SciFiAndTvTalk

Sons Of Tucson's Tyler Labine And Justin Berfield - Boys Will Be Boys

Tyler Labine stars as Ron Snuffkin in Fox's Sons of Tucson. Photo by Mike Yarish and copyright of Fox Television.

TONIGHT, Sons of Tucson premieres on the Fox Television network, airing from 9:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. EST/PST. In the show's pilot episode, the Gunderson boys - Brandon (Matthew Levy), Gary (Frank Dolce) and Robby (Benjamin Stockham) - hire Ron Snuffkin (Tyler Labine) to pretend to be their father after their real father goes to prison. However, they soon discover that there's more to their "fake" dad than meets the eye.  Ron has to enroll his "sons" in school, convince Robby's teacher to keep him in her class, sweet-talk the principal, locate mint-condition toy soldiers at his grandmother's house and avoid a thug who wants his money.

Last Monday, series lead Tyler Labine (Invasion, Reaper) and executive producer Justin Berfield (Malcolm in the Middle) spent part of their day speaking with myself along with several other journalists about the series. What follows is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy!

Tyler, an actor once told me that one of the things he looks for in a good character is an interesting name. He said that if his character has an interesting or weird name, that he's halfway home in figuring him out. With your character's name being Ron Snuffkin, is there anything to that theory?

TYLER LABINE - Yes, absolutely, I agree. I wouldn't say halfway home with a name, but it definitely inspires you to sort of delve into the character a little bit. With a name like Ron Snuffkin, immediately a few nicknames spring to mind, like "Snuffleupagus," "Snuff's Enough," and "Can't Get Enough Of The Snuff." You just think in little nicknames, and it sort of lends itself to you figuring out the character as being a little bit neurotic. So it's definitely a nice tab to grab onto in the beginning.

What was it about the show and its premise as well as the character that made you want to do it?

TL - Well, initially, it was obviously the writing and then the name as we just discussed, but the writing for the pilot was great, and it definitely grabbed me right away. As far as the character, it's an amalgam of every sort of great slacker character I've ever played and loved to play but have never been able to flesh out and turn into a three-dimensional individual. These guys have taken that sort of character and put him right in the forefront and made him a real human being. I really appreciated that, so I grabbed onto that right away, too.

How did the kids on the show dole out the money? Ron negotiates a $400/week salary, or $350 depending on who's paying, but how do they have the money?

JUSTIN BERFIELD - Well, we don't really say for sure exactly how they have the money, but in our minds we sort of figured that they have a stack of cash somewhere in the house, and they disperse it for whatever needs they have.

TL - What I've always put together in my head is that the dad, when he was in jail for this white-collar crime and in an attempt to sort of keep his kids out of foster care or social services,  was clever enough, or stupid enough, to leave his children exactly what Justin said, a big stack of cash so that they could stay out of trouble and go to their house in Paloma Ridge or Tucson.

Tyler, aside from the financial incentive, what else is it that attracts Ron into agreeing to the boys' proposal and sticking with the situation for as long as he does?

TL - That's a good question. Initially, I think the money is a big allure, but then I think it's actually just the money. There's nothing deeper about Ron wanting to join with these kids and help them out, and he thinks it's going to be temporary as well. So it's the allure of the money that keeps him there, but then there are times with Ron where I think this sort of reluctant paternal figure starts to take shape, and I think he begins to learn from the boys. He sort of feels needed by these children, which is something he's never had in his life. Ron hasn't felt that anybody has really needed him for anything. I think that could become a big draw for him, too, along with just needing a place to stay.

It seems like Robb [Benjamin Stockham], Gary [Frank Dolce] and Brandon [Matthew Levy] are pretty smart kids and they're also quite young. What nuggets of knowledge will Ron try to instill in these boys in sort of a reciprocal relationship-type way?

TL - I don't know. I think Ron is a bit of a dummy. Well, no, actually, he's not a dummy. He just may not have the most sage words for these kids. I think this is sort of a reluctant responsibility. It's this reluctant father figure thing that's coming out of Ron that I don't feel he even really knew he had. I don't think he even recognizes when he is being quite responsible, and it's hard to pick out moments that are actually responsible in the show because, like I said, it's almost like the blind leading the blind. It's basically them just trying to stay out of physical harm, so anything else that helps them out is sort of gravy, a bonus. I don't think that Ron is capable or set to impart any wisdom on these children.

We have stealing money from kids, trying to con an old lady, etc. Where does Ron draw the line, or does he even want to sketch one?

