Original-Cin Q&A: Dakota's Tim Rozon talks dogs, bears, wolves, Schitt's Creek and Wynnona Earp
Tim Rozon is a man with a following. Best known for his roles as Doc Holliday on the hit series, Wynnona Earp and Alexa’s former flame Mutt Schitt on Schitt’s Creek, he is keeping busy with another show, Surreal Estate and plenty of film work.
His latest movie is, Dakota which centers around a woman (Abbie Cornish) and her daughter (Lola Sultan) who find strength and companionship when her late husband's combat dog comes to live on their farm. Rozon plays the husband’s best friend C.J., who’s taken over dog delivery duties.
They soon all must band together when a corrupt sheriff (Patrick Muldoon) does whatever it takes to get his hands on the family's land.
Our Bonnie Laufer caught up with Tim Rozon to talk about his role in the film and to look back at a few hit shows he will forever be grateful for.
Dakota is on VOD/Digital Release: May 24, 2022
Tim Rozon interacts with his co-star in Dakota.
ORIGINAL-CIN: Who on earth could resist taking a role when your co-star is an adorable dog?
TIM ROZON: I agree, it wasn’t difficult saying yes to this project. I've worked with some wonderful and incredible actors, but I’ve got to say that Dakota was one of the best actors I've ever worked with. I'm not even lying, it was incredible.
O-C: Tell me a little bit about that, when you got the script and you saw who you'd be working with for most of the film.
ROZON: This dog was so professional. I'm really lucky because I've worked with some different animals before, but this one was amazing.
I worked with a bear once, but the bear pretty much just sat in the corner eating giant tubs of butter chicken. I’ve worked with some wolves and they were pretty friendly. But Dakota was just incredible, just a fun, warm, spirited and beautiful animal. She always hit their mark, you know, and we never had to redo a take because she was so professional.
O-C: I can't imagine what it's like being on a set with one of these trained animals and working with them. I would guess sometimes they're better than having a human co-star?
ROZON: Well, I still like human interaction (laughs). But this film had the best of both worlds. I was really lucky. Lola and I had the most interaction with Dakota, as well as having a ton of screen time with her alone. So, we had a lot of time together.
O-C: The film certainly has its playful and fun moments, but there are some pretty serious issues that are dealt with. Especially focusing on military veterans, PTSD and how these animals are a lifeline for them, not only in the field but back home. What kind of research did you do to prepare for that?
ROZON: I'm happy you said that because it doesn't jump off the page. But PTSD is a huge part of this, especially for my character.
That was something I read, and to be honest was the element that really got to me. I booked this part pretty quickly, so I dIdn’t have a lot of time to figure stuff out and do any extensive research.
I got the call on a Thursday and had to be in Italy by Sunday. So it was like running around doing the turn-around and trying to figure everything out.
The first thing I did was train with the dog, right? I needed that dog to respond to my character or it's not going to work. The dog was such a pro. He took pity on me and made me look good right away. PTSD is a huge thing and there's so many people who suffer from it. So it was great to find some light on it.
O-C: Your human co-stars aren't too bad either - Abbie Cornish, William Baldwin, and Patrick Muldoon to name a few!
ROZON: This whole cast, this whole experience was really special, all across the board.
If there were any positives to COVID, it’s that we not only made this movie work, but we were all in Italy together and we kind of had to quarantine together, all of us actors and the main producers and director. We were always together. Working on this movie was like finding a new family.
O-C: Like I said earlier, you are a busy guy. But of course, you have fans worldwide from the work that you did on the hit series, Wynonna Earp and Schitt’s Creek. It must be very gratifying for you to interact with the fans who are so completely devoted to that show.
ROZON: I'll agree with that statement 100%. I've been really lucky in my TV career to be on some incredibly special shows that have amassed a special fan base.
It kind of started early in my career from the Nickelodeon show called Instant Star. That was way before social media, but that fandom was incredible. And then, Schitt’s Creek was a blessing. The “ Earpers,” as they call themselves (and I am one of them), it's just a fandom built on kindness and trying to be the best version of yourself. Just the good things in the world.
I'm really lucky. I get to go to some of these conventions, where it's just the fans. And I come back from those weekends, and it always takes me a day to reflect. The rooms are so full of positivity and acceptance. Yeah. It's wonderful.
ORIGINAL-CIN: Not a lot of people get to experience that kind of love from a show. And you mentioned Schitt's Creek. What a whirlwind of love, with all of the awards and accolades. When you were working on that show, did you even realize what it would become and think, “I’m working on something special here?”
ROZON: That part, yes. Did I think they were going to win a boatload of Emmys? No way. I don't think anybody did right off the top.
You knew there was something special there, obviously. Catherine (O’Hara) and Eugene (Levy) are mega-stars, so just to be around them was mind blowing.
I'll never forget, maybe my favorite read-through moment ever in my history. (Read-through for people who don't know, is when we read the script before we shoot). Anyway, it was for an episode where Catherine's character Moira does an impromptu song and dance.
She actually did it live at the read-through. Annie Murphy and I were literally squeezing each other's hands so tight because we knew how lucky we were to be in that room watching Catherine O'Hara do this. It was incredible.