One of the things I appreciate the most about Hallmark and the way in which they manage their studio is their loyalty to the local talent. There are actors like Raf Rogers who have been making Hallmark movies for years, and sometimes they even become recurring characters in their movie series. I am grateful to have been alerted to Raf and his upcoming appearance in the highly anticipated Hallmark Channel premiere It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. While Hallmark fans may not remember his character’s name from Hailey Dean, I can assure you he’s appeared more than once, and now he’s being featured in his first Hallmark Christmas movie. Recently, Raf and I had the opportunity to speak at length (we actually chatted for an hour and we’ve never met!), and I am ecstatic to share our interview in anticipation of this exciting premiere tonight (December 22nd).
RH: Raf, I am so glad that we got connected. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today.
RR: My pleasure, Ruth. And thank you for reaching out.
Tricia Helfer Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman
So let’s start at the beginning. How did you decide to pursue a career as an actor?
I’ll give you the long version. I grew up in Ottawa, and I always went to French school. I’ve never been comfortable in the language of French. I was kinda shy and would keep to myself in class. But at recess or when I was out with my friends, I was bonkers. I would basically retell entire movies. Like, I’d ask, “Have you seen Ace Ventura?” They’d say, “No.” I’d say, “Then let me show you every single scene and every piece of dialogue that goes into it.” I was always one to do that. But I also thought that to be a Hollywood actor, you had to be six foot nine and muscular or something like that. And I guess because I grew up in Ottawa, I didn’t really know. So I figured I’d never make it. But as I got older, I kept doing more and more to make people laugh. And there were two pieces that pushed me the most into this industry.
When I was in high school, I was taking the city bus with this girl that I knew but didn’t know very well. I thought she was very pretty, so I was bound and determined to forge some sort of relationship with her on this bus ride. Basically, I just tried to tell her jokes or stories and entertain her in any way I could. As I was getting off the bus, one of the other patrons said, “Hey, you should be on TV or you should be a game show host…” or something like that. I was like, “Thank you, weird don’t-talk-to-me stranger.” But that put a little seed in there.
Maybe a year later, I was on a bus going to the airport in Montreal. I was doing the same kind of stuff–talking, recreating sketches and things I’d seen on Saturday Night Live or things I’d heard in other kinds of media. I was doing all this to make people laugh, but then I realized it wasn’t just my group of friends that I was entertaining. It was the strangers on the bus, and I felt so powerful. I’d never really been the center of attention in that way. And I decided then that I could do it. It was possible for me to do something with this as a career.
So how did you prepare for this career?
Well, it took a while even after all that. I started taking a few classes in Ottawa–just random, community center stuff. I went to Ottawa U–the University of Ottawa as it’s known now–to study business, and I didn’t really like it. I failed a presentation class. And I had thought since I’m super good at entertaining people, a presentation class should be easy. When I failed it, I thought, “Well, that’s it. I’m destined to not be in business.” I happened to get into a class in Vancouver for the summer. I came out here, and I just loved the city and loved the acting class, which I thought was a much more professional version of what I had been doing in Ottawa. And that’s when I decided I was going to move here to Vancouver and test my mettle.
What was your first professional acting job?
I did a commercial for a candy called Juicy Drops. There were Juicy Drop Pops and Juicy Drop Drops, or something like that. Essentially I had to eat candy and yell how awesome it was. It was very stereotypical. Like, “You guys don’t look like you’re having fun. You can have fun if you have this candy!” We would then introduce these kids to the candy, and all of a sudden, their lives turn out much better than they used to be. I remember that I had to show the product in a certain way. I had to drop liquid candy into the lollipop, lick it, and then go, “Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!” And we did something like forty takes of this. This was my first ever thing, so I didn’t know what I was doing. At take thirty, I asked if I could get some water. They brought me some water because my throat was just dying. Then they asked if I wanted a spit bucket, but I was thinking that there was no way I could use one. I had to put the lollipop in my mouth, take all this liquid candy, and then yell. There was no way I was going to leave this liquid candy in my mouth and then yell. That would be impossible. I can’t have any of those candies right now. {laughs}
{laughs} I can imagine. That was a way to not get so gently broken into the industry.
