The first time that I ever heard of Evan Roderick, it was watching Spinning Out. I hated his character of Justin Davis and yet loved him and thought he was so misunderstood. But I was glad that Evan was getting his due, because I will admit that, as much as I watched Arrow, I didn’t remember seeing him there. He’s a charismatic actor and deserves to be front and center.
Since I religiously watched Spinning Out, I watch most everything Evan does. Especially on Hallmark.
As Providence Falls was announced, I loved that he would be in a movie with dual timelines. I loved that he was getting a role that put him front and center, and people would get to see how his acting is something that many love.
Sitting down to talk to him, I was nervous. These days, interviews make me nervous because of my lack of filter. I know that I am going to say something that I will regret, but I will always mean the best. I’ve found my inner fangirl again.
And part of the reason that I have found my inner fangirl again is because of events such as Providence Falls. And yes, I will say this – Providence Falls is an event. It is an event because you get lost in it. You want to remember your past life. It will be movies that make you happy.
In the movies, Roderick plays Finn Walsh. He works in the District Attorney’s office and is one of the most charming, giving, and philanthropic lawyers that I have ever seen on television. Finn Walsh is supposed to be Cora McLeod’s soulmate, but back in the 1800s, her heart was stolen by another.
Now there are seven souls on earth from that time – Finn’s being one of those. The only person remembering what happened in the 1800s was Liam. He’s supposed to help set all the souls back on the right track to where they are supposed to be.
He’s supposed to get Cora and Finn together.
Why it was that Roderick wanted to be involved with Providence Falls is the first question I ask. It’s so different than other roles he’s taken on.
“This character, particularly, was interesting because I pretty much got to play two characters in one show. So it was interesting to try to approach a character that, like literally in a different time in 1840s Ireland,” he says. I am trying not to smile as I rest my face on my hand and lean forward. He continues, “How would he react, act differently in that time? So I had a lot of fun with it.”
The thing I wonder with any show or movie that has multiple timelines is if you were a person who was actually alive in a certain time, would you be able to handle it? Would you survive it? I ask Roderick that question about the 1840s.
He laughs, “No, absolutely not. No way.”
I appreciate the honest answer, and there’s something about Roderick where you just feel like you can trust what it is that he’s saying. He’s not jaded – he knows what role he plays in the movies he takes on.
And he wants to connect to those who watch them.
Roderick seems like the ultimate romantic. It’s the way that he smiles and the gleam in his eye. I ask why he likes to do romance movies, “I really enjoy doing those because I find it at this stage in my life, it’s easy to connect to that sense of yearning and wanting and connecting with people. And plus, you know, romances are just fun to shoot in general.”
He makes it make sense. I have to remind myself to talk before silence fills the room, and also because time is limited. Getting as much information as I can in a five-minute interview.
We talk about social media (he doesn’t read it), and I tell him the nice things people have said about him. He’s humble and truly surprised. We talk about the dentist and laughing gas being a truth serum. None of it is really necessary to talk about, but talking to Roderick, words just fall out of my mouth.
And then I know time is running low, so I ask him, “Do you believe in fate? And if so, do you believe that fate always gets it right?”
There is a high that you get when interviewing someone and they tell you that the question you asked is good. He tells me this, and I know I am cheekily grinning.
He says, “I think I used to believe in fate a lot more than I do now. But I don’t know. It’s hard to say because when sometimes things happen in life and the dots are connected in a way that you can’t help but think that there’s something more to everything.”
It’s the answer I would have given if someone had asked me that question. His answer, though, makes me ask, “Fate… who is right for Cora, Finn or Liam?”
He smiles and says, “That’s tough. Who’s right? Well, on paper, I would say Finn. Just because I played Finn and I got a root for him.”
And it’s as if he knows that on paper shouldn’t matter. As I am about to thank him for his time, he says, “But I think in her heart, Liam.”
He gets it.
Providence Falls: Chance of a Lifetime can be streamed now on Hallmark+.
