#INTERVIEW Allan Hawco stars in CBC’s new show ‘Caught’

CBC announced their 2018 line up and one of the most anticipated show is Caught. Adapted from Lisa Moore’s acclaimed novel, Canadian’s Allan Hawco, stars as David Slaney who was locked up after a drug bust, he breaks out of prison to attempt one more drug deal with his former partner Brian Hern( Eric Johnson). It’s Slaneys last chance at freedom, but in this tale of bravado and betrayal, you can’t trust anyone. Hawco is one of Canada’s most recognizable stars, not only did he is producing and starring in the show but he has also starred in Dramatic series Republic of Doyle and award winning show Frontier. We had a chance to chat with Hawco on his upcoming role as David Slaney in Caught. 

How are you? Heard you’re back in Newfoundland?
Excellent! Always, not always, but as often as I can be.

You’re really well-known for Republic of Doyle. What did you find was the biggest challenge comparing your role as Jake Doyle to David Slaney?
That’s interesting. It’s funny, I’ve never thought of any character that way , in terms of comparing it to other characters.

Did you find one more challenging to play than the other?
It’s weird, every character is a different vibe right? I know that sounds super typical. The truth is that every character that I’ve ever played, like I’m playing Douglas Brown in Frontier. He’s radically different than any other character I’ve ever played. He’s just the bones that make up the guy in the DNA, not something I had to act as. Compared to Jake and Slaney, Yes, they’re both kind of the leading man who have to what they have to do to do the right thing. They have that in common. Slaney is a much more vulnerable guy, he has a different quality about him. The approach for Jake was that he often just kicked down doors before he asked questions. He constantly is getting himself into situations that are complicated because of his impulses. Slaney is much more thoughtful I think. Slaney is very thought and will play a very long game to get what he wants.

You’ve read the book to get into the role correct?
I mean I adapted the series from the book. I adapted all the episodes. So I read it about a hundred thousand times.

How did you approach the author? How did the process begin?
Well so Doyle, which I also wrote was coming to an end. Entertainment One was our distributor for Caught . Someone at eOne gave me the book to read and I read it in about two hours. And then I called Lisa Moore.

Your character Slaney gets caught in drug trafficking. Any tips for people to try and not get caught up in that industry.
I would never put myself in the authority to tell what people what to do with their lives. But there’s a famous group of people in Newfoundland who were a big part of this thing, and a lot of similarities to the book. The real life story, so we brought a guy on as a consultant who lived a portion of Slaneys live. Went heavily through him as inspiration as an actor, writer, consultant. Its’ a tough game. What’s Interesting right now is this is all legalized. Garret’s life was completely altered in the 70s. About 40 years ago,. It’s all legalized today so it’s kind of an appropriate time the story comes out.

How do you go The Xtra Mile?
You’re always trying to do everything you can to bring your best to it. I think it’s important not to focus on unrealistic expectation and only focus on the things you can control. You want to bring your best stuff to it. I worked really hard on this one to not get distracted with the producer hat and the lighting hat because of the emotional component he’s going through .

Any last words for fans?
I just hope people really enjoy it and have a great time with it. It was a fun thing to make.

CBC premiers Caught on Monday, Feb 26 at 9 p.m