Fred keeps it Canadian

Fred Ewanuick says Corner Gas got him through “some pretty rough times in the business,” plus placed him steps away from one of his rock idols.

If Fred Ewanuick has it his way, he'll keep it Canadian when it comes to his career.

"I've always wanted to make it in Canada. It's always been you go down south, you get your fame and then you can come back. Nobody's ever really done it where they're a household name, making a good living and never having to use that well. I think if in 30 years I'm able to do that, I'll consider that success."

The former Douglas Theatre student easily lists off CanCon staples that entertained him from childhood on - Mr. Dressup, The Littlest Hobo and Hockey Night in Canada - and inspired him - SCTV and Kids in the Hall.

As Ewanuick heads for Toronto to begin filming his new TV series, Dan for Mayor, it seems his goal is indeed attainable. Raised in Port Moody, he had stints on Vancouver-shot staples like Da Vinci's Inquest and Dark Angel early in his career. More recently he was a regular on Robson Arms, also shot in Vancouver. However, he is currently most-recognized for playing Hank Yarbo in Corner Gas, which was shot in Rouleau, Saskatchewan for six seasons.

"Corner Gas was a godsend. It got me through some pretty tough times in the business. There was the writers' strike, 9-11 and the actors' strike," says Ewanuick.

Not to mention it placed him just steps from one of his rock idols, who made a cameo on one episode. "Gord Downie (of The Tragically Hip) is literally as close to me as that dry erase board, singing his guts out, and I'm thinking ‘This is awesome!'" says Ewanuick, pointing to a dry erase board about six feet away.

Corner Gas also further expanded his roster of contacts, which are invaluable to any actor. Indeed, it was during the early '90s at Douglas where Ewanuick established friendships and began the chain of events that got his career moving forward.

"Having Douglas on my résumé got me my first job at Science World, my first paid on-stage job doing kids' theatre and science shows. Through that, I met my acting coach. Through my acting coach, I met an actor who got me my agent. All these connections started. One of the girls who was in the Theatre program with me ended up in casting later on and cast me in my first lead role in a film," says Ewanuick.

The move to film and TV from theatre was a good fit for Ewanuick, who admits his shy nature made hitting the stage a challenge. "If I could find a way out of doing something, I would," he admits, adding that it wasn't until his second year that he got his first leading role in a studio production at Douglas.

In retrospect, he advises aspiring actors, "You can't live with fear, otherwise you're hooped. You're going to live your whole life without experiencing anything. Fear is just a feeling and you control it."

For students weighing college and university theatre programs, he adds that unless someone is intending to teach, "A degree doesn't really give you anything. If your plan is to be an actor, you just need to find the best way for you to get that ground support to build off of," says Ewanuick.

"I felt Douglas was the best - it's as simple as that."

This month, Ewanuick begins filming Dan for Mayor, his first lead role in a TV series, in which he plays a thirtysomething bartender who runs for mayor of his hometown. So for now, he's keeping his eye on the near future. "The writers and producers have lined up the whole season already. They've done their job, now it's up to me to do mine. If I don't suck too bad it should be pretty good."

Links:

Theatre
Fred Ewanuick
Dan for Mayor Facebook Fan Page
Corner Gas
Robson Arms
More feature stories