With the clock ticking down on the fate of Audrey Parker, the final two episodes of HAVEN hold all the answers. But not wanting to spoil all the fun, in a recent press call stars Emily Rose, Eric Balfour and Adam Copeland talked about some of the fun they had this season and provided a few clues on what is next for our favorite HAVEN heroes.
What’s it been like to learn the significance of the barn in relation to the challenge of understanding the timeline of Audrey, Lucy and Sarah?
EMILY: It’s been really fascinating because this barn has grown some prominence as the season has gone along. I think that’s probably the exciting thing about the last episode: how close we get to unearthing this mythical sort of building and what is. I still don’t even quite understand everything that it is. But it’s been really neat. It’s one of those things you sort of dance around for a long time in each of the seasons and then you finally go, ‘Oh, this is cool. We’re actually going to go there. This is really interesting.’ So it’s been really fun for me. And it’s been fun that it feels in way like a portal in some manners of the word; kind of like the mystery of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” growing up. It’s like this really interesting thing. And I’ll be really fascinated to find out more about it hopefully as the seasons go on.
Since Duke’s been more of a good guy this season, how do you see him now as compared to the first two seasons and where things will wind up this season?
ERIC: Wow, that’s an interesting question. I don’t know that Duke is more of a good guy this season. I think he is being more true to his nature this season and it has been a really fun dichotomy to play. The writers did a really great job of writing. But it’s interesting because I think Duke always had a very clear code of honor which made him fun because he was compromising. You know, uncompromising people are sort of easy to like. But I always think there is going to be a struggle in Duke. And I think that’s what’s going to continue to make him interesting. I think he’s always going to struggle with his good nature because of the things that have happened to him in his life and the character that has been created and the back story that he has. I think there’s always going to be a struggle.
Do you think that Duke and Audrey will ever hook up?
ERIC: I think there’s an amazing thing about human nature where we want what we can’t have. And once we get it, we sometimes don’t want it anymore. And I think that’s true with audiences as well. So, I know there are people who root for Audrey and Duke to be together and Audrey and Nathan to be together. And there are people who even root for Duke and Nathan to be together and I embrace those people too. But I think one of the beautiful dances of a show like this is that the longer we can figure out interesting and intelligent ways to bring the characters together and then pull them apart and bring them together, I think that’s something that I’m always fascinated by watching because it’s kind of pretty true to human nature in our lives anyways. We’re constantly doing that on our own in real life. So that would be my thoughts on it.
EMILY: Yes, it’s definitely one of those things where you feel like if we were to have gone there in the first season or even the second season, it’s something that wouldn’t be necessarily as wanted even right now. So it’s really kind of interesting, these relationships, seeing all the hardships and the complications, just even getting to know each other initially and now all the challenges that in third season. I can only think of how diffusing that tension in that area would be beneficial so many ways.
Your characters have gone through some amazing twists and turns this season. What have been some of the biggest acting challenges this season in playing your respective roles?
ADAM: My answer is probably broader because the whole acting process to me is still very new to me. So the whole process is a challenge for me at this point because I’m really learning And one of the things that I really wanted to try to do is just come in with my eyes wide open, my ears wide open and just listen and watch. That was really all I’ve been trying to do This year I’m actually taking steps to try and get better at this because it’s been a lot of fun and kind of cathartic and creative process that I still need. And it’s still that, so that’s really nice. For me, the biggest challenge is just trying to get somewhat passable at the whole acting thing.
ERIC: I just want to add that I’ve been really impressed by the leaps and bounds that Adam has made as an actor.
ADAM: Thanks, buddy.
ERIC: I really am proud of you. I’ll say this on the record. I remember when he did his first episode in Season 2. And I can be honest about this now, because I think he knows I love him, he was so stiff. I honestly was like, “Is this dude going to make it through this? I’m worried about him.” And it was so fun to watch him blossom because he really did. I’m so proud of him that he’s found a comfort level and a groove. I mean, obviously, you don’t get to where he is gotten to in his life without being talented and charismatic. But nonetheless, it’s like being a great athlete in one arena. That doesn’t mean that it immediately translates to some other sport. But the fact that he is this great, he’s just getting better and better and better. And now it’s so much fun to watch what he does now because he actually goes beyond what’s on the page now and brings something to it and makes it interesting. So it’s really fun. That being said, the most difficult challenge for me this season was having to do scenes with Adam Copeland and pretend like I didn’t like him.
