Exclusive Interview: Lucas Bryant talks Haven Season 3

The third season of Haven premieres on Syfy this Friday and I had a chance to interview Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose from the show. For the first part of my feature, I've included my chat with Lucas Bryant, where we talk about his character evolving this season and he shares an entertaining story about a prank that was pulled on him while filming one of the new episodes:

Haven started off as more of a procedural show and seems to be moving away from that. How would you compare the new season to the past two?

Lucas Bryant: I agree with you. We got some great steam in season 2 and that is only fueled more so in season 3. There's still a case each week, but much like you saw in season 2, that is woven in with a deeper mythology. It's a lot more satisfying for fans to see that played out and you see even more of that in season 3. There are higher stakes, more ambitious scripts, and by the end of this season, a lot is revealed and I can't really see how Haven will ever be the same.

I'm very happy because the procedural stuff is the structure of the show, but I love the character building and larger mythology. It's been very satisfying for me to get into that this season.

With this type of show, it feels like there is always something new for you to go up against. As an actor, do you feel that every new episode presents new challenges?

Lucas Bryant: Absolutely. Especially in this season, Nathan finds himself in places he didn't necessarily expect to be [laughs]. We have a lot of new characters this season, and therefore, new relationships. There are some times during the season, where I thought that something might seem really out of character, but it pays off and makes sense by the end of the season.

I was really challenged to do more with Nathan's character and shows new sides of him that even he didn't necessarily know existed. I certainly didn't when I first started playing the character.

You, Emily, and Eric are friends off the set, but Season 2 left off with you and Eric fighting each other and it seems that we'll see more of that in Season 3. What's your experience been like fighting more with Eric while filming?

Lucas Bryant: We are great friends, but I love playing Balfour's nemesis of sorts. The thing about Nathan and Duke is that as much as they are polar opposites, they also have this real deep bond. We have a blast portraying those characters and especially this season, that friendship in the show tested further. Maybe I'm just a softie, but he's just a great man and I have a lot of affection for him in my real-life heart.

Season 3 has almost finished filming. Do you have any interesting stories, pranks, or bloopers worth sharing?

Lucas Bryant: We're pretty tame as far as pranks go, but we do enjoy our time on set with each other. We're definitely screwing around, but... well, now that I think about it, this is one of my most embarrassing moments and it happened today...  I shouldn't even be telling this...

In the episode we're filming, something comes up with Nathan's high school yearbook and they asked for younger pictures of me. This happens, sadly, in many actor's lives when you have to make the phone call to mom and dad asking for family photos. Of course, they send you the most ridiculous and embarrassing photos possible, which undoubtedly, is the one the art department chooses to feature.

So, that was today when they pulled up this picture of me. No one knew it was me at first, but when they realized it was, it was plastered all over the set. They had framed photos on the walls of the police station, it was on the bulletin board with little thought bubbles on my stupid face, saying various entertaining things. I told Emily and Eric that they will remember this day, and when their time comes, I won't hold back.

There's a huge fanbase for this show and it continues to grow. How important is fan feedback to you and do you spend a lot of time reading feedback online?

Lucas Bryant: The only reason I get to do what I love every day is because of the fans. An incredible part of my life is making this show and working with my friends, so I have nothing but immense respect and gratitude for the fans. We get to meet people at events around the world and I'm always totally blown away by fans. They are the coolest fans you could have, and their love is always rooted in a great interest in the characters and story.

With that being said, I'm not terribly into social media. I don't Tweet about the show, although I have promised someone that I will get on it, so one day you may find a grandma like me get on Twitter. I do read some of the forums online and follow people that talk about the show. People put a huge amount of time into talking about the show and I find it fascinating.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today. Can you give our readers a little hint about what they can expect from the first few episodes of Haven Season 3?

Lucas Bryant: Let me just say that the first episode may or may not have something to do with extraterrestrial life. It's got aliens, Haven style. I can't say much about episode 2, but it's super weird and episode 3 is probably one of the darkest episodes we've done. It has a wonderful blend of Stephen King-style creepy and sci-fi weirdness. It's a super ambitious season and I'm very proud of what we've accomplished. We've always pushed to be bigger and better, but I think each of these season 3 episodes raises the bar considerably.

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We have  more Haven Season 3 coverage planned for this week, so keep an eye out for our interview with Emily Rose, along with videos, photos, and a contest.