Lifting the gloom: Black Harbour star moves behind the camera - and he promises to lighten up the series
October 11, 1997
By Ian Johnston, The Halifax Daily News
Black Harbour should be a cheerier place this season.
The CBC drama – set in a fictional Nova Scotia fishing community – was marked last year by a downbeat tone, best reflected by main characters Nick and Katherine (Geraint Wyn Davies and Rebecca Jenkins), a troubled couple who moved back to Katherine’s home town to restart their marriage.
Things don’t go as planned, however.
At the end of last season, Nick departed for a job directing a movie in Hollywood, leaving Katherine with the two kids, a boat-building operation and lots of personal demons.
The second season premiere – airing Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on CBC – picks the story up six months later, but not a lot has changed. Nick has not returned, leaving their marriage in limbo.
Yet, things aren’t all bad. Katherine is starting life afresh. There’s a new restaurant to run, and renewed interest in Paul (Alex Carter), an old beau.
“We were all very concerned about the grimness of the first season, so it’s being addressed,” says Wyn Davies, on location at a former fish plant in Hubbards that stands in for the Black Harbour boatyard.
“I think it was just a matter of the show finding its footing, a balance, and the actors’ strengths.
In reality, there’s a lot of laughter, even in the most stressful situations. So there’s some lightness in the first episode. People have hope. Relationships are in development, as opposed to falling apart.”
Though the character of Nick doesn’t appear in the season premiere, Wyn Davies did direct the episode. And plans are in the works for the actor to helm two more episodes this season.
Directing is not new for Wyn Davies, who is likely best known for his kindly but troubled vampire Nick Knight on the series Forever Knight .
“I directed for North of 60 last spring, and did direct in the theatre years ago,” says the 40-year-old Wyn Davies. “If you’re not fully engaged in the theatre as an actor, then it’s hard. I couldn’t maintain my level of commitment or enthusiasm without something else to throw into the mix, and that was directing.”
Needless to say, directing for television isn’t quite the same as directing for the stage “In theatre, you have time to work with the actors and the space. But with TV, you do a scene a couple of times, and move on. There’s constant movement, which is great. You have to make clear, fast choices.”
Wyn Davies uses his real-life directing experience while playing his Black Harbour character, a down-and-out filmmaker on the comeback trail. “Oh yeah. The ability to be mercurial, to answer questions quickly and respond to situations in a flash. Nick is like that.”
Wyn Davies – who was born in Wales, grew up in Canada and now lives in California – says this country is a great place for actors to develop their craft.
Although he was once known mostly for his stage acting, Wyn Davies has amassed quite an impressive list of TV credits over the years.
“We are so privileged in Canada. The opportunity to balance the theatre, film and television is amazing,” he says. “No one in Los Angeles believes our resumes. Nobody could possibly do so much and be so diverse,” he says. “Up here in Canada, it’s not about finding that career-making role, it’s about the work you’re doing now. It involves an apprenticeship, and being a journeyman. But it creates a longevity because we don’t have the star system.
” Wyn Davies says he was surprised to find out that Black Harbour was, in fact, his sixth TV series. It’s a resume that includes such Canadian series as The Judge, Airwolf, Serve and Protect, Dracula: The Series and, of course, the cult hit Forever Knight, which ran for four seasons .
Beyond that, Wyn Davies’s TV credits reads like the history of Canadian TV since the mid 1970s. He has appeared on more than 20 series or Canada-shot TV movies, including The Littlest Hobo, The Edison Twins, Diamonds, Street Legal, Robocop, Highlander, Katts and Dog, The Campbells, My Secret Identity, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Outer Limits, For The Record, The Great Detective, The Hidden Room, Matrix, and the 1989 TV reunion movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.
“I thought right up to Forever Knight that I hadn’t done a lot of television. But you look at my credits and wow! I guess I have.” The second season of Black Harbour begins Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on CBC.
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October 11, 1997
By Ian Johnston, The Halifax Daily News
Black Harbour should be a cheerier place this season.
The CBC drama – set in a fictional Nova Scotia fishing community – was marked last year by a downbeat tone, best reflected by main characters Nick and Katherine (Geraint Wyn Davies and Rebecca Jenkins), a troubled couple who moved back to Katherine’s home town to restart their marriage.
Things don’t go as planned, however.
At the end of last season, Nick departed for a job directing a movie in Hollywood, leaving Katherine with the two kids, a boat-building operation and lots of personal demons.
The second season premiere – airing Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on CBC – picks the story up six months later, but not a lot has changed. Nick has not returned, leaving their marriage in limbo.
Yet, things aren’t all bad. Katherine is starting life afresh. There’s a new restaurant to run, and renewed interest in Paul (Alex Carter), an old beau.
“We were all very concerned about the grimness of the first season, so it’s being addressed,” says Wyn Davies, on location at a former fish plant in Hubbards that stands in for the Black Harbour boatyard.
“I think it was just a matter of the show finding its footing, a balance, and the actors’ strengths.
In reality, there’s a lot of laughter, even in the most stressful situations. So there’s some lightness in the first episode. People have hope. Relationships are in development, as opposed to falling apart.”
Though the character of Nick doesn’t appear in the season premiere, Wyn Davies did direct the episode. And plans are in the works for the actor to helm two more episodes this season.
Directing is not new for Wyn Davies, who is likely best known for his kindly but troubled vampire Nick Knight on the series Forever Knight .
“I directed for North of 60 last spring, and did direct in the theatre years ago,” says the 40-year-old Wyn Davies. “If you’re not fully engaged in the theatre as an actor, then it’s hard. I couldn’t maintain my level of commitment or enthusiasm without something else to throw into the mix, and that was directing.”
Needless to say, directing for television isn’t quite the same as directing for the stage “In theatre, you have time to work with the actors and the space. But with TV, you do a scene a couple of times, and move on. There’s constant movement, which is great. You have to make clear, fast choices.”
Wyn Davies uses his real-life directing experience while playing his Black Harbour character, a down-and-out filmmaker on the comeback trail. “Oh yeah. The ability to be mercurial, to answer questions quickly and respond to situations in a flash. Nick is like that.”
Wyn Davies – who was born in Wales, grew up in Canada and now lives in California – says this country is a great place for actors to develop their craft.
Although he was once known mostly for his stage acting, Wyn Davies has amassed quite an impressive list of TV credits over the years.
“We are so privileged in Canada. The opportunity to balance the theatre, film and television is amazing,” he says. “No one in Los Angeles believes our resumes. Nobody could possibly do so much and be so diverse,” he says. “Up here in Canada, it’s not about finding that career-making role, it’s about the work you’re doing now. It involves an apprenticeship, and being a journeyman. But it creates a longevity because we don’t have the star system.
” Wyn Davies says he was surprised to find out that Black Harbour was, in fact, his sixth TV series. It’s a resume that includes such Canadian series as The Judge, Airwolf, Serve and Protect, Dracula: The Series and, of course, the cult hit Forever Knight, which ran for four seasons .
Beyond that, Wyn Davies’s TV credits reads like the history of Canadian TV since the mid 1970s. He has appeared on more than 20 series or Canada-shot TV movies, including The Littlest Hobo, The Edison Twins, Diamonds, Street Legal, Robocop, Highlander, Katts and Dog, The Campbells, My Secret Identity, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Outer Limits, For The Record, The Great Detective, The Hidden Room, Matrix, and the 1989 TV reunion movie Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.
“I thought right up to Forever Knight that I hadn’t done a lot of television. But you look at my credits and wow! I guess I have.” The second season of Black Harbour begins Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. on CBC.
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