Fans of American Psycho may not remember Anthony Lemke (Dark Matter’s Three) in the popular movie however Halberstram has come a long way since that tiny role. I sat down with Anthony and had the chance to hear a bit about him and have to tell you, he’s an absolute doll.

I would interview this guy ten times over if I could and not just because he plays the bad boy on Space Channel’s Dark Matter. His laugh is contagious and he is one of the most personable people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. In fact the conversation flowed so easily I didn’t make it through a large portion of my questions.

I had to ask how Anthony went from the tiny dark humor role given in American Psycho (the running gag being Patrick Bateman is always mistaken for Halberstram when the two of them look nothing alike) to a show like Dark Matter which is very remnant of Battlestar Galactica meets Firefly. The answer is simple in Canada, you put in your time and if you’re good to work with, you grow. Canada doesn’t foster large personalities well.

Anthony wanted to land one of the top roles as a Han Solo type on a series and the role came up fortuitously. He even saw who Three was as a character before actually playing him. I saw many differences between the actor and Three but what Anthony sees are the similarities. This explains why he nails Three’s character so well.

In fact he actually made a very risky move when he was auditioning for the part. Anthony was so sure he knew what Three was about he actually taped and submitted his audition. For those that don’t know, this is a very risky venture as if you do a reading, the casting director can give you coaching if you’re not quite getting the character and you can try again however with a taped submission, you either get it or you don’t. There are no do overs. As we can see, he got it.

When I look at Three, Anthony’s character from Dark Matter, I see a dark and rebellious character. When I looked at Anthony, I saw a family man, good guy, salt of the earth sort- quick to smile. He sees something different. His description of Three was “I identify a lot with him. Characters are never the things they do, they’re the people they are. The writers create the characters, they give them a bunch of things to do. For me, when I think of Three I think he’s very similar to me in a lot of ways. His life has given him different things to do that put him in a different place that, had I been thrust into the situations that he had been thrust at 8 or 9 I don’t know if I’d be any different. I think I have most of his traits just in a different order of preference and ratio. I think he’s an incredibly loyal person which is something I value a lot.”

At this point just about anyone would melt as Lemke goes on to describe lifelong friendships and a marriage that’s lasted for over 15 years, which is an impressive feat in any world let alone one with such long hours. He describes their marriage and his friendships as “something that will never change.”

Anthony describes Three as “He doesn’t wander around making friends, you can see in the crew there’s a reason they keep him around and it’s not just out of pity, they see the real Three.” He talks about temper, sense of humor and playfulness all being shared traits just in different percentages. To tell you the truth- he sold me on Three as a good guy in about 5 minutes flat by showing just how much he shared in common with his character.

It’s not very often you meet someone who’s genuinely just happy where they are but as he described Three and his role on Dark Matter, I realized that’s exactly what I was seeing: genuine happiness. This is Anthony’s ideal role and he has it, a thought he avidly agrees with. The man has a few close friends, a supportive wife and loves the area he lives in. These things radiate from him and it’s infectious.

He doesn’t stop at happiness just in his work or home life either, he even spreads his good nature to his neighborhood. Prince Edward County, Ontario is a small but vibrant arts area. Over the years factories have shut down, taking away jobs and this midpoint between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto is a perfect home for an all season arts center to thrive. This is something spawned from a conversation between Anthony’s wife (a classical musician) and her best friend and her husband who are all involved in opera or classical music.

What’s really interesting is the thought that they are actively trying to help breathe life into the community using the arts- a tried and true method for growth, Anthony discusses and PEC (a community I’m proud to say I’m part of) is already the unofficial meeting place for these things. He’s been dubbed the unofficial Mayor of Wellington and one can only guess why after all of this.

There are some people you can tell by how they handle themselves, they have that je ne sais quois about them. He has it. Whether in his home life or on a set the man draws others in and finds ways to help them and oozes personality. Let’s hope if or when Dark Matter ends he finds a new project worthy of that trait.