Check out our interview with talented Canadian actor Eric Hicks who stars as Will in the new romantic feature film Love in Harmony Valley set to make its premiere this October on the Superchannel.
Love in Harmony Valley follows Emma played by Amber Marshall who has anxiously waited to reunite with her best friend Tracey after recovering from a serious accident. But Will played by Eric, and Tracey’s brother, won’t allow it as he blames her for the accident. When forced to work together to better their community, Will and Emma learn to respect each other and develop a romance.
Eric is most widely known for his role as Constable D. Fox in the multi-award-winning detective series Cardinal (CTV). Most recently, he played opposite Kim Coates, Lisa Berry and Brandon Oakes as Detective Ken Tucker for season two of Bad Blood.
Follow Eric @ericsamhicks
Hi Eric, please tell us a little about you.
Hey Naluda team, thanks for having me be part of your magazine, I’m excited to share with you all! Okay… so, a quick intro: I’m Eric Hicks, I was born and raised in a beautiful valley town of 1500 people in Saskatchewan Canada, called Lumsden. This type of upbringing allowed me the freedom to explore nature and develop a curious attitude towards life. There was always time to reflect. People didn’t lock their doors at night. It was a surreal childhood to be quite honest. This type of upbringing with so much love and support instilled in me the belief that I am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to and so throughout my life I’ve done just that, achieved what I’ve put my mind to. I’m a huge advocate for playing sports and reading books and meditating and eating healthy, all the good things in life. As I’ve gotten older, a big whopping 34 years old, I’ve started to relax more into life. To take the time for long slow walks and to tune into my senses (thank you Eckhart Tolle for your teachings, ahemmm ????). Life at 34 has turned more towards giving than receiving which as an actor is liberating: to not need to be at the center of everything. This quote I heard recently sums me up pretty accurately for now, “seek to understand, not to be understood.” And so it goes. I’m having a blast living in Toronto, Ontario. Covid has been an interesting time, not as many auditions these days but this slow down in pacing has allowed me the time and freedom to get more centered and appreciative of every moment of every day. Loving life. Not such a quick intro I suppose, but I always have so much I want to share. And that’s me, lol.
Describe yourself in 3 words
Tenacious. Understanding. Lover.
How did you get started into acting?
Back when I was just a boy they made a movie in my house and that first peaked my interest in acting. I did some featured background work in a Jamie Foxx movie “Held Up” a few years later but I never pursued this dream till I was 21 and entered a model and talent scouting convention outside Toronto, the same one that discovered Mario Lopez. I won Best Talent for the convention and that was it really. This gave me permission to quit my career in Prosthetics and Orthotics and follow my dreams, so I chose to move to Toronto and start acting full-time. The rest is history. 12 years later I’m still acting full-time and really excited to see what life has to offer next.
How has this changed your life?
Before acting, everything felt so easy for me. I was always getting top grades in school and getting the “hustle” awards in sports. Whatever I did I was able to learn in a short period of time, and it started to strip away my ambitions. I no longer felt challenged or looked forward to doing what I was doing. And then came along acting into my life again and this seemed to me the hardest path I could ever choose to go down which excited me immensely and even to this day. I don’t think I’ll ever be a master actor, there will always be some new challenges or obstacles to overcome and to me that is so sooooo exciting. I never get bored. Acting is the study of life. I’ll never run out of inspiration. For me, acting has given me the ultimate purpose in life; a deep curiosity and exploration of the unknown.
What is the best and also most challenging part of being an actor?
The best part by far is when you’ve put your heart and soul into building a character and finally get the opportunity to throw it out the window and start playing. The act of acting is so joyful and fulfilling, it’s really hard to describe other than that feeling you get when everything in life feels “just right.” It can be an addiction of sorts, needing that next hit. It’s a high that can only be achieved by trusting you are enough and free falling into the unknown, and if you’re lucky you get to enter a flow state of being where time stops. It’s magical.
The hardest part of being an actor is when you make the leap to doing nothing but acting. To earn your living through acting and acting alone can be very scary for anyone. Because now you have to be the CEO of your own company. Nobody is going to tell you what to do, it’s all up to you. To invest in yourself and take classes, headshots, websites, IMDB, combat/physical training, vocal work, and on and on. And then at the same time to manage a “normal” life so to speak. To spend quality time with friends and family and a significant other. To balance spirituality and finances, diet and mental well-being (aka meditation/vacation/stay-cations). There’s a lot to juggle. It takes some time to figure this all out but that’s the beauty of the journey of life. It’ll never be perfect. Just have to go with the flow.
Tell us about your work in the new romantic feature film “Love in Harmony Valley”
This is a huge stepping stone for me. I’ve always talked about being a leading man actor and this was my first kick at that so I really put everything I had into this film. There was only two days of prep before we started filming so there was a big crunch for time. I just told myself, keep your head down and do the best you can do and that’s exactly what I did. It may not be a blockbuster film but I’ll tell you what it does have; passion and vitality. For those lucky enough to have seen it already on UpTV have testified that it’s one of their favorite feel good films with lots of great scenes and just a beautiful relationship between my character Will and Amber Marshall’s character Emma. And although the script could’ve used a bit more patch work, the film demonstrates strong family morals with notes of forgiveness and acceptance, which is what we all need more of in our lives these days. This is just a great uplifting movie for the whole family.
And about your work as Constable D. Fox in the multi-award-winning detective series “Cardinal?”