EMILY: Wow. I think bringing it back around, I feel like this answer is sort of an obvious one: I think it was just creating people other than Audrey. It was really exciting for me to be able to do that. Sarah was a really fun character to create and it was a scary challenge because I didn’t know if I’d be happy with the end result. But to be honest, Lucy’s an even harder person to create, which I’m still trying to figure out, even though she didn’t have as much time as Sarah did, because Lucy was somebody that we had met in a season prior. And she’s been a visual but we never really talked to her or heard her voice, other than meeting the actual Lucy in Season 2 Sometimes when I audition or put myself on tape for stuff when I’m out in Nova Scotia, a lot of times my agents will say, or I’ll get feedback like, ‘Oh, well, they really like you. It just came off a little bit too tough. And all of that I attribute to playing Audrey for five months or whatever. So to snap out of her for a few scenes a day, to snap out of who Audrey is and to have the softness or curiosity or to still maintain those common threads of character traits of these women but to create different people is tricky. And it’s a challenge that I enjoy, but it’s still tricky.
Can you talk a little bit about filming the episode “Last Goodbyes,” was there anything that really sticks out production-wise from that episode?
EMILY: I just remember being really, really tired the whole time. My husband’s family was in town and also my really good friend, Nolan North, who I work on a different project with, was in town. So after a long day of shooting you have to prepare for the next day, but then you also want to spend time with these people in your life as well. And your time is getting so limited. So I just remember this season the writers and everybody had been really, really great about giving us perspective time off to prepare and have some time to recoup in different places, being lighter in one episode or parts of the episode. And that was the first episode in that whole season that I had to be in top-to-bottom like every single day because everybody was asleep. I think we were filming a press thing on the weekend that weekend. And I just remember it being absolutely and utterly like I was like walking around in a coma myself. So it’s kind of funny how the Troubles sometime manifest in real life. But I just remember the utter and sheer exhaustion I felt. But it was really fun. It was really fun to work with Nolan. It’s always fun to have your friends come up. And I’ve never experienced that. I haven’t been in this business long enough to experience like working with people for long terms again and again which is kind of just starting to happen in my life. So it was really exciting and I was really excited to see that people responded to it because you never know what will happen when you take a lot of the main characters out for a bit, or you lower the amount of time that we see them and put them asleep. It’s a big, big, big risk and it’s because, rightfully so, all of the audience wants to see everybody, every week. So it was a lot of fun and really exciting and I’m glad it ended up working out, but I sure was tired by the end of it.
Do you think Nolan North might come back sometimes to the show?
EMILY: I know that Nolan would absolutely love to. And he and Shawn talk often. Shawn’s one of our executive producers. So it wouldn’t surprise me but I have absolutely no clue or control over any of that stuff. I’m not sure but it was really fun to have him around, for sure.
Emily and Eric, can you talk about the key moments in the “Sarah” episode? What were the things about that episode that stood out for you that you thought was the highlight for the season at that point?
EMILY: I think, it was certainly fun. I went back through my Canadian phone and was looking at all the pictures from that episode. And I just think, like I can’t even tell you, I love our cast and crew so much; they make me so happy when I think about it when I’m away. I have great friends and family here but it’s so nice to feel like you have that up in Chester. And I just feel like that episode in particular was an episode that every one of our departments showed what they were capable of and what they could do. It wasn’t half-hearted at all. It was just exciting to step down on the wharf in Lunenburg and to see all these boats and all these people and hundreds of extras at the Shore Club and everything, just all dressed up and to really create this world that was from another place. HAVEN’s sort of timeless anyway. But it was really exciting to see all of our departments show up and watch how proud each and every department was of what they did. And I think, if anything, it was just a big group effort that everybody really enjoyed doing. That stuck out to me the most.
ERIC: Yes, I agree. I thought it was just a really kick-ass effort on the part of everyone to pull off recreating 1950’s HAVEN. I read the script and I went, “Oh God, this is going to be a tragedy.” And I was so pleasantly surprised because everybody stepped it up and went way beyond their duties and their pay grade and their budgets. Everyone just made it happen. I was really proud of Emily in that episode. It took a lot of guts and — how do I put this — it took balls because she really did go for it in creating a character out of Sarah. From the voice that she used and the dialect and the mannerisms, it would have been very easy to just say, “Oh, okay, Sarah is Audrey but with a different color hair. Okay.” But she didn’t. She really went for it and even — and not that to throw anybody under the bus — even to some of the skepticism at the beginning of some of the producers. And I can understand they’re worried. I understand. It’s scary when people try things that are out of the box. But she stuck to her guns. I love actors that go for it. I love actors that try shit. And she really did. She went for it and I was just really proud of her because that’s an opportunity on our show. Look, I don’t bounce around on the set and trip and fall and make silly faces just because I’m bored. Maybe I do. But we have the opportunity with our show to elicit another reality and so I think it’s really awesome when we all take that opportunity and go for it. When we find the humor in strange situations and when we find the sincerity in unrealistic situations, I just think it’s awesome.
