Exclusive: Tim Rozon Talks New Movie Dakota and His Love of Animals and Comic Books

Tim Rozon had solidified himself as a frequent face in Canada’s film and television industries (especially in the immensely popular show Instant Star) before Schitt’s Creek, but it was that show from Dan and Eugene Levy which launched him into international recognition. Rozon played Mutt Schitt, one of the most relatively stable people in the great comedy series, and one of the few narcissists in the show despite being movie-star handsome. He quickly became a fan-favorite character on Schitt’s Creek.

Tim Rozon’s Wild Week

In the past seven years, he’s been in the main cast of several underrated and quirky science fiction TV shows — Wynonna Earp, SurrealEstate, and Vagrant Queen. These shows may not have amassed the huge popularity of the biggest sci-fi shows, but when Rozon spoke to us, they were making headlines. SurrealEstate, in a largely unprecedented move, had been uncanceled on CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada and on SyFy in the States, after being canceled roughly seven months prior.

“To be honest, I found out a little bit before yesterday,” Rozon says, “but it was one of those things where I got the call, and I was just kind of speechless listening. Like, we’re back. Oh my god, we’re back. I was so happy. I love that show, and as a cast, we were so close. The show was great. The episodes are amazing.” Rozon had been on a variety of shows, so while the cancellation of SurrealEstate was upsetting, it wasn’t the most surprising thing in the world. “It’s not my first rodeo,” Rozon says, “so I’ve been there before. I’ve been on lots of canceled shows, but I’ve never been on a show I got saved before [in this way], and I’m so grateful, and so happy, and so excited.”

Related: 5 Reasons Why There Needs to be a Schitt’s Creek Movie

The Earp Expo was scheduled for the same week that Rozon received this news, making this season of his life (in which the new film, Dakota, is also premiering) quite joyful and productive. While Wynonna Earp never got the attention many believe it deserved, it did garner critical acclaim and developed an extremely loyal and adoring fan base over the course of its run. This resulted in The Earp Expo, a convention devoted solely to the TV series, which stars Rozon as Doc Holliday alongside Melanie Scrofano and Shamier Anderson. The fans have made The Earp Expo into a truly special place for the Wynonna Earp cast and crew, and Rozon loves it, saying:

They’re incredible. Yeah, it’s a pure weekend of Earp-ness, and all that means, and for the people who know, they know. They’re really special events to go to, and they kind of they refill my soul and my heart meter. Whenever it starts getting low, I go to one of these things, and I come back just full love again. It’s great.

Tim Rozon on Dakota and PTSD

Now, Dakota is being released, a movie set around a dog featuring Rozon as Sergeant CJ Malcolm. CJ is fulfilling a promise he made to his friend and fellow Afghanistan veteran Clay Sanders, who passed away overseas – he’s taking back Dakota, a combat dog, to Sanders’ widowed wife Kate (played by Abbie Cornish) and daughter Alex (played by Lola Sultan). CJ is like a shaved, more traumatized version of Mutt from Schitt’s Creek, exhibiting the same quiet and introspective intensity but with a deep kindness rooted in his heart. It’s the perfect addition to a very wholesome film about PTSD and trauma, along with healing and relationships.

Rozon’s quiet stoicism is used to great effect here, something he brings to many roles. As Rozon says, “I’m a pretty big introvert, not going to lie. I’ll prove it. Here,” he says, turning his camera to reveal his walls lined with books, many of them comic books. “This is some of my comic book collection in my loft. It’s mostly books and comic books here, so I spent a lot of time alone kind of reading books.” Rozon continues, speaking about his quiet but often kind characters:

So yeah, I am drawn to those characters, because these are the things that inspire me in life” kindness and compassion and love. Honestly, I think there’s great strength in that. Yeah, and I think that’s what drew me to Dakota right away, but Dakota also had the element of PTSD, and I love that we kind of got into that. I think it was important to get into something like that. So it did have kind of a character who is a little broken, which, if I’m being honest, is also me, I think. Maybe I’m kinder and more from the heart now than I was, because of some of the things that I went through in my life. I think I was always a good person in the end, but I did go through some stuff. And now I take every moment, and I’m just grateful for it.

