I am honored to feature yet another interview with a recently-cast member of the upcoming independent film, To Avenge. Today I bring you a veteran actor whose expertise and talent practically speak for themselves.

Actor Bernard Robichaud was born in Boston but currently lives in Canada. He is best-known for his role as Cyrus on the Netflix television series Trailer Park Boys. He has worked with such notable actors as James Caan and Kathy Bates. He was recently in the lifetime movie Sea Change based on a New York Times bestselling book by author Aimee Friedman. He was also featured in Blue Seduction with Billy Zane and Estella Warren and had a recurring role on the TV series Haven.

As a writer in the business, a screenplay called Kitchen Sports, a feature thriller, and more than a dozen episodes for a TV sitcom, The Adventures of Black Bart, all bear his unmistakable imprint. He’s currently writing a TV series called Cranky Cab.

To Avenge, written and directed by Nick Belial, is blessed to have someone of Bernard’s caliber and experience involved with this project. He will be portraying the role of Clayton Danvers, the ruthless billionaire father of Jason and Jameson Danvers– two of the young men who assaulted Vera.

RH: Nice to have made the connection with you today, Bernie. Thank you for your time.

BR: I’m happy to chat with you, Ruth. Thanks for your interest.

Why did you decide to become an actor?

I needed to find an outlet to be able to express myself other than getting in trouble on weekends. It was acting that afforded that opportunity for me. I was twenty-one when I started pursuing acting professionally.

Before that, did you have plans to pursue something else?

I played competitive hockey and basketball for years, and I  felt that I would probably make the pros in one of those sports.

When you were growing up, were TV and movies something you were interested in?

I watched a lot of movies when I was growing up. Saturdays were big back then. You woke up and watched cartoons and then whatever else was on. Your favorite movies were usually on the weekends. I guess for the most part, I’ve always been more of a movie buff than one who actually sits down and watches series television.

What kind of training did you have for acting?

I went to the university for theater arts for my first year. My voice teacher at the time taught at Stratford as well. I’ve been living on my own basically since I was sixteen and still managed to graduate from high school. Having that kind of experience, my voice teacher convinced me that it was unfair for the university to put me in first-year theater. They put me in third. She convinced me to quit the university and got me a job as an AD at a theater company. I was the assistant director, and I learned everything while actually getting paid to do it. I got to read with some of the top theater actors in North America. I took voice lessons from my teacher for four years, and I read and studied as much as I could by reading as many plays as I could and working on monologues. And I just went on from there. My voice teacher’s tutelage and belief in me confirmed that my decision to quit the university was the right thing to do.

One thing I have discovered is that there is not one right path when it comes to acting. I hear of those who take a full college program, and then I hear of those like you who drop out and begin to pursue it professionally. 

I think the work that I did in the theater was still an opportunity for me to continue learning. I was still being trained classically, but I was getting paid for it and working with people who were not students of the craft. They were actual performers. I know that it still meant a lot to have this formal training, which is why I continued with the voice and movement. I know there are a lot of people out there today who are foregoing classical training and just going out there and doing it. I think though that when you get some more formal training, it does benefit you because you’re now touching base with people that you might work alongside in the workplace, and it’s always good to go into the business knowing people like that. Initially, it’s difficult to break in and make friends. People are worried about you taking work away from them. So there’s all those little things to think about, and I would imagine that’s probably common for a lot of businesses–it doesn’t matter what. I certainly don’t regret the formal training. It has given me knowledge about enunciating words and making sure that words are clearly spoken when you’re in front of a camera. Sometimes, I think, your voice can get garbled, especially because there’s so much to do in front of the camera in a small space. You have to remember to hit your mark, say your lines, and whatever other action you may have. There’s a lot to think about before you drop a line on somebody and then react.

When I am interviewing younger actors especially, some of them have not had classical training, and there is a difference. I’m not saying that is bad, but I think what they typically do is go back and get that training because they realize that they thought they knew this or that, and they didn’t. So I think there is a definite benefit to training. 

Yes, training teaches you many things. How you react at auditions. How you react when you’re not around the camera or when you’re just standing around. There’s a lot of things that without some kind of training or at least picking someone else’s brain, you just don’t know about. When you’re just standing around or trying to get your first job, that’s not going to allow you the opportunity to learn what you need to know to be successful. And unfortunately, sometimes learning the hard way can be detrimental to your career.

So theater was where you began your career.

Yes, that is where I started.  But my first professional paying gig was a radio drama. That’s how I got into the union. In the radio play, I played a man and a woman. The producers and writers were both taken aback that a guy walked off the stage like me and could play a man or a woman. And that’s why they thought I should definitely be given my union credentials. And about two weeks later, I got my card in the mail. And after that, it really all became film and television. I’ve done my fair share of plays, I suppose, but nothing in comparison to what I’ve done in film and television.

