By: Courtney V.
Here is final part (three) of the interview with Haven’s Emily Rose and Adam Copeland.
Haven returns to Syfy October 8th, 10-11 p.m. ET.
Adam, when you joined the cast did you know then that your character would become such an integral part of the show and its mythology?
Adam Copeland: I had absolutely no idea. I think the – so the story goes is that Shawn Piller some of the producers and writers saw my retirement speech from WWE and said, “Hey we can get that guy,” because they wanted to tie in from WWE, Smack Down leading into Haven on Syfy. So that was the genesis of it but then you know I think it was just supposed to be a one off episode, a few scenes and that was that. Apparently halfway through the scene a call was made to LA and said, can we write a bit more. And it became a slow growth of four episodes to the next season, seven and so on and so on to the point where with this last season, it really it kind of blew my mind to be honest to be so heavily involved with you know as I said earlier kind of really pivotal moments for this series and the town and that affected all of the characters. And so that was it was pretty huge, it was a lot of fun.
And after the first season where I kind of just went, OK I – you know this isn’t a thing for me, I don’t know what I’m doing and I really enjoyed it. And from that point on like I try to do with anything that I enjoy, I locked my teeth in and just went after it. So it was a lot of fun to do this and experience it and it really gave me another path and another season in my life that I had no idea was going to open up. So I can say that this show actually changed it completely changed my life.
Are we going to see this realm on the other side of the void?
Emily Rose: The realm on the other side of the void, maybe. It would be interesting if we did wouldn’t it?
It would especially if William came back. Is there any chance of that?
Emily Rose: Maybe, yes. I don’t know. I feel like the answer to your question is disappearing into the void right now and I don’t know how to retrieve it.
What can you tell us about working with William Shatner this season?
Emily Rose: It’s incredible, right? William Shatner on Haven, I mean seriously we were like, I remember calling my parents and being like, oh my word who would you just like freak out to see on our show? So yes it’s really cool. He is really a neat guy and it’s such an incredible thing to get to work with him which I just never in a million years thought I would get to do. So yes, we’re super excited about him being a part of our universe in Haven. If you would have told me that when I started this whole thing I would have just been like, you’re kidding me. And it’s just really, really cool. Because obviously Sci-Fi fans love him and he’s a great actor and he is a presence. He is just a presence and so you can’t get around that presence. And so when you need a presence like that who better to call than the Shatner let’s be honest.
Adam Copeland: Without giving anything away from the show, it was just the fact that yes you’re standing there across and sharing scenes with William Shatner. And I affectionately refer to him as “The Shat” …
Emily Rose: I was going to call him The Shat, but I didn’t know if I was allowed to.
Adam Copeland: To which he referred to me as Babe. So but I’m pretty sure he called everybody Babe. So I don’t think that’s a rare or anything but it was really amazing. And I was super impressed with – you know this one day, my first scene with him he had been in all day, I only had one scene during the day. You’re in every scene the entire day and it’s a lot. And it was I think 7 or 8 p.m. by the time I roll in and he was just on it and not dropping anything and rearranging things and it still like just got to where it needed to get to. So I walked away from that going, my God that guy is an absolute pro.
Emily Rose: Well and all of his down time in between the scenes is memorizing the next two days you know worth of material. It’s really – it’s really quite a lesson in you know in ego and professionalism to watch you know these veteran actors do their thing. It’s encouraging. You feel like you need to take the time to do that, it’s encouraging to see them do that. And you keep at it, and you do whatever it takes to be prepared for the next day. You don’t ever slack off.
Emily one last question for you. Last year in our call, Lucas mentioned that he wanted to take the Bronco. Did he get to keep it?
Emily Rose: No he didn’t get to keep it. We – it was actually quite sad. I think it was probably the last episode we were out in the parking lot, it was freaking cold, the coldest I mean so freaking cold. And I was like – I said to Keith Flynn, I was like, “Keith, can we turn the heater on in here?” Because usually the Bronco is our safe haven. It’s where we sit and you know, sit with our cups of coffee and turn on that Bronco and just let the heat from the engine just you know warm the inside of it. And I think it was its last day, it was its wrap out day actually. And I was – you know I went to go turn it on and Flynn walks up he goes, “No she gave up on us.” And I was like, what? He’s like, “She’s done.”
I said, “What are you talking about she’s done?” And he’s like, “She won’t turn over, she gave up, she’s all done. This is her last day she’s all done.” And I was like, “Are you kidding me Keith?” And he’s like, “No I can – I can bring in a plug in heater we can you know put it right there on the seat next to you.” And I was like, oh it’s so sad, but it’s so romantic and poetic and that’s what happened. On the last day the Bronco wrapped itself out. So no, I think we had a party and they must have pushed it into the studio because we took a lot of pictures by it. But as much as Lucas you know would have loved to have that Bronco, we also knew that it was a royal piece of amazing looks and that’s all it was. So it was no, he didn’t get it but she knew when to take her bow and she did.
Adam Copeland: She did have a drink named after her.