Dakota’s Spotlight on Dogs and Rozon’s Love of Animals

CJ’s (and the Sanders family’s) protective and healing relationship with Dakota is the real heart of the film, and arguably what most attracted Rozon to the part in the first place. “I’m an ambassador for a charity out here called Unite for Change, and it’s for the Animal Welfare Fund,” Rozon says. “It’s for rescue animals, because I’ve met many rescues myself here, and I’ve had lots throughout my life, including Great Danes, horses, cats, raccoons, you name it.” Rozon talks tenderly about animals and personally resonates with Dakota‘s story of how kindness can change not only wounded or traumatized animals but wounded people, as well. He continues:

I understood that immediately when I was given the script, because I’ve seen animals that were treated a certain way, and when they learned to be treated another way you see them come out of their shells and to experience love and kindness again, so it gets back to love and kindness are for and what they can do for the world, and how important it is. I’ve seen what it does for rescue animals, and it’s really important, so it was great to do a movie like Dakota because it kind of shines the light that Dakota went through as much PTSD as CJ did […] So animals are affected, and they do go through a lot of things you know.

As Discover points out, dogs are the only animal to have evolved alongside humans, and “no other species has been so thoroughly integrated into human society.” For 33,000 years, dogs have been living with humankind, helping us hunt and gather, providing companionship and protection, and loving the lonely.

Related: These Movie Characters Love Their Pet(s) More Than They Do Any Human

Far beyond being adorable, dogs lead the blind, comfort the sick, sniff out drugs and bombs, provide transportation, and much more. They literally lower blood pressure and ease stress, and people who have dogs as companions are statistically proven to live longer; for people with a history of heart attacks, living with a dog provides a 65% reduced risk of mortality. As such, there are countless dog fanatics in the world, and for them, Dakota will likely be a comforting film.

Comic Books and Rozon’s Wounded Characters

In addition to animals, Rozon is passionate about comic books, which seems appropriate for someone who stars in so many acclaimed sci-fi shows. His delight is visible at getting to express his love for them, and could easily be interviewed solely about the Silver Surfer, his “favorite comic book character.” He gleefully nerds out:

Silver Surfer, who first appeared in Fantastic Four #48, along with Galactus [possibly coming to the MCU soon], and Watcher — he’s just my favorite. I do love him so much that I would never like to play him because as a fan, I just want to go to the theater and watch what happens. Last year, I got to make friends with Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, and I think he’d be an amazing Silver Surfer. So I’m going to throw that out there, throw Ray’s hat into the ring as Silver Surfer.

Perhaps his love for the Silver Surfer says something about Rozon and the types of characters he enjoys playing. “He’s kind of this wounded character floating around space,” Rozon says. “He knows he’s looking for something that he’s lost, but he doesn’t know what it is, because Galactus kind of wiped his memory to give him the Power Cosmic. But he’s searching for the person he loves, and he doesn’t know it. I always just loved that so much. Plus, he’s flying through space on a surfboard, which is kind of amazing.”

Tim Rozon’s Good Looks Are a Blessing and a Curse

Between his adoration of comic books, passion for animals, and general introspection, Rozon has a kind and quiet personality which seems almost incongruous to his incredible good looks (and which certainly makes him incapable of noticing them). He was waiting to hear back on a role he recently auditioned for, one which he really liked, but discovered that his handsomeness had actually gotten in the way.

“I really liked this part,” Rozon says, “and I called my agent and said ‘so what happened?’ And he says, ‘yeah, I have to tell you, they think you’re too good-looking.’ I didn’t even know what that meant.” Plenty of fans, both at The Earp Expo and around the world, definitely do know what that means, with Rozon’s good looks even being a comical aspect of Schitt’s Creek. “I guess if that’s the biggest cross I got to bear, I’ll take it.”

“I never think about it like that,” Rozon continues. “I still think I’m the goofy kid nobody would talk to.” Regardless, people keep wanting to talk to Rozon; he develops lasting friendships with every project he works on. “I was literally talking to Mel this morning from Wynonna Earp. I was talking to Sarah Levy from Schitt’s Creek yesterday. I saw Annie [Murphy from Schitt’s Creek] a couple of weeks ago,” he says, before speaking kindly about even more people from different series he’d been in contact with. It’s clear that Rozon makes an impression on co-workers and audiences alike, with many circling back to his kind presence through the years.

Dakota hit theaters April 1st, but is getting its VOD/Digital release on Friday, May 20th. Rozon is also starring in a remake of Terror Train, the classic horror film with Jamie Lee Curtis and David Copperfield, which will stream on Tubi in October.

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