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Back to Hell, you demons

Kimberley actor takes on supporting role in new series “Wynonna Earp”
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Kimberley actor Robert Nogier on the set with Melanie Scrofano star of “Wynonna Earp.”

Barry Coulter

Kimberley resident Robert Nogier is a truck driver by trade, and an actor by vocation.

Recently Nogier had the chance to exercise his both his actor's chops and his demonic side, appearing as a supporting character in a new TV series, which debuted last week in Canada on the independent station CHCH on April 1, and on Syfy in the U.S.

The show, "Wynonna Earp," is based on the comic book series by Beau Smith.

Nogier spoke to the Townsman from the road, days before the premiere of "Wynonna Earp," on Friday, April 1. He explained the show's basic premise and main character's trait, being careful to avoid spoilers.

Every time an heir to the name of legendeary wild west lawman Wyatt Earp appears, all the villains that were killed by  Wyatt Earp back in the 1800s come back to raise a little hell — literally.

"The Earp heirs have to send them back to hell with a special gun, called the peacemaker," Nogier said.

“I play one of the revenants, as they’re called — the demons — called John.

“I do get killed off towards the end of the season. But there’s a chance my character can come back, because they do flashbacks over the years to other eras.”

Melanie Scrofano plays Wynonna Earp — the great-granddaughter of Wyatt Earp.

“She’s very reluctant to be the next heir — she doesn’t want to have nothing to do with it,” Nogier said. “She doesn’t come from a nice family, she had a tragedy in her youth — I can’t say what that is, because it’s part of the show — but basically she’s a bad girl, she grew up living on the street. She’s not who you’d expect as a heroine.”

The show has plenty of action, plot twists, and its share of the good old gore — sounds like it was a blast to be part of.

“Literally a blast, for my character,” Nogier said. “We spent four days filming the scene where I get blown up. But like I said, we have to be killed by Wyatt Earp’s gun. A lot of us get hurt, maimed, somewhere along the line, but even when we get shot with Wyatt Earp’s gun we’re not really killed, we’re just sent back to Hell.”

Nogier added that the previews of “Wynonna Earp” have been great. Reviews online tend to agree.

Nogier said he’s lived on and off in Cranbrook since the early 1980s — he and his wife moved back to Kimberley about a year ago. He talks about he got into the acting game — an original childhood adventure.

“The first thing I ever did was when I was nine years old — I was a runaway, actually. I went to went to sneak on a boat going to Vancouver Island, and ended up going to Gibson. Where I wound up doing some background work on “The Beachcombers.”

“After that I did mostly background work, with the odd stunt here and there. I worked on ‘Wise Guys,’ ‘21 Jump Street,’ ‘MacGyver’ — all those shows taking place when Vancouver was just getting started in the film industry, before it blossomed into what it is now.”

The 13-episode series “Wynonna Earp” launched Friday, April first, and the first season will conclude June 24, 2016.

Check out the trailer for the show at www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcdgoOs4Nto.