Emily Rose: Did she?
Adam Copeland: The blue bronco on Haven.
Emily Rose: That’s right. Oh that’s right, that’s right. She did. That’s right she did.
Did you have a favorite episode or a favorite moment during the series?
Emily Rose: During the series? Wowser. Oh man. I think I like all of the time travel episodes. I like when I get to see I mean, Haven is such a timeless place anyway but I think I really, really, really dug when we got to see it transform into different eras of time. Like the 50s episode will always stand out in my mind and the one we did this season will stand out as well. But it’s too hard for me to pick a moment because to me Haven is one huge moment in my life that’s really, really cool. So it’s hard to say goodbye to that friend in a way you know. It was a lot – it was a big growing experience for me and a big adventure and a big huge family.
The people, unfortunately some of the best moments of times in your life aren’t necessarily filmed, they’re what’s not filmed. And the family that we had there and how hard the Nova Scotia people crews worked for us and what quality they put out and their consistent love and family that they created for us is really one thing that I will always have with me from now on and will never forget. So it’s pretty special, has a pretty special place in my heart. And I’m sorry I am pregnant so I’m a bit emotional about things.
Adam Copeland: I kind of echo the same sentiments. It’s – I found myself this summer for the first time I was like, wow we’re not in Nova Scotia. I really miss Nova Scotia and I miss the people and the gang and the family. And I miss you know getting together and you know having wine and just…Wow, I really sound old giving this interview.
Emily Rose: You’re really old.
Adam Copeland: And playing board games and you know wrapping, doing wrap presents for the crew and just I don’t know. It really just became more than just a show and that was such a great experience to be involved in because as I said earlier, I had no idea that was going to happen and this show truly did change my life. I think about what happened to me personally from the time I started on this show, I’ve had a baby who the entire cast and crew knows and loves. There’s babies that I know and love that got to crawl all over me and to be uncle Adam for. And those are things that no one sees that just they remain with you. From the work standpoint huge things obviously, it’s all a new experience. But I think that’s what I took from it is just that it’s trendy in industry but that it can be more than that and it was.
Emily Rose: Yes it’s it was a big year of closure this year. This summer was really I don’t know, was really sweet to be back home but it was also really hard to be away from our Haven family. We were hoping to dedicate this last season to our dear friend Nicky Butler who we lost this year. Nicky was the owner of the restaurant in town in Chester that we met with you know we had dinner at her place every single Sunday night, family dinners there as a cast and crew.
Like Adam said, when I had my, when I had Myles as a new born at six weeks going back to work like I was walking him down to dinner there strapped to me and stuff and we just have such a family there. So the fact that for us the closure has been really good and really necessary but it’s been hard to be away from family during some of those big moments but it’s also felt like the year for that. It’s just happening and life grows and changes and closes and moves on and we’re just really thankful and blessed to have been a part of it, so yes.
For Emily, Audrey is a lot different now that she’s not immune to the troubles. Has that affected the way you play her and how is that going to affect the character as well this season?
Emily Rose: Yes, I mean I just remember you know with her it was – you know it’s tricky for me to sometimes like parse out because we did like – we’re talking about season 5b but we filmed 5a and 5b together as 26 episodes. So you know I just remember, I think somebody even asked about Mara early on. And I mean the tricky part about her is like her you know the classic you know her being acting like she’s Audrey but then being Mara but then people think she’s Audrey. Then the whole you know immunity part getting thrown in there and it was really appropriate because you know a big question for Audrey this season was kind of a different version of the original question she was asking like who am I? Who am I? She didn’t know her identity initially and in terms of her family but then once she kind of reclaimed her family and who that was, and gained a new identity in being this protector of the town and somebody that was immune, now she’s faced again with a new identity crisis not only with having been these different people but also, I don’t want to say power because it’s not a power but something that she – that worked to her advantage is no longer a part of her either.
She’s constantly on that identity hunt and I can totally identify with that. And especially moving on from this character and having inhabited her for a long time, being like, oh OK what am I now and what am I doing now and how am I going to identify myself and where do I fit? But fortunately that’s just not Audrey’s question. That’s a question that we all ask and that’s a question that all the characters asked as they kind of bumped up: do I ask that question as he is forced to take different roles and how does that role change his relationship with other people. Nathan is forced to ask himself that when stuff for Audrey changes and then how does that affect their relationship? Because her – that was directly connected to a lot of the ways that they connected early on was that he could feel her and all of that. So that’s something we don’t know if that changes or not. Does that change their dynamic? All kinds of stuff that it feeds into Duke and his journey. What does it mean with the troubles being a part of him and then not a part of him? Does that make him evil, does that make him good? How does he – you know we’re they’re all the characters are asking those questions. All of them it’s just in different forms. So it’s great writing in that way because it’s a core question that we’d all you know ask just heightened and dealing with troubles. So yes it was – it was tricky to play because I constantly was like having to gauge myself with the directors and my writers, like OK where am I? And because your instinct after playing this character for so long is just to act a certain way but you have to keep the current state in the front of your mind.