Devon Weigel – Soaking Up the Sun

Q.  What are some of the recent projects that you’ve been working on?

A.  Well, pretty much “Falcon Beach” is my life at the moment. We just started our second season a month ago, so I’ve been working on that, focusing on that.

Q.   Is this a second season for both Canadian and American television?  “Falcon Beach” just started airing here in America not long ago.

A.  It is a second season for both actually.  It got picked up for a second season by Global in Canada and ABC Family.

Q.  For American viewers just beginning to watch, what can you tell us about the premise for the show and about your character?

A.  The premise for the show is basically about a small beach town in New England.  It’s kind of about the townies that are from there and the out-of-towners that come in for the summer.  The interactions between them and the relationships.  The summer months, trying to squeeze as much into the short summer as possible.  I play Tanya who is the daughter of a local beauty salon owner, Darlene.  She grew up in Falcon Beach and her mother sent her off to Europe when she was fourteen to be a model.  So, she’s been gone for four years and comes back to Falcon Beach to try and reunite with her childhood sweetheart.  She’s carrying with her a lot of baggage because she’s seen a lot at a young age over in Europe.  The model world has been hard on her so she’s come back to Falcon Beach to kind of reconnect with her roots.  To look for some peace and try and find herself a little bit more.

Q.  With filming season two, what kind of changes will viewers be seeing from Tanya?

A.  The first season Tanya is kind of desperate and makes a lot of rash decisions that get her into a lot of trouble.  They effect her and the people around her in negative ways.  So, the second season she calms down a bit and really tries to pull herself together.  Take a step back and reassess what she wants and not to say she still doesn’t encounter some trouble for herself, she’s not perfect.  She definitely calms down and she’s trying to be better and to have a better life for herself.  To take care of herself more. 

Q.  What originally made you want to be a part of the show?

A.  When I read the pilot script I thought it was a great script.  I really liked the dynamics of the relationships between the characters.  Even when I got to the end I really wanted to know what happened.  That was a good sign for me and I was drawn to the character as well.  I thought she was really complex and fun, different from me in a lot of ways.  It would be challenging and fun to play.

Q.  Do you have a most memorable moment from filming the show?

A.  This season we filmed a scene on the beach, it’s kind of a party scene.  This was just a couple of weeks ago.  There is kind of a period here in Winnipeg when a lot of Mayflies appear.  They only live for like a day, or something ridiculous like that.  So, we were down at the beach and there were a few mosquitoes and some Mayflies.  Gradually, we were noticing the Mayflies more and more.  Suddenly, it was like something out of a horror movie, it was like the plague.  They were all over everything and everyone.  It was pretty frightening.  I felt so bad for the extras, they were sitting there wearing blankets and Mayflies were just all over them.  Then, after they took the blankets off people were shaking and trying to prevent the Mayflies from landing on us.  We’d have to try and get into the scene and I picked up a beer bottle and there were Mayflies all over it.  I had to say a line and not look at the Mayflies so it wasn’t completely ridiculous.  We may in fact have to reshoot it but it was pretty funny.

Q. For those not tuning into “Falcon Beach,” why should they take the time to watch?

A.  A lot of people say that it’s surprisingly addictive, I don’t know why they say surprisingly.  I think there is a lot that appeals to a lot of different people, there is the relationship element to it.  There’s also love triangles and romance, which everyone loves seeing.  It takes place in summer so there is a lot of beach and summer activities like wakeboarding and sailing, motorcycling riding.  That’s always fun to watch, I just think the characters are relatable 

Q.  What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A.  I enjoy seeing a lot of movies, shopping of course.  I got a guitar for my birthday, I like playing guitar.  Reading and just a bunch of extracurricular activities like rock climbing, kayaking, horseback riding.  I like being active. 

Q.  What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  This is like the first big thing that I’ve done and I feel extremely fortunate and grateful for getting to do what I love to do.  Anyone who supports that, or appreciates what I do, I completely appreciate it and it’s wonderful.  The whole thing is a dream come true, not to sound cheesy, it’s very exciting for me.  I hope that the people really enjoy the show and get a lot of it, because it means a lot.  Continue to come back every week and find out what happens.