he’d been widowed a few years ago and
he thanked me for helping him get
through,” he says. “It reminded me
that while I’m play-acting, although
you can get caught up in the romance
of George Turner and his family, at the
end of the day people are living this
and will take what they
need from the show,
whether it’s a laugh or
some kind of therapy.
People should be able to
talk about these things
and grieve for as long as
they need to.”
Although Erik has
been acting for more
than 20 years, he admits he still learns
something new every day, and the role
of George is certainly one of his most
demanding and challenging to date.
“The workload is brutal – 70-hour
weeks, 12-to-14-hour days. Every actor
wants to be the central character of
a drama series because you’re going
to get that responsibility and career
TEXT: MARKEETA WADD NGTON P CTURES: COURTESY OF CHANNEL SEVEN, NEWSP X,BAUERSYND CAT ON.COM.AU, COURTESY OF NSTAGRAMopportunity, and then you realise you’vegot to be there all the time!” he says.
As the show’s main man, Erik does
whatever he can to keep the mood light
and breezy on the set. “Work can get
pretty mundane and people can spiral
downward pretty quickly,” he says. “I’ll
say things that others are thinking but
would never dare say!”
Erik may have a cheeky nature but
he also delights in mentoring many
of the other cast members.
“I’m happy to take on that role. I’ve
been doing this for quite a while so it’s
nice to make people feel secure. I’m lucky
to be in this position so I’m not going
to shirk my responsibilities,” he says.
Despite his experience, his approach
to work is continually evolving.
“I’m still learning my limits. Now
I feel that I like to pare
down the challenges that
I put upon myself and
make sure that I do
things well,” he says.
“I try to make sure that
the work I do is good
without putting too much
pressure on myself.”
While Erik doesn’t
love having to leave his family behind
for the stints shooting800 Wordsover in
New Zealand, he’sstill very grateful to
be in the position he’s in.
“I count myself very lucky every day.
Of course, it comes with its downsides
as my kids are at school so when I go
back to NZ this time they aren’t going
to be able come and visit,” he says. “But
when I get back I’m around 24/7.”PLAY HOOOUUUSE
InAll Saaiininnt
with Joooyoyy
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and Rebeecccccccca
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the Rafteeererrssss‘I try to make
sure that the
work I do is
good without
putting too
much pressure
on myself’On the home front Erik insists he’s
still very much a romantic at heart who
appreciates the simple gestures and
moments in his marriage.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily the
things you do to be romantic but it’s
more an awareness of moments that
you can share with the person that you
love. They’re the things that you can’t
plan and you just have to be aware of
them when they happen,” he says.
Seems like this charming chap is
too good to be true – especially as
the only time out he seems to crave
is heading out to ride a few waves
come daybreak.
“I feel guilty about taking time away
from my family for myself but I also
think it’s incredibly important to do,”
Erik says. “You need to have that space
to remind yourself who you are and
have a bit of ‘me time’.” •
Catch Erik in 800 Words, Tuesdays
at 8.40pm on Channel SevenLIMIT
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With wife Caitlin
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