Sweet Magnolias Dion Johnstone Shares a Look into Erik’s Personal Life and That Sexy Reunion Scene

We learned more about Chef Erik in this season of Sweet Magnolias than in the three previous seasons.

He was promoted to head chef, but it was more than that. He started questioning his legacy, and we saw more of his passion and home life.

TV Fanatic chatted with Dion Johnstone, who was excited the series finally explored more of Erik’s backstory and personal life.

We also discussed his version of that sexy reunion scene with Helen (Heather Headley) and what’s next for the popular couple.

Check out the interview below.

Hi Dion, it’s terrific to see you again. We loved learning more about Erik in Sweet Magnolias Season 4. Did you enjoy that, besides making him head chef, they dove into his personal interests in art and pottery?

It was a revelation for me. I’ve had my own ideas about Erik’s backstory, but now we’re seeing his home, where he lives, the music that he’s interested in, and pictures of his family. There were pictures of his former deceased wife.

It felt like you saw Erik’s whole being, and the mystery behind his garden nature was finally laid out. That was an extraordinary journey to explore. It was thrilling to be on set and say, “Oh, I have a home.”

In the first couple of seasons, Erik slept in the kitchen in the back storeroom at the end of his shifts because he didn’t have a house yet.

I liked that we saw his home and pottery studio and that he enjoyed worshiping in nature.

That’s an interesting point for Erik, tied to his loss. It has been an actual conflict with God and a real conflict with what the church could provide in terms of helping him heal and helping soothe his heart.

For him, it was getting out into nature and seeing the glory of God and the landscape. He talks about how nature doesn’t fear change; it embraces it.

Throughout his journey, he has challenged himself not to fear where the path leads and to embrace that pain. Through that, pain is the light that evolves into a greater sense of being.

I also noticed that Eric has started advising the younger generation, especially Annie, this year.

He’s always been a mentor to Isaac, and he has occasionally had conversations with the younger community members. But this, I feel, was a season of strengthening his relationship with Annie, and I love working with Anneliese Judge.

It was fun to have scenes together to explore because her journey is not all that far from his journey. How do you love someone and pursue your growth, even when you seem to be moving in opposition?

Pursuing your path might take you away from the, and how do you navigate that? Her character steps into her own in this season. It’s great to see Eric have a part of that to encourage her to follow her passion and trust her loved ones.

 It’s a winding road, and you may go in opposite directions but return in each direction. You may go parallel. It’s jazz.

But if love is true, you find a way. And he says they will find their way without knowing that his soul and the powers that be will bring him back to Helen.

On that note, some of the fans have asked me to ask you, “What has been your favorite part of playing Erik so far?”

I would say running in the rain and saving Helen from the car. I remember telling Norman Buckley, who directed that episode, that I felt simultaneously in Jurassic Park and The Notebook. If I never get to do this again, I’ve had my big Marvel movie sequence.

It was so exciting. Everybody from all departments worked very hard. We shot late into the night, and everybody brought their A-game and delivered a powerful reunion of cosmic forces that needed to get these two people finally together.

I remember talking with Heather at the beginning of Sweet Magnolias Season 3 when we shot the breakup scene, and then we didn’t see each other for an entire season.

I predicted a reunion scene when one of us would appear on the other’s doorstep and reunite in the pouring rain. So, seeing that we weren’t too far off the mark was very funny.

In last year’s interview, you told me there would be a reunion scene in the rain, and I remember that.

We got it.

We did. I was so excited. As you know, I’m a massive Helen and Erik fan and keep gushing about the sexy rain kiss. Episode five is my favorite because of that kiss and that reunion scene.

Oh, man. It’s wild. It’s beautiful to see Erik go through so many layers of shedding his pain and loss and finally be able to step into the light and see him in a place of true joy. We’ve never seen Eric like that.

In previous seasons, he’s had a mentorship role and had good moments and fun moments, but there was always a weight on his heart.

Things were blossoming the first time he got together with Helen. And that was building. This was different. It was like a new realm they’d entered and a lightness to Erik now, which I hadn’t felt playing him before. So, playing the back half of the season in this space was very cool.

It did seem like things were different this time. Why do you think the relationship is different, and why do you think it has longevity?

On one level, when they separated, I don’t think Erik felt he would get that opportunity with Helen again.

I don’t think he felt that his life was destined to have a true love like that. So, he was prepared to settle, believing life would continue. And he needed to make do with it.

 Erik found himself in a new relationship, and things are great. He’s enjoying himself. But there’s something deeper within him that he’s been repressing and not even letting himself see.

But there are moments in the season like a wake-up call regarding my legacy, what I want to build, and what I want to leave behind.

There’s a moment in the storyline that sounds like a bell that says if you don’t step into your path and don’t claim what you want, that door will close on you if you don’t risk it.

That’s when he becomes aware. Erik realizes he’s not centered or in the right relationship. He wants true love but is unsure if it will be with Helen. That ship may have passed, but he must believe something is there for him.

They go their separate ways. They find their friendship again, which is a beautiful thing. It’s very comforting for him to at least be in her presence, enjoy each other, and have no stress or tension.

Then, they break up independently. He doesn’t know that she’s broken up. She doesn’t know that he’s broken up. It hasn’t been trying to chase each other. An event like the hurricane happens, and that boom sets them bare in front of each other so they can see each other.

I’ve always looked at Eric as if he had three things running through him. He has his soul, which knows what it wants. He has his heart, which feels what it wants, but he also tries to protect himself. It’s been hurt and is guarded.

Then he has his head, which logically tries to navigate to keep him safe, and he’s been operating from his head this last little bit. But the hurricane is a moment where his soul comes forward, and from there, you don’t see the talks, but they talk about having lots to discuss.

They had a good start, and this is great, and there’s more to come. But it feels like the past is done. Helen explored what she needed to do, and that door is now closed. The reparations that she can make towards him make Erik realize that she sees him.

One of the biggest things is losing his wife and Helen seeing the picture and making the connection. Rather than asking him to tuck it away, embrace it, knowing there is space in their relationship for all he is.

She doesn’t ask him to let go of that love, that old love, and that time. They can build with and around it and create something new that incorporates it. For him, I believe, that was the moment that he was sold.

Yes, they dove into that. I think they’re going to make it this time. What do you hope they do for Erik in a potential fifth season?

I think the next thing is the exploration of children. I feel that legacy has become a thing on his mind, whether that’s the legacy he builds with the restaurant, the legacy he leaves in the community with his friends, or, for the people of Serenity, the legacy of who he is.

He never got to bring his child into this world. Helen never got to bring her child into this world. Together, what will their form of a child be? What will their legacy be? Is this a child that they will risk having?

 Are there other forms of parenting, such as adoption? You can find yourself a parent in many ways, but I would love to see them take on that challenge together.

Also, getting together is one thing, but once that giddiness wears off, reality soaks in, and you realize there’s still work to be done.

I would love to see their challenges in strengthening, maintaining, and deepening the relationship now that they’re together and committed to finding a way and being a parent.

Absolutely. So, you’ll be the last of the three magnolias to get married. What kind of wedding should you guys have?

I don’t know whether it would be a big one, a small one, or if they would elope and go, but let’s get it done.

I hope that Sweet Magnolias continues for many seasons. I want to hear so many more stories about all of you.

There’s so much to tell. I mean, it’s all about life and human experience, the ups and downs, and growing, and there’s an excellent series of books with a lot of source material to draw from. This season has almost left the characters at a new beginning.

I look forward to seeing where we go from here.

That is an excellent way to put it. It’s a new chapter for everybody.

Sweet Magnolias Season 4 is streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Anneliese Judge.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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