Richard Harmon is from Vancouver, Canada. He has appeared in TV shows such as To Be Fat Like Me, Painkiller Jane and Fringe and movies including Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. He recently played Heracles/Tad in Syfy’s Caprica.
The Caprica Times: When did you and Genevieve Buechner (the actress who plays Tamara Adama) become an item?
Richard Harmon: Haha, well our first date was about a week after filming the episode (There is Another Sky) and she has been one of the most important things in my life since. I love her unconditionally and I can thank Caprica for that.
The Caprica Times: Was there a romantic connection between Tamara Adama and Heracles?
Richard Harmon: Yes, from my perspective there is a little bit of a romantic connection between Tamara and Heracles, especially from Heracles’ point of view. No one ever believed in him in his actual life but Tamara shows that she actually has confidence in his ability to succeed in the real world - something no one else has done for him. Heracles was just using Tamara in the beginning to get what he thought he wanted but in the end he definitely felt a romantic connection towards her.
The Caprica Times: What did you find most intriguing about the New Cap City game?
Richard Harmon: The most intriguing thing about the game to me would probably be simply it’s realistic qualities - it’s life with no regrets… unless you get shot by fighter jets, you may regret that.
The Caprica Times: Was it weird for you when you read that your character would assume the identity of other people in the game?
Richard Harmon: No, I wouldn’t say I found it weird. I definitely found it cool that AC Peterson, the actor that played Chiron, had to study the way I acted so it would seem like it was really me playing him.
The Caprica Times: What were your first thoughts when you read that the dirigible would kill Heracles in New Cap City?
Richard Harmon: Honestly, I was a little sad that I die - it’s generally not a good feeling when you read your character will die. But after I thought about it for awhile, I realized that’s a pretty darn good way to go out. Filming that scene was by far one of the most fun scenes I’ve ever had the priviledge to shoot in my career.
The Caprica Times: Are there similarities between you and Heracles that helped you when playing the role?
Richard Harmon: Oh absolutely. Heracles is pretty much me but with a little more swagger. The whole getting away from your real life to be whatever you want to be is completely understandable to me - I mean that’s a huge reason why I became an actor. Not that my real life is bad or anything, but when I’m acting I can be whatever I want to be which is an incredible feeling. So yes the similarites between Heracles and myself definitely helped in the process of becoming him.
The Caprica Times: Would you consider yourself a gamer in your normal life?
Richard Harmon: I definitely try to be. I love video games. Unfortunately I am not the greatest player in the world - I’m not even a good player, quite mediocre really. I own an Xbox 360 and a Wii. I pretend to be good at all the games by playing them all set on easy… I’m not proud.
The Caprica Times: What was the most memorable thing that happened while on set?
Richard Harmon: Hmm, most memorable thing to happen on set.. There is just too much stuff to choose from! I definitely enjoyed all the explosions that we got to do between the two episodes. I had never really done anything as physical as caprica before - it was incredible! I could go on forever about how amazing everyone who works on Caprica is. It was absolutely one of the friendliest sets I have ever had the great pleasure of working on! No matter how hectic everything got everyone somehow was able to rally together and keep smiles on their faces which kept a smile on mine. Working with such amazing Directors like Michael Nankin and Wayne Rose made working on this very intimidating show an ease. They always made me feel like I was where I belonged and at the end of the day that made that made my stay on this show incredibly memorable.
If I really had to choose one thing that’s the most memorable about working on this show to me I would definitely 100% say it was meeting Genevieve and getting to know her. Haha, I remember that the producers set up a meeting between the two of us before we started filming just to let us become comfortable with one another and build up a chemistry so to speak. When I had finished meeting her I went and hung out with a friend and I remember he asked me if there was any sort of real chemistry between us and I just laughed and said, “I could never get her…” Haha, little did I know. I want to thank Caprica for forcing her to be stuck beside me for hours and hours every day on set - that way we got to know each other better and I gained one of the most important people in my life. Long story short - I owe alot to Caprica!
The Caprica Times: Would you like to say anything to the fans of Caprica?
Richard Harmon: Oh absolutely! I want to thank the fans of Caprica for obviously watching the show and definitely for making me feel proud after all of the really kind words that they have given me. Also, thank you to a few of the fans who recognized me in public even when my hair isn’t slicked back and I’m in just jeans and a shirt not a suit. It made me feel very special because I never thought that would happen in a million years! Mostly thank you for making all of this stuff a reality for me - if fans weren’t there then there wouldn’t be a Caprica and without Caprica my life would be missing a lot of important parts. So for that I thank you so much!
Although he will not be appearing in tonight’s episode, End of Line, The Caprica Times hope to see Richard return as Tad in the second half of Season 1 of Caprica!
Image Copyright NBC Universal
Image copyright NBC Universal
Photo copyright NBC Universal