Do you guys have any favorites of the Stephen King references on the show? Do do you like looking for them in the script when you get them?
ERIC: I actually have a lackey that I pay to find all the Stephen King references for me before I leap in.
EMILY: I have to honestly say one of the fun things for me is watching the fans find all of that stuff. My brain is so thinking about so many other things that sometimes there will definitely be things and if we’re on set, I will enjoy asking the writers, is that a reference? Is that something? I’m never going to be good at knowing all of that stuff. I do not think I have the mind space to keep all that stuff straight. But it is really fun to ask the writers about that and then to later see the fans go crazy when there is one.
In “Reunion,” because of what happens, we all know that Duke goes through a change. But is it more leaning towards comedy because of the circumstances, would you say?
EMILY: I think the thing that was kind of crazy for me about this episode tonight was I was a little perplexed, to be honest with you, that it was a more a comedic sort of episode. I remember that you saying, ‘Really, the second to the last episode is going to be a bit more light-hearted? How is this going to work? We’re coming into this big, huge, massive cliffhanger and we’re going to laugh?’ And I just remember being very pleasantly surprised and going okay, it’s kind of like the calm before the storm, you know? It’s good to have some humor before it all hits the fan. So yes, I think it was really great and definitely fun to film that episode. I remember having a good time filming it.
ERIC: It was also nice to see you and Nathan dance a little bit too. That was kind of cool.
EMILY: Oh, and we danced to the most amazing song. I was laughing my butt off. It’s hilarious. I was like really? We’re playing this right now? This is so high school reunion. This is amazing.
Is there anything else that you can tell us? Any hints or anything about this week’s show or the season finale?
ADAM: Without giving away anything, and Emily already kind of touched upon, there’s one really amazing scene for me as a character in the show and then also, just for me, Adam, sitting there watching this and seeing all of my friends, there’s one moment where you see everyone and all on one spot. And it’s very, very cool to see that because, well, for me personally, as the character who fights, interactive one-on-one or in groups of twos or threes but never all of that. So it was just seeing the scope of kind of the landscape that they painted, along with the landscape of the scene, the physical attributes of the scene, it’s pretty epic, is the right word.
Adam, we will learn any more about Dwight’s back story next season?
ADAM: I honestly have no idea. Little by little, I think, layers have kind of been peeled back. If you were to compare HAVEN to THE AVENGERS, I think Dwight is kind of like the Thor and Duke is kind of Iron Man and Nathan is Captain America. And Audrey, I guess, would be Black Widow. So I look at it in those terms.
ERIC: Wait, who was I?
ADAM: You’re Iron Man.
ERIC: Oh, that’s cool. Okay, cool.
ADAM: Yes, it’s a pretty good comparison. I mean, it’s…
ERIC: Yes, that’s pretty good. I like that one. Thank you. I appreciate that.
ADAM: You’re welcome, you’re welcome. So I kind of look at it in those terms. If you see too much of Thor, it could get old, as good as I thought the movie was. So I think…
ERIC: Wait a minute. You’re Thor?
ADAM: Yes, I think I’d be more Thor, yes.
ERIC: Oh, that’s – okay, sorry. I was going to go with the Hulk. Never mind.
ADAM: So I guess in answer to your question, hopefully. And I think I’ll take that as a challenge because if we do start to get into a little bit of the back story then it will be more of an acting challenge for me so that will be good.
We know that Dwight is considered The Cleaner and he’s very familiar with the Teagues brothers but Dwight is also a member of the Guard. Did you know that about your character when you signed on as a regular on the show?