Exactly.
What do you consider your first film or TV credit?
Smallville
My first thing was pretty quick, maybe a month after this commercial. I got a gig on The Dead Zone. The storyline was about a Columbine-like shooting or bomb threat, and Anthony Michael Hall’s character could touch people and figure out their histories. So I was one of the suspects–one of the kids in the high school–and they decided I wasn’t the guy because I not only played trumpet in the band, but I also ready Malcolm X‘s autobiography. And they were like, “Oh, that’s so cool. He can’t possibly be the bomber.” That was a great first role.
I notice you’ve had a name change since you’ve been an actor. So what’s the story on that?
It’s a potpourri of things. You know, usually when something changes, it’s not just one thing. People couldn’t pronounce my name, and I had a really weird reaction to that. I had this one casting director who would put his arm on my shoulder and then say my name. That’s what he did with everyone. He would put his arm on my shoulder and say, “Raf-ay-el Pa-l-aaron.” I know I have a semi-unique name, but I really like my name. So when it was mispronounced, it would irk me; then it would always throw me in auditions. So I changed my last name to Rogers and my first name to Raf, which I feel is way more approachable. Raphael is a name that just makes you feel like you have to say, “Don Raphael,” or something like that with a thick accent. I’m such a low-key kind of guy that Raf fits me well. And Roger is my middle name, which is my dad’s uncle’s name. This is a very convoluted way of thinking through it, I suppose. My own uncle made a huge impact on me when I was a kid. He died when I was three or four. So I used Roger as a bit of an homage to him.
Thank you for clearing that up. I find it very interesting. So listed as one of your more major works was the movie The A-Team. Now, I never watched this movie. I watched the old series, but sometimes I don’t like to go see these modern remakes of series I loved.
What?! You haven’t seen the seminal film The A-Team?!
No, I haven’t. {laughs}
{laughs} Well, if you ever choose to watch it, I’m in the first minute, and you can turn it off after that.
{laughs} I will remember that! Now, from what I can see, your first Hallmark movie was Finding A Family.
Photo by Lucas Talent © Lucas Talent Inc.
Really? Finding A Family was Hallmark? I thought it was Lifetime.
It actually was a Hallmark movie. From what I remember, I have seen this movie, though it’s been a while. I know it’s not your typical Hallmark movie, and it’s based on a true story. And sometimes, those real-life stories can be stranger than fiction.
That is so true.
I sure have learned this year that dreams can come true. What you thought was impossible can happen.
And you can dream the most incredible, impossible-to-attain dreams, and it might still happen. I think it was Tony Robbins or someone like that who was writing a book, and he was saying to go ahead and dream, but dream within reason. For example, if you’re five foot four, don’t dream that you’re going to win the basketball dunk contest. And then after that, I believe Spud Webb, who’s five foot four, won the dunk contest. And I think Tony Robbins was like, “Well, I guess I can scratch that part out of the book.”
I love that! It’s so true. You might start thinking that your dreams are really crazy, but then it might actually happen.
For the longest time, we didn’t think we could break the four-minute mile. Now high schoolers do it. You gotta dream it, and you gotta get there. Just ’cause you’re the first, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
So in more recent times, you joined the cast of Hailey Dean. You’ve actually been a recurring character. I was reading about you, and I planned on asking who Ethan was in the series, but then I realized you were the computer hacker guy. I’m a huge supporter of all the mystery series on Hallmark. Viv Leacock is a good friend of mine. I met him in person a couple of months ago. But I definitely remember your character.
I love how clean-cut Ethan is as a hacker. I always think of Ethan as the tech guy who just happens to do some behind-the-curtain hacking.
I know Viv has mentioned how this series is really like a family.
Yeah, I have known Viv for a long time, and we haven’t been able to work together. Usually, most of my scenes were with Kellie Martin, and every once in a while, they throw in someone else. But usually, Kellie comes in and says, “I’ve got a problem, and you’ve got to fix it.” And I’m like, “All right, cool. On it.” So I never got to see or work with Viv until working on It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. We got to work together on that one a lot. And that was so much fun. It was a “FINALLY” moment.