JB - I don't know if there's really anywhere that Ron does draw the line.

TL - Yes, it's definitely sad to say. Look at what he's doing. The only thing that keeps him from being completely despicable is the fact that as you get to know Ron and the boys, you see that maybe there is something inside of Ron that's awakening, that's sort of enjoying this responsibility. However, as far as where does he draw the line with what he will and won't do, I think as long as he's not going to kill anyone or as long as no one is going to get really badly hurt, he's up for it.

I wanted to ask about the recasting process; Justin, was that difficult? Did you change a whole lot about the pilot?

JB - We actually didn't change too much with the pilot when we had to re-shoot because of the recasting. It was just a decision that we made to go a different direction with some of the characters, but the pilot really remains the same. We punched up some scenes that we were fortunate enough to be able to do because we were re-shooting, but nothing much really changed.

What were you looking for in an oldest son [character]?

JB - We needed one of the older kids to be the complete opposite of Gary, whereas Gary is the driven, hard-edged type of kid, Matthew Levy's character of Brandon just sort of goes along with the flow. He's like a lover, not a fighter. He's a very trusting kid.

Is that how Matthew struck you in real life, or is he just doing a great acting job?

JB - He's a fantastic actor. Matthew sort of resembles me. I remember how I was when I was a child actor. Matthew is constantly asking questions. He's very curious about the whole process, and he's always hanging out with the crew, talking with them, seeing what they do, and asking questions. In that sense I guess he's very similar to Brandon.

Has he surprised you in any way?

JB - I'm not surprised. Just based on the casting process and talking to him throughout the whole audition process, he's a very professional, smart kid. We couldn't be happier with him.

Tyler, what were some of your experiences shooting the pilot, and also what were some of the [acting] challenges for you first stepping into this role?

TL - Shooting the pilot was amazing. It was so much fun. it was one of those instances where you get so much more out of the process than you expected. I learned a ton from working with these kids, including one very invaluable lesson of how to stop being such a thinking-in-my-head actor when working with children. I was my refresher course. It was sort of just doing it; someone just pushes you in and you swim, unjaded and not so hypercritical of yourself. As a result, you find yourself having genuine fun and really getting sort of authentic performances out of them. It's infectious, and it was really a blast to do with those kids. That was sort of my favorite thing about the pilot.

Justin, from a creative standpoint, what maybe have you enjoyed so far working on Sons of Tucson?

JB - I think I just enjoyed it because for so long, just purely being in front of the camera, you never get to see the whole process of developing an idea for a script all the way through to filming it. And for me,  especially from the pilot, where back in 2008 we were developing this little inkling of an idea and then selling it, it's been an eye-opening experience for me. I'm just so excited to be part of something from the very beginning. I love the whole [creative] process.

How did the idea of this show come about?

JB - The idea came fro our creators, Tommy Dewey and Greg Bratman. They brought this idea to us way back when, and we just sort of developed it from an idea to scripts. Finally, we took it to Fox because I had some relationships there, obviously, and they purchased it from us. It was exciting. It was like our first scripted show that we sold as a company at J2, and we couldn't be happier with the people we're working with and the two guys that wrote the series.

If you could compare Sons of Tucson to a sitcom or other show from the past, which would you pick?

JB - Visually and maybe in its tone, everyone is going to compare it to Malcolm in the Middle, but I think storywise you can't really compare it to any show that's been out there. It's a truly unique concept and we're excited that Fox and everyone else involved has a vision to see this through because on the face of it, it is kind of crazy. It's kind of out there, but they were behind it from day one. It's not really a concept that comes up too much in the show, and it sort of naturally waves its way into every script, so if four episodes in, someone starts to watch, they're not going to be lost. It's really easy to catch up on it.

Tyler, you have a lot of fans out there who are Science Fiction fans because of the shows you've been on before. Anything you'd like to say to them?

TL - Yes, don't expect any time traveling or demons in this show. It's a little more straightforward than that, but like Justin said, the concept of the show, this high concept or whatever, it's a running theme in the program, but, again, you don't need to know exactly what's going on. It becomes more about just the relationship between this guy and these children than the actual sort of hook, I guess. It's an easy show to just jump into.

For Tyler and Justin, what was it like on the first day of the set with the kids, and then the last day of the pilot?

JB - I think for us behind-the-camera guys, the first day is the most stressful of all because everything you've worked for comes down to this one moment, and it all begins right then and there. And the last day, our situation is different because we had a chance to shoot the pilot, and then we got to redo it after some recasting, so I guess the first pilot when we ended it was sort of like a breath of fresh air. We thought we'd finished. Everything went well and according to plan. From there, we went into editing, so it really didn't end for us until two months later.

