December 26, 2024 • 61 mins
Aaron Pete sits down with Fred Ewanuick to discuss his journey from shy class clown to playing Hank Yarbo on Corner Gas, working with Brent Butt, the show’s cultural impact, memorable moments like meeting The Tragically Hip, and the importance of mentorship, humuor, and Canadian values.
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Episode Transcript
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Aaron Pete (00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of the Bigger
Than Me podcast.
Here is your host, Aaron Peet.
Corner Gas is a Canadianclassic.
I've spoken with Brent Butt,Lauren Cardinal, Nancy Robertson
, and now I have the privilegeof speaking with the actor who
played Hank Yarbo.
My guest today is Fred Iwanek.
Fred, it is an honour to haveyou on the show.
(00:24):
I'm so excited to speak withyou.
Would you first mind brieflyintroducing yourself?
Fred Ewanuick (00:30):
Sure, my name's Fred Awanek and I don't know
what else to say.
I pretend for a living, I think, I don't know.
It's been a little while.
Aaron Pete (00:39):
Yeah, don't take yourself too seriously.
Well, you are on a very, verypopular show, but I want to pull
way back to the beginning.
In an interview you did withLer.
Well, you were on a very, verypopular show, but I want to pull
way back to the beginning.
In an interview you did withLeroy, you talked about growing
up being somewhat of a classclown, going to college, your
experiences there and thenwanting to drive trucks.
(00:59):
I'm wondering if you can justreflect on that period of your
life.
Who were you and where did youwant to go in life?
Fred Ewanuick (01:07):
Oh man, wow, I didn't think we were going to
get this deep.
We're getting deep, oh no.
Well, I hate to bore yourviewers and listeners.
Yeah well, I don't know.
All right, I grew up on theWest Coast, a town called Port
Moody, which isn't really a townanymore.
It's like a full on explosivesuburb now it's like it's.
(01:30):
It's well, so it's stone city.
It's not a suburb, but when Igrew up there it was about 5,000
people.
I think it's quite a bit more.
Now it's probably closer todon't quote me but 40, 40,000,
almost.
So 30 to 40,000.
Um, and so it really felt a bitisolated.
Um, so small school.
Uh, there was just a couple ofelementary schools in Port Moody
(01:56):
when I grew up and I went toMoody elementary, which was a
block away from my house.
So I walked to school every day.
Actually, all all the schools Iwent to Moody elementary, moody
junior, moody senior.
Uh, I guess I drove to moodysenior even though it was
walkable, because I got mylicense in grade 12.
So I drove like the four orfive blocks just because, um,
because I wanted to be cool.
But yeah, like you said, I was aclass clown.
(02:17):
Uh, I was a really shy kid,scared of a lot of stuff.
Uh, asked a lot of questions.
Uh, because I didn't know somuch.
According to my godmother,marianne, she, she told me,
would always tell this.
She always tells this storywhenever family gets together.
Reminisce that I would ask alot of like.
I was constantly askingquestions, like stupid questions
why is why is this guy blue?
Why is this that?
(02:37):
Why is that?
Why?
And uh, marianne um asked meone day is, I think, fred
Freddie, you ask a lot ofquestions?
And my response is well, marion, it's because I don't know so
much.
And so she loves telling thatand I kind of like it always
makes me giggle when she tellsit.
But super shy kid, scared of abunch of stuff, like everything.
(02:58):
And so, going from elementaryschool this is a long-winded way
of getting to why I became aclass clown.
Going into senior high, goingfrom grade 7 to grade 8, a group
of my friends and I gottogether to walk to school for
the first day of grade 8.
And the whole talk was like oh,grade 8s, they're going to
(03:21):
initiate you, they're going tolock you in the lockers, they're
going to write 8 on yourforehead with, you know,
permanent, permanent markers andand they're going to beat you
up and all this stuff, and, andso I was like, I was terrified.
I was like you know, and I wasa little fella, like I'm still a
little fella and like I'm notgoing to survive this.
(03:46):
Like what's going, like I'm,I'm meat, like I'm done, I'm
history.