I never even thought about that. So often, in these movies, we viewers just assume that you get to work with everyone in the cast. But I know that’s not what really happens. If you don’t share a scene in a movie, you may not get to see each other on set. You might be there the same day, but you may never see each other.
Exactly. You know, all the episodes I’ve done with Hailey Dean, we’ve crossed paths maybe once. It was sort of like my day was over, and he was just arriving. So it was a quick exchange. “Hey.” “Good to see you.” “Forgot that you were on this.” “Oh yeah, I forgot that you were on this. Great!” “See you again.” “No, I’m leaving now.” “Okay, bye.”
Were you a fan of Kellie’s before you started working on Hailey Dean?
Well, not really. I had known a bit of her from ER, but that was the extent of it. So we talked a little about that, and she was generous enough to share a couple of good stories. But before working with her, I didn’t know that much about her. I can say that she is one of the best people. She made me feel comfortable immediately from day one. We got our character’s relationship right away. It was very comfortable working with her. I didn’t feel like she was a diva or anything like that, not that I expected her to be like that.
Fringe
That is so good to hear. I’ve never met her or had any major interactions with her, but I am a fan from her Life Goes On days, and I have always heard incredible things about her from everyone who has ever worked with her. And hopefully, at some point, they will bring Ethan back to the series. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you on Hailey Dean.
Yeah, every time I see Viv or anyone else on the show, I always ask if they’ve talked to the producers or writers and if they could ask them to bring my character back. It’s sort of a recurring joke I have with them.
Well, I think it would be nice to see Ethan pop in again. But I also had the opportunity to see you in Valley Of the Boom earlier this year. And I really enjoyed that mini-series.
I’m so glad. My character was on four out of the six episodes. It was great. In the beginning, I was told I would only be in one episode. I auditioned for a part that had no name. Before I shot my first day, they asked me if I wanted to stay on. And they decided to turn another part into my part. And I said, “Oh, sure, that’s great. Thank you.” I got to hang out with Camille Hollett-French and Mike Kovac. Mike is an improviser, and Camille is a great actress, and we formed a little troop and became the coders. We got to mess around and have fun.
I thoroughly enjoyed the series. In fact, it was much more entertaining than I expected, and I learned a lot. I thought everybody involved did a great job.
The director and creator, Matthew Carnahan, also created House of Lies. He used a lot of the same conventions where he would break the fourth wall and have the character talk directly to the viewers. I loved House Of Lies so much, and I was so excited to work under him. It was great for me personally. I’ve got a little bucket list thing for me to check off that I got to work with the guy who created House Of Lies, which is one of my favorite shows.
I noticed you’ve worked on a number of Vancouver shows. I haven’t seen all of them, but I’m familiar with the show even if I haven’t seen it. I did notice you were on Siren last season. That is a show my daughter and I both love.
Oh yeah, Vancouver has a great bunch of series going on right now. It always cool to get cast on them. I don’t know how it works anywhere else, but if I had been in Ottawa for example, I’m sure, the one or two shows that roll through Ottawa, I’d probably be hoping someone would see me in them. And that’s how it is with getting cast on any of these shows in Vancouver.
Valley Of the Boom
I’m still in the middle of watching The Terror season two, but I have enjoyed what I’ve seen so far. I wasn’t too sure what I would think of it, but it’s great.
They created a really great series in The Terror. I saw a lot of the first season and was so impressed by it that it was such an honor to play any part in the second season.
So we will be seeing you soon in another Hallmark movie, It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. What can you tell us about your role in this movie?
I play the mayor’s chief of staff, Yale.
It sounds like your character is a lot of fun with an entertaining personality.
Yeah, I tried to keep Yale a little bit like myself. They gave me some freedom with my role. And working with Viv…he and I have known each other for a long time. Viv is known as a hilarious guy, so when he and I are in the same room, we just riff off each other. I hadn’t met Aliza Vellani until this movie, but we also quickly had some weird kind of bond that we knew all of a sudden how to riff and play off each other’s rhythms, so it was really great.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot LIke Christmas
How does your character figure into the overall story?