TL - For me it was excitement to start, and then when we finished it was elation. When we initially shot the pilot, I couldn't believe what we did in just eight days with a very ambitious script and working with children. There were a number of potential pitfalls, but we seemed to jump over all of them and had a really good time doing it.

As noted above, photo by Mike Yarish and copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Tyler Labine - Sock It To Me!

[caption id="attachment_922" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Tyler Labine as Bert "Sock" Wysocki in Reaper. Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption] At the end of Reaper's first year, our heroes' lives were, as usual, in a state of turmoil. Sam Oliver was targeted by the demon community and nearly buried alive along with his dad, who, it seems, has been hiding more than one secret from his son. Meanwhile, Ben Gonzalez was bemoaning the fact that his friends forgot to pick him up after he was released from serving an eight-day jail sentence for a sham marriage. As for Bert "Sock" Wysocki, well, he had the misfortune of falling for a female demon, or succubus, whose life-sucking kisses robbed him of a year of his life. When the show's cast and crew eventually went back in front of the camera to start shooting season two, it was something that took Tyler Labine, who plays Sock, a little getting used to. "Up to that point I'd been suffering from the one season of TV syndrome for a while," jokes the actor. "I never actually had to come back and reprise a role for a second year of a show, so honestly, I think I tripped myself up a bit. I thought, 'Oh, boy, what if I can't do it. What if I don't remember how to play Sock. I'm going to blow it,' and all the other weird and wonderful actor neurosis that we have. Then, however, I got to work and was like, 'Oh, yeah, I remember how to do this.' And within a day you slip back into the dynamic quite easily, especially with guys like Bret Harrison [Sam], Rick Gonzalez [Ben], Missy Peregrym [Andi Prendergast], Donavon Stinson [Ted Gallagher], Ray Wise [The Devil] - the whole gang was back. It was like a family reunion as well as work. "So everyone remembered fairly quickly how to do this, and then it was a question of, 'OK, where do we start?' We picked up right where we left off last year with The Devil and if he's Sam's father, and this season we're still quite cryptic as to whether or not that's true. I think, though, that it's definitely implied more that he is his father, or at least they're behaving like it is. We were all pretty happy with the overall concept of the season opener, but I personally felt like we maybe should have gone slightly deeper and more directly into the Satan/Sam/Father/Son thing. However, we have to fill out an entire season of TV, so you have to stretch your story out somewhat." In Reaper's second season opener Episode IV: A New Hope, Sam, Sock and Ben are homeless and jobless after returning from a road trip. They have no choice but to move back into Sock's mother's house, where they are looked after by Sock's stepsister Kristen (Eriko Tamura), who Sock finds himself very attracted to. Sam is still on the outs with his girlfriend Andi, and The Devil assigns him the task of capturing 40 extremely  violent Fight Club souls. When they run out of ideas on how to do this, the boys hold a "think tank," which involves them sitting around the kitchen table drinking beer, eating pizza and horsing around. [caption id="attachment_926" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Reaper Boys - Sock, Sam (Bret Harrison) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez). Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption] "I have to say that the stepsister/lover storyline involving Sock was a real head-trip to pull off," says Labine, "and in hindsight I think I was right in thinking, 'Viewers are going to find this creepy.' I was constantly trying to make sure that it was less creepy. I didn't want people to focus so much on the fact that my character was trying to make out with his stepsister, and tried to make it [their relationship] a bit more cute, fun and innocent as opposed to being so doggish about it, do you know what I mean? "The scenes with the Fight Club guys were a blast to shoot. We got to blow up a lot of stuff, which is always fun. As for the drinking of the beer and the brainstorming, the director set up the camera and for 10 minutes basically let us go. Everything that you saw on the screen just kind of naturally progressed. All of a sudden, Rick's hair was going crazy, I was wearing a beer box on my head, and before I knew it I had my shirt off. The extended version is hilarious. They sent me a copy of it, which is on the second season blooper reel, so [on the upcoming DVD release] you'll get to see almost eight minutes of us goofing off." When Reaper viewers first met Sock, he was a slacker who worked with Sam, Ben, Andi and their boss Ted at a home-repair store called the Work Bench. He soon became involved with Sam's contractual obligation with The Devil to find and capture souls that have escaped from Hell. Despite his lackadaisical attitude to most things in life, particularly work and responsibility, Sock has proven to be a loyal friend and someone who Sam can count on when soul hunting. Although his character's overall modus operandi has not changed much, Labine has had the chance in season two to reveal some new facets of Sock's personality. "We've gotten to know a little more about Sock in the sense that you see his gentler, more nurturing side because of his relationship with Kristen," notes the actor. "My character starts off by lusting after her and then gets to a point where he gains some morals and for the first time realizes that it's probably a bad idea to sleep with his stepsister. Sock explores other options like chemical castration and whatnot to quell his desires for her. He subsequently discovers that he has a real connection with Kristen and tries to prove to her dad, Morris [Hiro Kanagawa], that he's a good guy for her. But, you know, he ends up sleeping with her anyway. I hope, though, that it came across as more of a falling in love thing as opposed to Sock just out there for a [sexual] conquest. [caption id="attachment_930" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kristen (Eriko Tamura) and Sock make for "strange bedfellows." Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption] "I don't think we ever really saw that [emotional] range from him until this year, and then, of course, after Eriko left the show, my character went right back to being a sort of jackass again," he laughs. "The stuff between Sock and Kristen was interesting to play, and it just goes to show that there's never a dull moment on Reaper. Our writers are constantly throwing curveballs at us insofar as the things we [as actors] have to do. It's not an easy show to be on; it probably appears to be because we're having so much fun, but they definitely give us some acting challengers, which we all love." The actor chuckles when talking about Sock's relationship with the other main characters on the program and how they have further grown and developed during season two. "The writers have decided this year to make Sock and Ben 'a couple,'" says Labine. "They've started doing things like going grocery shopping with one another and picking out each other's clothes. And because Sock and Ben are so not gay, the writers have been able to throw as much sort of 'homoerotic' material at us as they want and it's been funny without ever actually crossing the line. I thought it was terrific because Rick and I got to have more scenes together than we ever did in season one. "With Sam and Sock, it's business as usual, even though Bret's character has a lot more on his plate this season. Not only is Sam having to deal with his [demon] parents and whether or not The Devil is actually his dad, but he's also trying to deal with Andi breaking up with him again. Despite all that, Sock is, per usual, always there to give him crap, but at the same time also be supportive and help Sam when he needs it with a dose of honesty. "When it comes to Sam and Andi, who knows what's going on with them," continues the actor. "Those guys are on and off, on and off - I can't keep up with what they're trying to do with those two characters. Sam and Andi are the couple that could, if only there wasn't all this other stuff in the way, and like most women, Andi is understandably worried about having a relationship with a guy who might be The Devil's son. Then there's Ben and Nina, who is masterfully played by Jenny Wade, and who, I think, is a great addition to the show. They're dating, so that takes them off into their own little world, too, and sometimes it just ends up being Sock with nobody. Because of that, the writers have to come up with crazy things for him to do. In a recent episode [The Home Stretch], Sock crashed a funeral and tried to make out with some chick he met there by pretending to know her dead professor. "So the writers have definitely tried to round out the characters slightly more this year with relationships and how much more Sock and the others relate to one another and fit into each other's lives." [caption id="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Andi (Missy Peregrym) joins the guys on a little soul hunting. Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption] As Labine previously mentioned, Sock's relationship with his stepsister Kristen culminates with the two sleeping together in Underbelly, and in the following episode, The Good Soil, she packs her bags and returns to Japan. "There's a funny scene in Underbelly where Sock and Kristen are in the hotel room and he throws the cot out the window and she calls him on it," recalls the actor. "It was a well-acted scene, but for five minutes I felt like we were watching a very different program. I sensed the limitations of that relationship and where it could go. I don't think anyone wanted to see Sock and Kristen get serious. It was a fun episode to do, but when I watched it all I could think was, 'We've got to move away from this story line. It's not working,' and like I said before, it was making me feel creepy. "Fortunately, we have very smart writers, and I think they saw that and decided, 'OK, we can't have this.' Then came The Good Soil, which was another episode I enjoyed doing, especially the scenes with Sock and Kristen's dad at the lake. When we first read that script and I saw that that was probably going to be the end of Kristen on the show I was disappointed. I would have liked to have seen Eriko stay. I just wanted the writers to change the dynamic of the relationship between her character and Sock, but I have a feeling that they were stumped and chose to wrap things up and send her back to Japan. I thought the way the two characters said goodbye was touching, and now Kristen and Sock are pen pals." In the season two Reaper story To Sprong, With Love, which the actor describes as "a freakin' riot," Sam, Sock and Andi have an unexpected reunion with someone from their past. "Michael McDonald from MAD TV was our guest-star for that episode," says Labine. "He's a comic genius and awesome to work with. He couldn't be a nicer fellow, either. Michael played Mr. Sprong, an old high school biology teacher of Sam's, Sock's and Andi's and a notorious hard-nosed jerk that no one liked. We think he's the soul that we're supposed to capture, but, in fact, there's a soul named Jordy Boone [Charlie Weber] that's after Mr. Sprong. Obviously nothing can go smoothly for Team Reaper, so everything is a challange and Jordy is not making it easy for us to capture him. [caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sam, Ben and Sock contemplate their next move. Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption] "In this episode, Sock decides to take on the role of Mr. Wrenchy Bench, the Work Bench's new mascot, and I dressed up in a big foam suit shaped like a wrench. My character ends up getting into a fight with the Bargain Bench's mascot, Brandon the Bargain Bench's mascot, Brandon the Bargain Hammer [Doreen Ramus], and Sock ultimately realizes that he got carried away with himself and the attention he was getting. All of us, Sam, Andi, Ben and Sock are going through some heavy reflection, and at the end of the episode I have this great scene in a bar where Sock praises all of them for what they bring to the table. "The funny thing is, although I was doing the scene in-character, I was also getting the chance to tell my fellow actors how much I thought of them and just how awesome I think they are. I got to sort of paraphrase and ab-lib quite a bit, so I tried to throw in as many little personal things as I could about the characters I was talking about. I was able to get pretty emotional and give a big shout-out to all my friends as well as the characters in the show. This stands out for me as one of my favorite scenes this season. Another one is when Sock is in a compromising position with Jenny Wade's character during a dream sequence [in No Reaper Left Behind] when Nina is dressed in her skivvies and she shoves her hand through Sock's chest and pulls his heart out." In next week's (May 26th) episode and Reaper's season finale, The Devil and Sam Oliver, Sam challenges The Devil to a game that could possibly change his and his friends' lives forever. Pending a decision by the CW Network, this could also be the series finale as well. The latter was very much in the backs of the minds of all those who work on the show as they shot this episode. "There's always a certain amount of emotion that comes with what could be the end of something that you've put so much work into and where you enjoy the people you work with as much as we do," muses Labine. "So it got a little emotional around the set during the final days of filming this story. I don't want to give away any details of the finale, but I can say that it won't leave you frustrated if we don't come back. It should leave you feeling like you could go off and imagine what the rest of Sam's life would be like. I thought that was really clever because when they wrote this episode, the writers weren't sure if they were writing the end of the show or the end of the season. So I thought it was a good move on their part. "Of course, it'll also be a good thing if we do come back because it will take Reaper into a whole other arena of storytelling." [caption id="attachment_939" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sock and Ben rush off to sort out another problem of The Devil's making. Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption]

