Eric Hicks is a Toronto-based actor whose career began back in 2008 after winning Best TV Commercial and Overall Best Talent at the Canadian Model and Talent Convention. Trained extensively in both theatre and film, Eric made his television debut acting alongside Jake McLaughlin and Priyanka Chopra on the hit series Quantico (ABC) He has amassed a string of roles including the lead in a new romantic feature ‘Love in Harmony Valley’. We had the opportunity to speak to him about his career and future projects.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. I’m sure you had an interesting childhood; your father was an orthopedic shoemaker and your mother was a police officer and tattoo artist. How much did this influence your career aspirations at an early age?
Well to be entirely honest with you, both my parents were hugely involved in the AMWAY business throughout my childhood and I would say that had one of the biggest impacts on me. We would travel around North America going to conferences, networking with swaths of people, and essentially being salesmen. My dad used to tell me, in this business “it’s best to know a little bit about everything and not a lot about one thing,” that way you’ll always have something to contribute to a conversation and it’ll help you build relationships with people from all walks of life. I would say I’ve inadvertently followed that advice. I know a little about a lot of things but I’m no master at any one thing. Growing up for me, it was all about AMWAY, building the business, making contacts, selling products, money money money. My brain was so wrapped around this concept of money that from a young age I was determined to become a brain surgeon because it paid the most. So, I studied my ass off, got the best grades, became a prosthetist, made great money, only to realize money wasn’t going to leave me fulfilled at the end of the day. It wasn’t until I had achieved these childhood dreams that I realized they weren’t my dreams. They were the product of osmosis from growing up in the AMWAY business. The second I came to this realization, I flipped my life 180 and started following my heart, and that led me straight to the arts. Amen to that. But you don’t know until you know… you know?!
Your interest in acting grew at an early age whilst watching a production being filmed in your family home. Please tell us more about this experience.
This company came in and redid our house and yard to make this film. It was all-consuming and for young eyes all the more so. My curiosity was through the roof. I remember getting lost amongst the crew at one point and crying trying to find my parents, hey, I was just a boy okay, settle down lol. But watching the actors in front of the camera and even preparing before action was called was truly mesmerizing to me. How seeing them do all that translated into the movies we would watch on TV blew my mind. It’s just something that I knew I wanted to be involved in from a young age.
You moved to Vancouver to study prosthetics and orthotics while pursuing acting, singing, and dancing in your spare time. How quickly did you decide to pursue acting full time?
It wasn’t until the moment I passed my certification exams for prosthetics that I knew I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life. Months before the certification process took place, I was off in Mississauga acting in a talent scouting convention at the CMTC (Canadian Model and Talent Convention), so there was already that part of me looking for an outlet for my creative energies. When I got the letters in the mail saying I was now a certified prosthetist, the rest of my life flashed before my eyes and it involved, a house, car, boat, family, kids, working long days, growing old, and dying. I didn’t like the idea of life being so predictable, I crave spontaneity. At that same time, I had agencies from around the globe saying they would sign me if I moved to their cities. I just made that scary leap into the unknown and gave my 1-month notice at work and decided to just go for my dreams of a career in the arts. There was that part in me that just needed a difficult challenge to force me to grow and my lord did this industry ever do the trick.
In 2008 you won Best TV Commercial and Overall Best Talent at the Canadian Model and Talent Convention. How much of an impact did this have on your career?
Well like I said, this opened the door for me to a whole new world of possibilities. I had 11 different agencies from different cities wanting to sign me but I knew I wanted to stay in Canada, so I chose to move to Toronto, somewhere I’d never been before. If I hadn’t gone to CMTC I would be down in the States right now running a whole slew of prosthetic and orthotic shops. That was the initial plan. Slaving away working for that sacred dollar. A much different life than the one I’m living now. It’s crazy to think of the different versions of yourself that could’ve been if you had gone down this road instead of that one. One thing I do know though, we as humans will always justify whatever choices we make, and so I’m grateful for the road I’m on haha!
Who has been an influence on your career to date?
That’s such a broad question. It’d be easier to answer who hasn’t. Life is my greatest teacher.
You’ve amassed a significant body of work in several films and television productions. Are there any particular experiences that have significantly shaped your approach to acting?
I have this one acting coach Matthew Harrison who really revolutionized acting for me. He taught me what no other acting coach ever has, story and narrative. I have to remind myself, that a film is never about me, it’s about the story. It’s my job as an actor to serve the story. If I were an audience member watching this film, what does this scene need to achieve to advance the story? This small switch in thinking has really opened up my mind to becoming a true storyteller and not just an actor. I’m thinking like a writer, a director, a cinematographer, a sound designer, etc. There are so many pieces to the puzzle and each one is so vital to telling the story. The more aligned we all are, the greater the impact. And that’s just beautiful art!
You star as Will in the new romantic feature film Love in Harmony Valley, which just premiered on the Superchannel. Please tell us more about the role and what viewers can expect
I play the lead opposite Heartland’s Amber Marshall. Through an unfortunate series of events, I’ve been called home to our small town of Harmony Valley to take care of my sister Tracey (Nina Kiri) who’s rehabilitating from a car accident. In the meantime, my best friend Flynn (Andy Yu) and I undertake a project to revitalize our hometown and start up a winery but to get it approved by the town council we need the help of Emma (Amber Marshall). In the end, I walk away with more than I ever could’ve bargained for.
This is a feel-good, uplifting, family movie for all ages. It deals with how we adapt to the changing times and learning how to open our hearts and forgive ourselves and others for past misfortunes. There are lots of laughs as well as moments for self-reflection. But in the end, it’s about being there for one another. We all need support. And love is in the air!
What other projects are you working on?
I did an action Sci-Fi film last year called “Enhanced” that’ll be coming out either late this year or early next year… tons of ass-kicking if that’s your jam! And I’m currently starting production on a new Lifetime film called “The Perfect Wedding” in mid-November. It’ll be my first time back on set acting with all these new Covid restrictions so I’m sure it’ll an interesting experience. I’m so excited to be getting back to work, what a wild year it’s been. Hope everyone has been staying safe and healthy!
Where can our readers find out more about you?
You can also follow me on Instagram @ericsamhicks
or check me out on IMDB at imdb.com/name/nm5628646/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
I also have a website I rarely update but if you want to watch some clips that I don’t share elsewhere then check me out at www.officialerichicks.com
Photos by Brian Hamilton.
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