Bernie, you are the first person I’ve ever talked to who got to join the union because of a radio job. 

Well, I guess it was something how I was able to go back and forth between a male and a female voice, but I never heard it. I was pleased that they were excited about it, and that was all that mattered to me. I’ve never really listened to or watched anything I’ve done.

I know a lot of actors do not like to watch their performances. 

I think if you’re a true artist, you tend to be a perfectionist. I think you have to be happy with the choices you made when you did it. My thought has always been that if they hired me for a reason, that’s why I’m here. If they say “moving on” or “next scene,” I feel like I did my job and they got what they needed. When you sit there and watch yourself, I think you have a tendency to be your own worst critic, and I think by doing that, you’re giving yourself that opportunity to continually second-guess every choice you made. When you do that, I think that could be detrimental to what you’re doing in front of the camera or on stage. I just don’t know how that benefits you. I know other people who do that too, and I know others who will do it and have their auditions taped and look at that performance and wonder why they didn’t get the job. My thought is that they acted and I don’t understand why they’re second-guessing themselves. You had an opportunity to… regardless of whether you got the job or not, they still asked you to audition. You should be grateful that you had the opportunity to read a script or the sides or whatever the case might be. Whether you had ten or fifteen minutes in front of them, you should be grateful for that opportunity. We don’t always make the right choices in front of the camera or when we’re out for auditions, but I think that’s just kind of the nature of the beast.

Do you happen to remember your first TV or movie role?

I think the first television thing I did was a TV series called Night Heat.

Coming from theater, was it a big change over to acting for film and television?

I never really thought about the adjustment whether it was difficult or easy. On stage, everything had to be a little bit bigger and more grandiose. I had done some modeling before I got involved in theater, so I already knew that the camera enhanced an awful lot with you doing very little. My take on film and television was that it was not much different than how I would be in everyday life. It was just like walking into a room or having a normal conversation. They give you a mark, and you see how much space you have, and there’s not really a lot more you can do. You have a conversation with someone in light of where that mark is. To me, that’s really not rocket science. It was just about keeping it real in regards to what was going on at the time and what your job was, what you needed to do, what you wanted, and how you got there. It wasn’t really what I would call much of a transition. When you’re in the proscenium arch, there’s a lot more room to cover, generally-speaking. You’ve got to play it bigger and make your movements bigger on stage.  People aren’t seeing the facial so much, so you need to make your whole body and the way you move show that action. TV didn’t need the movements to be as big.

Well, you definitely have the right perspective, and not all actors make the transition that easily between theater and film/TV. {pause} I was looking over your credits, which are pretty extensive. What would you say are your better-known works?

Up to this point, I think I’m best-known from Trailer Park Boys. Since it’s on Netflix, I think it’s pretty global. Last I checked, it was in twenty-eight countries or something like that. And I’m also known from my recurring role from the show Haven.

Haven

I know there are other shows and movies for which I’m known, but those are the two main ones right now. I don’t really think about whether my works are far-reaching or popular, and I think that is the right way to look at it. For me, it’s just been about being able to work and take the words off the page and create something that leaves people with a good feeling or at least leaves a mark where I’ve clearly done my job and the character itself has left an impression one way or another. I never really thought about the art as what I’m known for. I do know that anyone who has had a major role in Trailer Park Boys, it’s been good for all of us and put us on the map globally. It’s given us a brand of recognition, and that’s great. But that’s certainly not why I do it. I would have been happy doing one or two episodes of it had it not been seventeen years of it.

I know that a lot of people get into film and television these days and they think that TV is all glamour. They see the end-product, but they have no idea until they start getting into it all the work that goes on behind-the-scenes. Before the end result, it is sometimes long, grueling hours and lots of repetition. It’s not as easy as people think. It’s not as glamorous as people think.

On occasion, I get that too. People think my job of interviewing actors and famous people is glamorous and I’m so lucky to do this. I am blessed, but there is so much work involved. But they don’t see that, so in a way, I kind of understand what you’re saying. 

I get a lot of people saying to me all the time, “Oh, geez, you’re famous. That would be great! I would love to be famous.” And I’m thinking, “I don’t know about that.” You know, it’s great to be able to work and to have the recognition, but you do lose the anonymity part. A lot of people take that for granted, I think. Like everything else, there’s pros and cons. Sometimes when you want to go out and just do your own thing and have a nice dinner, there are times where I find myself stuck in a corner taking pictures and selfies with people. As well as signing autographs. And it’s like, “Well, so much for a quiet evening.” So while it’s not always ideal, at the same time, if you weren’t recognized, you probably wouldn’t get the work that you’re getting. There’s a bit of a trade-off. I tend to prefer the work, but I always try to be as gracious as I possibly can be in those situations. After all, if I didn’t have those fans, I probably wouldn’t have had these wonderful seventeen years with a project. We must never forget that the fans are the ones who create ratings. They can create brands, and they can kill brands easily nowadays. I’m certainly grateful to the people who have stuck by me over the years. And I don’t see myself as any better than my fans. The best policy for me is to be humble. I’m just a guy who enjoys what I do for a living, and I believe I’ll always feel that way regardless. It’s good to remember where I came from, and that helps to remind me to be grateful and humble. I love being able to use my work to send a message or help a charity or those less fortunate whenever I can.

