Rossif Sutherland Jokes He 'Wasn’t Sleeping' After “Murder in a Small Town” Crew Pulled Epic Prank on Him (Exclusive)

"I wasn't sleeping, and people were quite concerned that I was…” Sutherland says, before Kreuk interjects, "That he was losing his mind! They would show up everywhere"

Rossif Sutherland takes his craft very seriously, but he says there’s still room for some fun on set.

Speaking with PEOPLE to promote the Sept. 24 premiere of Murder in a Small Town, Sutherland and co-star Kristin Kreuk reveal what went on behind the scenes — and the practical joke that everyone on set caught onto, which got to Sutherland's head.

“[Sutherland’s] son loves pigs, and he also had a dream about a pig,” Kreuk says. “And Aaron Douglas, who plays Sid Sokolowski, started to tease him about it. And he bought 50 or so tiny little squeaky pigs, like those rubber duckies, but in pig form, and he would hide them in [Sutherland’s] pocket.”

Sutherland then laughs that he “had no idea” where the toys were coming from or that it was a joke.

“I wasn't sleeping, and people were quite concerned that I was…” Sutherland says, before Kreuk interjects, "That he was losing his mind! They would show up everywhere. They were everywhere, and you could hear people squeaking the little piggies that they found.”

Murder in a Small Town, which Sutherland has said is dedicated to his late father Donald Sutherland, is a murder mystery series on Fox “set in an idyllic coastal town.”

“At its heart are two characters — a detective who thinks outside the box, who marches by the beat of his own drum, and who manages to get the truth out of people from his humanity, and not necessarily intimidation,” Sutherland explains. “And Cassandra, this fierce independent woman. And these characters fall madly in love, and the show explores what it means to be madly in love halfway through your life, if you're lucky enough.”

“People who have their history, their broken hearts, trying to keep this very fragile and very special thing alive,” he adds.

Related: Rossif Sutherland Reveals the Sweet Way He's Dedicating His Upcoming Series to Late Father Donald Sutherland

The pair say their characters’ love came easy for them to act out because they had such a great natural chemistry while filming.

“Other than just running lines a few times, there was a magic between the two of us,” Sutherland shares of how they prepared to take on these roles. “She's wonderful. But there was an ease. Sometimes it happens, sometimes you have to act chemistry. It was there.”

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The Canada-native reveals the show was 30 years in the making by writer Ian Weir, so being able to “breathe life” into his character was “a joy" — and Kreuk agrees.

“Yeah, there's regular actor processes that you do to build character, but like what he's saying, once you're on set, everything changes,” she says. “Everyone brings something different to the table, and you move with it.”

She continues: “I think there's a flexibility in acting. It's really part of the joy of it. Like you said, it was easy and fun, and didn't require a ton of heavy lifting, which was a joy.”

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Murder in a Small Town airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

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