I’ve always been able to play naive quite easily. It may have something to do with my altruistic small town upbringing but I like to think of it as dynamic range and immaculate acting on my part. Fox is the underdog of the series. He’s new at the job and seems to find ways to mess things up which to be quite frank, is super fun to play. So many great scenes with such an awesome cast and crew, it was such a joy to be on set for the four years the show ran. If you haven’t seen it yet, my favorite scene for my character is episode three in season one. It gave my character a chance to not f’up (not entirely at least) and instead to show a real sense of strength and intelligence. Hint: It’s the granny door scene with the kid being held hostage in the basement scene… watch the show, so good!
How do you prepare for a role?
I’m a huge advocate of hands on experience and tons of research. For Cardinal for example, I went on a half dozen ride-alongs with different officers to get a solid general understanding of the job and their way of thinking and handling situations. This type of research is the most beneficial. But then just as important in the research into this character’s world. Everything is in the details so the more creative and imaginative I can get with the details of my characters’ lives the more well-rounded they become on screen. And then when I get on set, I try to forget about everything and leave whatever happens after “action” to the great god “Ahhfuckit.” Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. Thank god for directors!
What kind of roles do you like or would like to play and why?
I’m versatile so there is a whole range of characters I would love to play. I got into combat training about five years ago now and just did my first sci-fi action film last year which was the most fun I’ve ever had on a project so I’m definitely leaning more in that direction. Something about the endless possibilities of sci-fi that appeals to my nature. Physical acting, new locations all the time, every emotion and every challenge possible, yes please. Something like “The Walking Dead” would be a dream. On the other side of the coin, I would love to be in a series like “This is Us.” Just beautiful true to life storytelling. Anything written by Kenneth Lonergan! Brilliant storytelling.
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
It’s always about the fans. I’ve always found that the harder I work and the better I get at what I do, the more I’m capable of giving to the world through my art. And this of course gives back a million fold in return. Friendship and community on the largest of scales. It’s a real win-win situation.
How would your best friend describe you?
My friends call me “Wildcard Hicks.” It must be because I’m a wild man. Who knows. From my perspective I’m tame but to others who are truly tame I’m a risk taker. I love extreme sports and that permeates through my life. Always pushing the boundaries, it’s the way I roll baby.
What’s next for Eric Hicks in the last months of 2020?
I just auditioned for a new superhero for season three of “The Boys” so just praying at the moment that this becomes a reality, haha, dare to dream big! I actually met someone recently and we’ve gone on a few dates and we are hitting it off, don’t want to jinx things but looking forward to spending more time with her and just seeing where the rest of the year takes me.
What is your own definition of happiness?
Happiness to me is being content with what you have and not what you want. To be grateful for every moment of every day. To stay present and not let our egoic minds run the show. A quiet mind is a happy mind as far as I’m concerned. Peace lays on the other side.
What was the last book you read?
I’m currently reading Keith Richards bio “Life.” I wanted a deeper understanding and to do a character study of someone at the brink of sex, drugs, and rock and roll and who better than Keith to tell that side of the coin. What a wild ride that man is on. And to think I get called the “wildcard,” haaaaaa.
What is your favorite healthy food?
I have a staple dish I eat every day pretty much. I make a big pot of coconut rice and beans, and then in a separate container a big leafy salad. I add hummus, cranberries and nutritional yeast and then mix it all together in a big bowl. It is so delicious. I have the recipe written down if anyone wants them… reach out to me on instagram @ericsamhicks. It may take a while for me to respond but I will get to it, I promise!
And your favorite cheat food?
Coconut ice cream, any flavour, I devour that stuff.
Idea of a perfect Sunday?
Beach day, warm water swim, delicious food and drinks, girl by side, fire at night, tent camping overnight, I’m in heaven. 24/7, 365.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
I want to know the source of all things, how did they begin. Whoever can tell me that is who I want to meet. And then just for kicks I’d love to hang with Brad Pitt for a day and ride motorbikes. He seems like a cool cat. P.s. My mom only let us rent movies as kids if they had Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise in them. I’m a huge fan of both.
Best advice ever given?
Mother nature revealed this one to me, “Learn to love it all, the good the bad the ugly.”
Do you support any charities?
As an actor something I have more of than money is time so even though I donate to different causes throughout the year I’ve actually been giving my time for the past few years by volunteering at a Hospice. I had learned a lot of skills through my Prosthetics and Orthotics training that I felt could be put to good use so I reached out to the local Hospice in town and did their training programs and have been doing bedside care whenever my schedule is open, although with covid things are much different now so I’m waiting to see how this pandemic plays out before going back and putting anyone at risk.
Where do you see yourself and your career in 5 years from now?
I have a feeling I’ll be living down in LA. A lot of my acting friends have already made the move and set up shop down there so I figure depending how this Covid plays out I’ll be moving to the west coast soon enough! Five years from now, I’ll be doing more theatre, creating dynamic and extremely nuanced characters that are exciting to watch. I intend to bring this work to the screen and if the right project comes along giving it my absolute everything and bringing something fresh and new to the screen that we haven’t seen before.
Favorite song? Why?
“Follow the Sun” by Xavier Rudd. It’s the most grounding song I’ve ever come across. Beautiful vibrations. Never a wrong time for this song.
What do you think of Social Media?
At first I was intimidated by it, but when I started understanding that I can be cheeky and sharing positive experiences I’ve had or things I wanted to pass along then it took upon itself a new meaning and I found purpose in it. Mind you I don’t obsess over it or post all too often but when I do, it has a real purpose. In this way I find the platforms connective. You get what you give.
Where can we follow you?
Instagram is my jam @ericsamhicks
Quote: Seek to understand, not to be understood.
Favorite Singer/Artist: Xavier Rudd/Daniel Day Lewis
Movie: Gladiator
Travel Destination: Equador
Sports Team: COD WARZONE – I’m obsessed with this world right now… video gaming is a sport right?!
TV Show: This is Us
Book: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