Switching gears, how did you get involved with this upcoming project, To Avenge?

Well, Nick started following me on Twitter, and I always try to follow people back when I can. I read over what had been written about this upcoming project of his, and I sent him a quick message asking if the movie had been cast yet. I didn’t really think about getting involved or anything. I just thought it was an interesting project. I didn’t even know why Nick was following me. Lots of people follow me for many reasons. I don’t assume that people who follow me are people who I would ask for a job. It’s not really who I am. But I just felt like sending the note to Nick was the right thing to do. He wrote back and explained that he had followed me because he wanted to ask me if I was interested in being in his movie To Avenge. I was somewhat taken aback, but honored at the same time.

What attracted you to this specific role of Clayton Danvers?

That was the role he had me in mind for. I read the bio and breakdown of the character, and it seemed like a fun role…certainly something I could sink my teeth into.

You’ve played a wide variety of roles over the years, and this character appears to be someone that people won’t necessarily like. 

Throughout my career, I have played a lot of unlikable characters. I’m not really too concerned about whether they like the character or not. Maybe they’ll like to hate the character. The character I played in Trailer Park Boys is very much like that. People like to hate him, but at the same time, people love the character and love the way I portray him. I plan to approach my character in the same way on To Avenge. I think my character Kirk in Haven was a little bit similar to this role as well. With these kinds of characters, if the viewers don’t like the character, I feel like I’ve done my job.

I think a lot of actors really enjoy playing these kinds of characters, so I fully understand. {pause} As far as the message of To Avenge, I realize Nick wrote it before the “Me Too” movement came about. How do you feel about being a part of a project with such a strong and timely message like this?

Well, I feel that all my roles have some kind of message in them. At least, I like to think that. Otherwise, there’s no real story or impact. Certainly, To Avenge is poignant for what’s going on currently. What these women have experienced is on such a grand scale and I’m glad they are getting to tell their stories. I hope that my character can bring some light to what’s going on out there in the world and leave people feeling better about what’s happening and give them an idea of how they can overcome some of their own trials and tribulations. That will make me happy. It’s a sad thing about what’s going on with this movement, and now that it’s in full swing, this movie is coming along at a perfect time. I think it’s lucky for Nick and lucky for me and for all the cast involved.

I understand you’re doing some writing now as well. Is that correct?

Over the years, I have written a lot of different things. I was working on a series, but that’s now been put on the back burner. I’ve just got way too much stuff going on. There’s a series that is in pre-production that I’m involved with called Vizions of Rock, based on a band that went from playing in pubs to backing up some of the best bands in the world. That’s supposed to be shooting this summer. And then there’s Nick’s project, To Avenge. I’m also moving back to the States, so there is a lot of stuff going on. It’s just easier right now for me to focus on a few things and leave my writing for when I have the time to concentrate fully on it.

Thank you so much, Bernie, for taking the time to chat. I greatly anticipate seeing you bring this unsavory character to life.

Ruth, I appreciate that so much.  I thank you for your interest, and I am definitely looking forward to getting started on Nick’s project.

Bernard is one of those actors who possesses not only exceptional talent, but is also the beneficiary of incredible experience. Additionally, he has learned the secrets of humility and gratitude, vital lessons some in the business only seem to learn the “hard way.” While he could regularly flaunt his success, and he could easily become rather complacent about the astonishing opportunities that have come his way over the years, he is one who has such a passion for every aspect of this business that he keeps himself grounded and pragmatic while being kind and unassuming. He didn’t pursue fame; he merely took every occasion to participate in the arts and this business, both of which are ingrained in the very fiber of his being. Indeed, I have no doubt that he will continue to invest himself in every character which he is chosen to play, regardless of the perceived affability element of the role or not.

While we await the filming of To Avenge and Bernard’s imposing characterization of Clayton Danvers, I invite everyone to investigate all of his links below and consider following him where applicable. In fact, if you have not seen him in Trailer Park Boys or Haven, now would be an ideal time to get caught up on Netflix and binge both of these shows. There is no doubt in my mind that this unpretentious but gifted artist will continue to bring his utmost to every role in the upcoming weeks, months, and years that are afforded him on this planet, and I greatly anticipate all the amazing possibilities that are still heading his way.

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