From villain to hero and everything in between
We talked with the Vancouver-based actor about his role on the hit show
The 100, what inspires him and what we can expect next.
By Melina Morry
Richard Harmon is the guy you love to hate but end up falling for. Or at least that’s how good his acting is. Known for playing mainly villainous roles, it’s only natural that you would tend to blur the line between his characters and himself: a regular Sponge-Bob loving, Bob Dylan idolizing, Escape Room enthusing (he’s done approximately 110 of them) guy.
As we talk over the phone one evening, Richard is sitting in his self-bought West End Vancouver apartment. Owning his very own place is just one of the perks that’s come from his success as John Murphy on the CW’s The 100 – the character that has taken him from bad guy to hero in four seasons.
His apartment is his sanctuary amongst all the craziness that comes with being an actor – and it’s thanks to the hit show.
“It’s my favourite place on Earth – just being in this apartment, other than being on set,” he says. “I wouldn’t have all of this stuff without The 100 and I owe so much to it.”
So how did the Mississauga-born, Vancouver-raised thespian come to eventually land the role of John Murphy? (Who, according to him, is probably his favourite character he’s ever played.)
Of course, working in film runs in the family – his mom is Cynde Harmon, producer and former actor, his dad is director Allan Harmon, and his sister Jessica Harmon is also an actress. While that may have something to do with Richard’s initial interest in the industry, it’s not what made him continue to perfect his craft.
“I can’t stress it enough how much they didn’t push [me] into this. Coming from inside the business, you see what it can do to younger people. It can ruin lives if you aren’t raised the proper way.”
Once he was 10, Richard’s parents decided there was no stopping him from following his dreams and encouraged him to pursue his passions.
Being a shy kid, acting helped Richard come out of his shell and start realizing that he really was that good. Once the young actor got a taste of what it was like on set, he never looked back.
“I stayed in it because it’s awesome and honestly the only thing that’s ever stressed me out enough to continue,” he says. “I don’t want to fail. In everything else I’m a very lazy person but in this job I can’t accept failing. I gotta do this till the day I die and I gotta do it well.”
And that’s exactly what he’s done.
Coming from miscellaneous yet high profile roles – The Age of Adeline, Bates Motel and Percy Jackson & the Olympians, to name a few – to a massively successful character in The 100, Richard has proven that he’s here to stay.
As luck would have it his character in the show is here to stay too. The 100’s John Murphy wasn’t originally supposed to be around for more than a few episodes.
“It’s my favourite thing that’s ever happened to me – that they didn’t kill me [off],” Richard jokes.
What started out as a villain character in many people’s eyes has turned into a well-loved hero for most.
“The reception of the character [has] blown me away. I mean, I signed on to be this bad guy and over time we’ve developed him into this really interesting, intricate character.”
Everyone from teenage girls who love Murphy’s bluntness to 50-year-old men can relate to the character. A lot of the changes in Murphy’s story have to do with Richard’s hands-on acting style – it’s been an incredible collaboration between him and the writing team.“They listen to me and we do what we think is right with these characters. Murphy was a blank canvas at the beginning and I thought of something and [they] ran with it,” he says. “Now we have this beautiful, hideous, bloody lovechild – and I love him.”
Playing the antagonist is a role that Richard has gotten used to over the years. If we’re being frank, he says his appearance has a lot to do with it. Although ruggedly handsome, Richard knows that looks play a big role in what role you’ll play in Hollywood.
“My face has been designed that way. I was meant to be a bad guy,” he explains.
But as with many things, the more work you put in and success you have, the more freedom you get to do things your way.
Richard is currently working on an up-coming film where he’ll get to play the romantic leading man – a role he’s always wanted to try. Another character in the works, in the much-anticipated psychological-thriller Crypto, is a more grown-up character than he’s played before and will definitely be a challenge for the young actor.
One of the things that pushes him to take on tough roles and scenes are his fellow actors – namely Bob Morley, Sachin Sahel and Jarod Joseph, also from The 100. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right?
“We just have this fiery thing on set where we want to be better than one another but we’re super close friends,” he says. “Me and Bob [Morley] are on the same team but we get to our best performances by pushing one another as far as we can.”
The cast has become incredibly close since the first season. When you spend so much time together and pour your heart out in front of each other to give your best performances, how could you not? From break-ups to every day struggles, the cast helps each other through everything – just as family would.
Despite his huge success, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Richard – but if you think a bump in the road is going to slow him down, you’re sadly mistaken. He’s learned to turn negative comments into something positive and use that doubt to fuel his work.
“It’s amazing motivation,” he says. “I’m a bit of a workaholic – which I’m sure a lot of people in my position are. If you don’t love what you’re doing you should find something else, you know?”
There’s one thing that’s for sure: we don’t have to worry about Richard finding something else. With multiple movies in the works, a hit show and the drive to take on more, we’ll be seeing this uber-talented guy around for a while. In his own words, “I’m gonna show you and you’re gonna see me.”