people to become my friends through the show and to have an open dialogue … It’s really important for the promotion of this show, the online community. There’s only so much money that one single network can put into promoting the show. And so our audience and our fans have really been driven by word of mouth. We don’t have the luxury of a lot of like billboards or ad campaigns and things like that to promote the show. And so the online community has been huge for us. So we really love them because they keep us employed. And the louder and more noise they make and the more they talk about the show, the longer the show is going to stay on the air. And it really is the lifeblood of our show.”
See Eric Balfour’s return as Duke Crocker in Season 2 of Haven, beginning tomorrow at 10pm on Syfy, and Monday at 10pm on Showcase.
Photo Courtesy of Syfy
