Q and Eh with Republic of Doyle's Allan Hawco

There are approximately 50 people waiting in the area of the Darcy McGee's where I'm sitting, and 95% of them are women over 30. There's an air of excitement and anticipation, as well there might be - these are contest winners who tonight will have the chance to meet the producer, writer, and star of Republic of Doyle, Allan Hawco.

I'm escorted to the lower level of the pub, where I see Hawco sitting in a booth by himself. With his bright blue eyes, dark hair, and soft Newfoundland accent, he's exactly what I thought he would be. He orders a beer "for the evening," and I tease him about not living up to the Newfie stereotype. Already, I've made a gaffe.

"Some people hate the word 'Newfie,'" he tells me, while being quick to point out that it doesn't offend him personally. "If you're in Newfoundland, and you say it, it's not cool. Almost everyone who says it to us means it as a term of endearment, but there's a history behind it that isn't geographical." Hawco goes on to explain that there has long been a stigma attached to the word but that in the last ten years the meaning of the word has changed. "We were sick of being 'stupid.' That's what it was associated with - being dumb."

And Republic of Doyle certainly isn't playing into the "dumb" Newfie stereotype. One of the strongest impressions I get from Hawco is his dedication to Republic of Doyle appealing to all of Canada, not just Newfoundland. "The way the show has caught on across the country... was the dream. The dream was to make a show set in my home province, but that was accessible for all of us, so that Canadians, whether they were in Ottawa, or Vancouver, or anywhere else, could watch the show and say, 'That's a town in my country, and those people are from my country, and that's a story that's being told about my country,' not, 'Oh, that's a show about Newfoundland.'" He attributes this to a common bond between Canadians. "You and I just meet. We don't know each other, but there's a common denominator immediately that we're Canadian. You can feel it, we can see other Canadians . . . we're somehow connected . . . And then maybe, maybe in a world sense, that might have something to do with why we've caught on in all of these countries. I'll show you."

Hawco whips out his smart phone and opens an email. Inside is a list of every country where Republic of Doyle is being shown on a national network. The list is overwhelming and includes Bolivia, Latvia, Kenya, Australia, Kuwait, South Africa, Russia, Germany, and Brazil. "My favourite is Kazakhstan," enthuses Hawco. "Someone in Kazakhstan is watching St. John's and going, 'I have to go to Canada.'" One place where Republic of Doyle isn't aired is the United States. "We haven't really tried," explains Hawco. "That will bring another set of challenges. A lot of Canadian series now because their concept work [are] simulcast with an American network at the same time. But I didn't want to do that because if I do that, how am I going to make Jake and Malachy run down the streets of St. John's chasing a rogue bookie or something, without Jake wielding a Glock?"

And it's a valid question, especially given Jake's propensity for chasing bad guys and getting into scraps. I asked Hawco how physically demanding the role was, and if he has a stunt double. "I do have a stunt double who does the really super-dangerous stuff, [but] I do 99% of everything. Like, all the fights - every fight, I do every one of those. [The fight coordinator] and my stunt double will choreograph the fight for me because I'll be writing or editing while we're shooting, right. I'll watch the fight once, I'll make some adjustments, I'll step in and do one rehearsal, and shoot." And does he ever get hurt?  "I'm pretty physical in terms of my energy - I like to be moving a lot. I play a lot of sports, I play a lot of hockey, and I train really, really hard for the season, so there are no injuries." He also has a lot of experience with physical roles in the past. "I've done a lot of that stage fighting my whole career. But that's not saying I won't get an accidental punch to the face!"

Hawco also mentions that he's had a few chances to work with his fight coordinator before. In addition, Hawco has the opportunity to bring people on the set of Republic of Doyle with whom he's enjoyed working with in the past. "[Michelle Nolden, who plays the Crown Attorney in Season 2], and I worked together on a TV series in Bosnia, that we shot in Bosnia together. Rick Roberts also worked on that, he plays the mayor. Paul Gross makes a guest appearance - I worked with Paul here in Ottawa. Nicholas Campbell [who plays Martin Poole], and I worked together in theatre for my theatre company in Toronto."

Not only that, but as a co-creator of the show he actually wrote one role for a specific actress.  "I've known [Krystin Pellerin] her whole career. And I saw her in National Theatre School, where I graduated from. I saw her graduation year production of King Lear, and I thought she was a superstar. And I was like, immediately we became friends, and I knew I had to work with her. When then when we started writing the role [of Sergeant Leslie Bennett], I knew."

As well as the regulars, Republic of Doyle always has incredible guest stars; past appearances have included Victor Garber, Kathleen Munroe, Gordon Pinsent, Joanne Kelly, Don McKellar, and Mary Walsh. Says Hawco, "I love working with the best actors in the world. The casting people always try to cast people way better than you, so you can get better. So it's such a great opportunity to be able to do that."

Seeing the PR guy subtly inching closer to our table, Hawco asks if he's addressed all of my questions. I tell him truthfully that we've covered three of the ten questions I'd prepared because he's so adept at steering the conversation towards other interesting topics. With a laugh, he asks me for one last question, and, while firmly stating that I do not want any spoilers, I ask about the upcoming episodes of Season 2.

"The next episode is one of my favourite episodes that we've ever done, and I mean that. Top three of my favourite episodes of all time." I bite and ask what the other two are. "It'll be four, probably. I'm forgetting Season 1 because I can't remember now. I loved a lot of Season 1 too, as well, I mean. But episode 5 of the second season, episodes 8 and 9, and episode 2 of this season, the jail cell one. The last episode of the season is turning out to be . . . it's pretty cool. I love it. But I can only speak for myself."

And with a sincere grin and a professional handshake, Hawco walks away to mingle with his fans.

Republic of Doyle airs Wednesdays on CBC at 9pm (EST).

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