Along with the second season of Reaper, Labine has a lead role in the upcoming feature film A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, currently in post-production. The actor also has several new movie projects pending, the starting dates of which are dependent on his involvement in a new TV pilot he shot, Sons of Tucson, which has been picked up by the Fox Network.

"This would be a first for me as I'd be the lead of a show, which is incredibly exciting," enthuses Labine. "I worked my buns off on that pilot and gave it everything I had, so I'm hoping it turned out well, which it sounds like it has. The director, Todd Holland, has worked on lots of shows including Malcolm in the Middle, which the producers and writers were involved in as well, and they're all amazing. I've noticed a bit of a trend lately where people are once again coming up with well-written, clever and 'clean' comedies. With Sons of Tucson we're not doing pee-pee-poop-poo jokes. It's a funny, heartfelt comedy, so we'll see what happens."

[caption id="attachment_941" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="A very happy Tyler Labine of Reaper. Photo courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network"][/caption] There has been some recent Internet buzz that if Reaper is not picked up by the CW for a third year, that the show might continue in first-run syndication. If, however, this is the end of the line for Sock and his buddies, Labine will take with him many fond memories from his time on the series. "I can't say enough how lucky I feel to have been involved with the show," he says. "The best thing about Reaper for me was the chemistry among the cast, and when you go off to film something else, you sometimes forget how fortunate you were to be working with people who you can genuinely connect with. That's rarer than you might think. I know every cast says, 'Oh, our cast is the best,' and it probably is for them, but this for me has been the best working experience I've had with a cast and crew that I can ever hope for in my career." Steve Eramo As noted above, all photos courtesy of and copyright of the CW Network, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!