“Unfortunately, I have to pass this on to another service rep … I just got some news … My uh, my brother and his wife and kids, they live in Seattle, um, just got hurt pretty, pretty badly at a, um, a lumberjack event. A chainsaw, uh, kicked up on them, and, um, I need to catch a flight up there right now, they’re on the ICU — intensive care unit.”
The line is exactly the type of smooth-talking dialogue we’ve come to expect from actor Tyler Labine. The Brampton, Ont., native, who got his big break alongside Ryan Gosling on Breaker High, is known for playing slacker, BS-ing roles with a sensitive edge — a character he’s portrayed since his teens.
“I found myself bucking back against (that role) more than anything,” Labine admits of his early years. “I got a lot of, ‘Be more like Chris Farley. Be more Belushi. Be more John Candy.’”
Eventually, the 31-year-old learned to just embrace that humour and develop it into “a carefully, cultivated persona” over the next decade or so. But while Labine perfected his craft, the roles he was attracted to, like Dave on Invasion or Sock on Reaper, never panned out and he was faced with cancellation after cancellation.
“I’ve gained a little bit more trust in myself knowing that even though a show fails, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I fail,” he shrugs of the process. “It’s an easy (trap) to fall into, especially when you pour your heart into something.”
Labine may have finally hit his stride with Sons of Tucson, the new heartfelt comedy from Fox that begins this Sunday.
Labine was recruited by producers to tackle the lead as Ron Snuffkin, a sporting goods store salesclerk hired by three boys to be their fake father while their real father serves a jail sentence.
The smooth-talking character is just as much of a child as the ones he’s commissioned to take care of, but just as his shtick grows tired and you begin to think the series is an excuse for Labine to act up in front of the cameras, he champions himself with key mature moments.
In fact, his best scenes also star nine-year-old actor Benjamin Stockham as Robby, a sharp kid with snappy one-liners, impeccable timing and an amusing mean streak.
One minute the characters are battling it out, relegated to the same realm of immaturity; the next they’re best buddies, with Ron helming the parenting role.
It’s just enough to create sympathy for the character; a feat that wasn’t often accomplished in Labine’s other supporting roles due to less screen time and a lack of character development.
Labine aside, the series is comparable to another Fox hit, Malcolm in the Middle. We’ve seen these brotherly roles before — Frank Dolce subs as the responsible Malcolm character while Matthew Levy is the carefree, dolt-like older brother.
Interestingly enough, Malcolm actor Justin Berfield is on the project as an executive producer, as is one of the series’ directors, Todd Holland.
But that’s where the similarities end. While the Malcolm children had a somewhat stable parenting unit, the boys in Sons have free range, until they find themselves in a pickle. That’s where Ron steps in, in exchange for $300 a week and a place in the backyard shed.
As to whether or the role will finally translate into a successful series for the actor, Labine isn’t so concerned — he’s just happy to have a job. “If I can just keep doing work, hopefully the product in the end will be something worthwhile.”
Sons of Tucson debuts Sunday, March 14, 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox. On Global it airs Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
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