ADAM: No, because this wasn’t originally supposed to be a regular on the show so this is all just fallen into place, I think, as we’ve gone which can make it challenging in one respect because you don’t necessarily know where it’s going. But at the same time, I was kind of used to that in the old gig so it’s need to be still on your toes and kind of seeing surprises and things that you maybe weren’t expecting. But I do like the aspect that Dwight is The Cleaner and that means he’s going to interact with everyone. And there’s going to be a lot of things that you don’t see that he does that could play into things later on. But I really liked and enjoyed the interaction with the Teagues, with Vince and Dave because as actors, Richard and John are just so much fun to work with too. And every time I watch the show and they pop on, I get a smile on my face. They really add an element to the show. And I’ve said this numerous times that I think it’s needed in the show and it was a lot of fun to work them more this year.
Did you have any say in how large that tattoo was going to be on your back?
ADAM: Well, we just had to figure out how it was going to translate. And added to that, the day we did it, and you can’t tell which was amazing to me, so props to everyone in all the different departments, because it was a monsoon that day. The rain was like sideways. It was about 10 Celsius. It was right on the water. And to get the tattoo to actually stay in the midst of that, the grave that I was digging was filling up and the ashes were actually floating. That’s how much it was raining So the biggest challenge wasn’t so much the size as just keeping it on once it was on. And we actually did it in four different pieces. That’s how big it was.
What was the biggest thing that surprised you each about your character this season?
ADAM: I think for Dwight, the reveal of possible membership or at least past membership in the Guard. I think that was, for my character, the biggest reveal. And for me reading it, I was like oh, okay, this adds a new element that’s pretty cool.
Audrey has been somewhat accosted by the Bolt-Gun Killer, the aka skinwalker who is now inhabiting Claire’s skin. Do you think that the Bolt-Gun Killer is trying to get more information from Audrey from her past lives as Sarah and Lucy? Or do you think that he’s using her as leverage to get more information out of the Teagues brothers who obviously know way more than they’re letting on?
EMILY: Well, that’s a hard question to answer because I sort of know the answer to that question. And I think you guys will all but know the answer to that question too, at the end of the season. So I can’t really say. I can’t really say. I just know that she’s been or he’s been uncomfortably close and definitely has had their reasons, so… But you’ll know [soon].
Is it safe to say that Bree Williamson is not coming back for Season 4? Is that something you could tell us?
EMILY: Oh man, I have no clue. I have no clue. Is she though? Is she [dead]? I don’t know about that. We’ll see. You never know with HAVEN.
ERIC: I would just add that of all the characters throughout the seasons who have passed on to the other side, gone away, Bree was one of the saddest for me. We all loved Bree. EMILY: We loved her.
ERIC: If there is a way for Bree to live and come back, we would all be for that.
EMILY: Yes. That was a really sad day in the trailer when we were talking about that.
Will Duke get all silver-eyed before or by the season finale? And will someone else that we know perish at his hand?
ERIC: Do you want my honest answer? I don’t remember. I don’t remember. Do I go all silver-eyed? Can we stop referring to it as all silver-eyed? This week’s episode, Duke is going to have his own problems to deal with and he’s going through a lot this week and going through many, many changes. There’s so much going on this season in the season finale that you won’t miss that if it doesn’t happen. Somebody very well may die at Duke’s hand in the season finale.
What similarities do you share with your characters and what are the differences?
EMILY: I think for me the one similarity is I can be really stubborn and not give up on things and be a little prickly at first when I get to know people because you feel like in this nomadic life you get to know a lot of people and the people that are the most sensitive are the most prickly. And I feel like I share that with Audrey. And I also just feel like I share the deep need to have really, really close friends and to love on them well and have good close friends and family. And I don’t think she’s ever had that but she definitely has that really deep need. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
ERIC: I think for me, Duke and I both have very striking facial features that are very similar. And I think the biggest difference between our characters – actually along the same lines – is that Duke’s nose is much bigger than mine. That’s all I got.
ADAM: In that case, I’d say I think Dwight is, for the most part, a pretty stand-up guy. He’s definitely got some demons. You know, he’s got a few things that haven’t been uncovered yet, but I think for the most part, he’s one of those guys that if you’re on his side, you kind of have a comrade for life. But if he doesn’t trust you going in, then there’s always going to be that little bit of a chip on his shoulder. But I think, as a whole, I think Dwight’s just a pretty good, stand-up guy that wants to do the right thing.
Are we going to get to see the Colorado Kid on screen, at least in this season?
ADAM: Do we?
ERIC: I don’t know. I don’t know.
ADAM: Do I give away anything if I say?
