Republic Of Doyle

Season 1 SABC3 (*193) 23:00 Comedy

Comedy series Republic Of Doyle (20102014) centres around father-and-son private investigator team Malachy and Jake Doyle (Sean McGinley and Allan Hawco) in Newfoundland, Canada. While actor and show producer Allan says that he’s “nothing like my character Jake”, that’s not entirely true – he’s a Newfoundland native.

The 39-year-old loves his roguish 1

character because “he’s not afraid of anything. He just takes on controversy without hesitation”. In reality, Allan’s biggest fear is making a TV show that doesn’t work or speak to his audience.

Acting wasn’t Allan’s first-choice 2

career though. “I had to focus on reality,” he says. He enrolled in business classes at Newfoundland’s Memorial College in 1995 but got side-tracked by the institution’s theatre programme in his first semester.

He joined Montreal’s National 3

Theatre School in 1997 to study acting and Allan paid for his schooling with odd jobs, including working at a bakery. He graduated in 2000 with his degree in acting and directing.

The show hasn’t just given him a 4

job – Allan found love too in 2011 when his now-wife Carolyn Stokes was cast as a reporter. She’s a real-life journalist and they married in 2012.

While the couple don’t have kids, 5

foster care is something close to Allan’s heart. “Growing up, it was a common thing in my neighbourhood… so that is why I jumped on board to be spokesperson of Stella’s Circle, who help foster kids in Newfoundland.”

And while he’s fighting crime as 6

Jake, Allan is actually quite dangerous in real life. He’s a red belt in martial art form tae kwon do and Allan also studied Shotokan karate.