Eric Allan Kramer, who plays Scott on AMC’s Lodge 49 talks about the inner turmoils of his character and his experience writing a song to perform on the show. 

Q: A lot of things have changed for Scott since Season 1 — Connie has left and he’s become Sovereign Protector. How do you think Scott has changed?

A: A lot of things may have changed around Scott, but Scott himself hasn’t and I think that’s the problem. [Laughs] If anything, becoming Sovereign Protector has made him double down on what he believes. He feels like he can fix anything – from the lodge to Connie. This Season 2 is about journeys and quests. As far as personal journeys go, he really has the furthest to go. This is a guy who has not looked inside himself for probably as long as he’s been alive.

Q: As Sovereign Protector, he just can’t seem to get the members of the lodge under control or on his side. Why do you think they resist him so much?

A: I mean, have you met the guy?! [Laughs] Seriously. He’s the false king. He muscled his way into being Sovereign Protector. He literally stepped on Ernie to get to the goal line. How do you earn respect when that’s where you’re starting? The lodge has had a life of its own for so long and now, suddenly, here comes a guy telling everybody they’ve been doing it wrong. What’s sad about it is that Scott’s heart is in the right place. He loves the lodge, he works his butt off, he’s cleaning floors and patching holes, but he absolutely cannot get out of his own way. He can’t open his mind to anything other than what he’s convinced himself is right. In typical Scott fashion, he just powers forward. You’re first at bat and you call in everybody’s bar tabs? That’s swinging really hard at every pitch. [Laughs] There’s just no subtlety to the guy.

Q: Blaise is MIA and has disappeared from the library. Does Scott believe in any of the alchemy that some of his fellow lodge members do?

A: Absolutely not. None. Never has. All of that is just so ridiculous in his mind. Before he became Sovereign Protector, it was just something he could make fun of, but now he’s in charge and he sees that all of this nonsense is a real problem. He’s trying to get the lodge back on its feet and here comes this huge alchemical obstacle that he feels he has to shut down. To the believers, he’s just being an asshole – especially to Blaise.

Q: Scott hasn’t given up on Connie, despite her leaving and being with Ernie behind his back. How would you describe their connection?

A: I think that’s answered with a very simple sentence: Scott loves her. Maybe he’s felt a sense of duty with everything that was going on with her physically, but he fell really hard for her. Honestly, with Scott, I think love and duty are pretty close for him. Remember, they had a relationship that worked. They were married and there was something there. Yeah, it was weird and complicated when Ernie came back in the picture, but it’s always been about making Connie happy. It’s this knightly sense of duty and he’s sacrificed his own happiness doing it. Love may be a battlefield, but you can bet that he sees a clear path through it. He’ll be riding his horse the whole way. Like with everything else, he just believes he is the guy.

Q: What’s really going on with Scott when he breaks down after his band drops the ball and bans them all from the lodge?

A: It’s the ultimate betrayal. At that point, the band was all he had left. In his eyes, they let him down when he needed them the most. Loyalty is really important to Scott. He’s let down by the guys that he’s played with for years and on the night that he’s trying to win Connie back. The whole world literally falls away under his feet and he just feels utterly alone. In moments like that, you lose faith in everything. He doubts the song, getting Connie back, everything in his life...and just like with Jocelyn, the boys are banished. Everybody out!

Q: What was it like performing Scott's big song?

A: It was terrifying. The look of fear on his face is one of the most genuine moments I’ve had as an actor. Each season, I’ve had a “holy crap” moment. Season 1 was “holy crap I have to do a drum solo” and then this season was “holy crap I have to write and perform a song.” I’d never written a song before and, on top of that, I had to write it as Scott. I’m not a musician – and believe me, I tried to make that point several times. So, I felt connected to Scott that whole time. [Laughs] To make it even harder on myself, I didn’t play it for anybody besides the producers. Looking back, that was a huge mistake. It’s a different kind of nervousness when you perform your own work. You’re completely exposed. I was so nervous on shoot day that I couldn’t even open my eyes. I used one take just to prove to myself that I could get through the song from start to finish. As much as the whole thing aged me, it was a hell of a learning experience. I’m glad the guys pushed me to do it.

Q: What excited you most about the second season?

A: In Season 1, you see the outside of the characters and with Season 2, you get to see on the inside. Season 2 is the start of Scott’s journey to figure out who he is. It’s the start of him heading to a completely different place. A lot of people impose rules on themselves so they can feel safe and Scott is one of those people, but he’s reached the point where he can’t see the point anymore. He’s starting to question himself and he’s never done that before. For someone wound that tight, there’s a lot of anticipation to see what happens. He’s truly his own worst enemy.

Read an interview with Linda Emond, who plays Connie.

Lodge 49 airs Mondays at 10/9c.

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