ERIC: I honestly – I don’t think it would be very much fun to say yes or no because we do know the answer but either way, it will be a disappointment if we reveal if it’s no which it could be or if it’s yes. Because if you say no, it makes sense because obviously we want to keep that mystery going, you know, because the show’s going to continue. We know we’ve been picked up for a fourth season. At the same time, yes, we do want to start to resolve some of these things and pay off some of the stuff and so you want to say, yes.
What has been the biggest reveal this season?
ERIC: Now that we’ve seen how some things have transpired, there are lots we can talk about that we didn’t want to reveal. I think the biggest thing that we have seen this season is that we knew so little about what we thought about all of the characters. Unlike past seasons, and I think maybe it was my character, to some degree that was true, and then other seasons you were always a little bit unsure of Duke, but this season, we introduced the character of Tommy, who we revealed wasn’t really even Tommy. We’ve seen that happen now with Reid’s character. There have been reveals about the character that we introduced, Jordan. We’re learning things about Dwight’s past. We’re learning about the other incarnations of Emily’s character: Sarah and Lucy. These huge character reveals were very difficult to talk about because they’re so pivotal to the story line this season. And I am still excited to say that there is so much more to be revealed in the last two episodes of the season that are huge. And I can’t say enough about this season’s cliffhanger. I mean, it’s cruel in some ways what we’re going to do to the fans. And we’re doing it because we love you. I just want to make that clear. We’re doing it out of love and it’s for your own personal growth and evolution.
What do you think it is about HAVEN that continues to make it such a fan-favorite program?
ADAM: Well, we’ve always said it has the sci-fi element to it and it takes place on the Syfy series. But it’s more than that because Eric and Emily were just talking about the relationships that really drive the show. It’s not special effects. It’s not what Trouble will happen that week. It really is the ongoing saga that happens between all of the chess players. And I think that it has elements of romance and drama and sci-fi and all of these things. So I think that’s what it brings to the table.
Can you talk about what you liked or what you missed with the different mixes of characters this season? Particularly since we didn’t see as much of Audrey and Nathan together, but it was nice to see Audrey get to work more with Duke and Audrey to work with Dwight and then see more of the Teagues.
EMILY: Yes, I think it’s really, really fun. I think that’s the gift of a show that actually gets to go on this long. We’re so honored that the fans have really enjoyed it. It’s like the first season between Audrey and Duke, it’s like these animals sort of circling one another and being like, “What are you about? What are you about?” It was really fun for me because this year in working with Eric, specifically. Audrey gets to express this other side of herself that she doesn’t usually get to express necessarily with Nathan. She did a little bit at the beginning when she was being a little quirky. But just like the scenes in Colorado when like we’re sitting or kicking back some beers and she gets to let down her hair and feels safe that he’s for her and that they’ve overcome these big things in terms the trail that he felt towards her but then how she really sees and admires and sees this other side of him. It’s a real fun relationship that they have now that they have this friendship. And it’s been really neat because it just brings out the different sides of these characters. And I think that’s something I really like about the finale too is you see all these characters bump off of each other and Audrey having to face each of these characters. It is really neat to be this far along in the season since it’s given that opportunity. It’s exciting to not have any of that get cut short.
ERIC: Yes. I was also going to say, I was really lucky because whenever you add new people, new dynamics and new personalities, you never know how that’s going to mix. But I’m just really grateful that I didn’t have to work with one bad apple this season. I liked everybody that I got to do the majority of my scenes with. I had a great time. I was really lucky in that way. And I can’t speak for anybody else who had different experiences. But I know that I dug everybody I hung out with and did most of my scenes with. So I was lucky. I was just happy. I’m just smiling. In reference to what Emily was just saying about the finale, I just want to put it out there: mind-blowing, like literally. I’m not going to surprise anybody by saying that the season’s going to end with a cliffhanger. I know you all know that and you’re all aware of that. But the season finale of this season is so epic and kick-ass. And the cliffhanger…
EMILY: Yes, it is pretty big. It is. It messed with me for a little bit, I have to say.
ERIC: There are some crazy things going to happen at the end of this season. 
To see exactly how crazy things get in HAVEN, be sure to tune in for the climatic 2-hour finale with the episodes “Reunion” and “Thanks for the Memories” on Thursday, January 17th at 8PM on Syfy (8PM on Friday January 17 at Showcase in Canada). It is going to be a long wait for Season 4, so savor every last second of the final #EscapeToHaven for Season 3!
Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).