Well, I don’t want to reveal everything, but essentially, I am Tricia Helfer’s right-hand man. If she needs anything, I am there for her. But I am also trying to push her character into something that she may not be ready for.
I’m so looking forward to this movie. I love Eric {Mabius} in all his works. I think he’s amazing. I have not seen as much of Tricia’s works, but all I have seen has been impressive. Rick Garman is a writer whom I always enjoy as well. So for me, I know I’m going to like this movie and look forward to telling you just how much I like it.
That’s great to hear, Ruth.
Raf Rogers, Tricia Helfer Credit: ©2019 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman
And speaking of Eric, I had the opportunity to interview him a couple of years ago, and that only increased my level of respect for him. He is very intelligent and quite savvy when it comes to the business, and he truly puts a lot of thought behind his responses. He struck me as a very profound thinker.
I would say definitely you are right. Eric always kept our spirits up, and we joked around a lot. But there were definitely some times where we would go to the next level and have real conversations.
Do you have anything else upcoming that you can mention?
Nothing I can mention aside from my own project. I’m writing a podcast with a few friends of mine, and it’s called Mothership. It’s about a little boy who is twelve, and he spent the last seven years growing up without his mom. He wonders where she is, and then he sets off on an adventure to find her, and that adventure takes him into space.
With Aliza
That sounds like fun. I know podcasts are the thing today. It seems like everyone is starting a podcast. So good luck with that, Raf. So do you have any plans for Christmas?
Yeah, I’m going to Fairmont, BC. I’ve never been. I don’t know what to expect. I know it’s a far drive, and that’s as much as I know. I don’t want to spoil it for myself. Oh, and I did hear there was a hot tub though. So spoiler alert, I will be in the hot tub at some point.
That sounds like a fun trip.
Yeah, I just came back from the Philippines, so no major trips over the holidays.
That must have been quite a trip for you.
I had never been to Asia before, so it was a bit of a learning curve for what goes and what doesn’t go and how the traffic works and that sort of thing. There’s lots of amazing, beautiful scenery, beaches, nature…just incredible stuff. And the people are some of the nicest, most helpful, most genuine people ever. I would just look down and have this face of confusion and immediately, one or two people were saying, “You look lost. Can I help you?” And they would point me in the right direction. It’s the complete opposite of New York.
Raf, that’s just so nice to hear. Thank you so much again for your time, and I am very excited to see your movie tonight.
Thank you, Ruth. My pleasure. I hope everyone tunes in and enjoys It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.
The thing I was not able to competently capture in this interview is Raf’s keen sense of humor. He is certainly one of those adroit people who can deliver a joke with expert comedic timing whether over the phone, on the screen, or to an audience full of strangers. I have no idea how Raf had not surfaced on my radar before now, but I am appreciative to know who he is and support his career from this point onward. All too often, comedic entertainers are not taken seriously, but after speaking with Raf, there is no doubt that he possesses an acumen and a skill set that transcends the periphery. He can easily transition from a wacky joke to a profound conversation regarding life and pursuing one’s passions. While many may overlook him in the film and TV world, he continues to accomplish the essential work required to fully portray whatever character he is given, and thankfully, studios such as Hallmark and elsewhere recognize the amazing artist they have in Raf. I am obliged to him for enthusiastically sharing as much as he did, and I look forward to everything on the horizon for him both near and distant.
If you are able and willing, please tune into the Hallmark Channel tonight (December 22nd) for the premiere of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and keep a sharp eye out for his character, Yale. In addition to this, I invite you to visit his links below and consider following him on social media so that you don’t miss anything from this intriguing person. I cannot promise to know what the future holds for this immensely gifted, decidedly benevolent artist, but I can only hope and pray that we will see him on our screens for many more years in roles that provide him the opportunity to demonstrate what he does best–entertaining the masses with his impeccable sense of humor and immeasurable giftedness.
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