And the first couple weeks ofschool I had my first I haven't
actually told that, maybe I'vetold this story before I had my
first um incidents of beingbullied, and it was this guy I
won't say his name because yearslater he's a wicked dude, but
(04:07):
he was a bigger guy and this isprobably how he was surviving
grade eight and for some reasonhe, he, he pointed me out and he
came up and he and it was inbetween classes, so the hall was
full and he puts me in aheadlock and and I can't
remember what he's saying, buthe was just he was, it was a
pretty aggressive headlock and Ipretended to pass out and
(04:33):
because I didn't know what to do, and so I just like went limp
and and and he freaked, hefreaked out and he started
crying and he ran out of thebuilding and then I was kind of
lying there and I guess you knoweverybody in the hall was kind
of like.
And then I got up and giggledand did a little like one of
those heel kicks you know thoselike old timey heel kicks and,
(04:54):
like you know, went off to classand then everybody was laughing
and that was kind of like myfirst class clown moment and
like when.
But in the preamble we joked.
You know, I'm just smart enoughto realize I'm not that smart.
I was smart enough in thatmoment to realize, oh, this is
my survival mechanism.
If I can make people laugh,maybe they won't beat me up, and
uh, so it seemed to work.
(05:15):
But the the downside of that is, I found over the years, is
it's hard to get people to takeyou seriously, uh, when you,
when you act like an idiot allthe time.
So that's my lesson, I guess.
Aaron Pete (05:28):
What I love about that period is I imagine a lot
of people are in thatcircumstance, so like I don't
think many people's youngeryears are where they feel like
they stand out, where they feelcomfortable within themselves or
feel like they really have astrong sense of identity.
And you starting from there andbeing so well known to so many
(05:50):
is, I think, inspiring andsomething that's different than
so many who come from a placewhere they were always confident
or they always felt comfortablewithin themselves or knew where
they wanted to go.
Your story doesn't reflect that, and I think that's that's more
broadly reflective of howeveryday people feel is that
they're they're trying to figureit out as they go along, and I
(06:12):
think I think there'sinspiration to be found in that
story uh.
Fred Ewanuick (06:17):
Well, that, if that's true, that's I hope
that's a positive thing.
Man, we are going way deeperthan I was expecting.
Yeah, uh, which I'm not opposed, don't get me wrong.
I yeah.
Aaron Pete (06:28):
You're going to love my next question.
Fred Ewanuick (06:30):
Oh no, you know, I don't know, like it is a
strange.
You know, I'm 53.
I'm of a certain generation,that you know.
Things were different, for sure, and I know it doesn't feel
like it right now, but oursociety has progressed
incredibly from when I was a kid.
(06:50):
Now, by no means am I going tosit here and tell you that we're
in good shape.
Like you know, as a societywe've got a ton to work on.
But I just think, you know,when I get together with my
friends and stuff and we, wereminisce about the old days
with my friends and stuff, andwe, we reminisce about the old
days.
It's like, wow, like we were,we were horrible to each other,
right like.
But we, you know, but we foundlike I don't know, it's hard to
(07:12):
explain like I, I started and Istarted playing team sports,
hockey and lacrosse specifically.
Uh well, I started playinglacrosse from a dare.
I started playing hockeybecause I want to be richard
burdur, but there's somethingabout being in a team and and
and I'm this shy, scared kid, soit'd be a great comedic movie.
(07:35):
You know, I got dared to playbox lacrosse and I was terrified
.
But when you, when you get putback, then, when you get put
into that team environment andyou've got a team behind you,
like, like it, it's a weirdthing.
It's like if you buy in, if youplay your role, if you find your
(07:56):
role, play your role, you're,you're accepted, and it doesn't
mean you have to, you have to bethe best or you even have to be
good, it's just like you'remaking an effort.
Right, and that was me inlacrosse especially.
Is it builds, it gives you, uh,an external confidence.
(08:18):
Even though I didn't have aninternal confidence, that team,
especially my lacrosse team, andespecially when I got to junior
, that team gave me an externalconfidence, uh to to help me
improve myself, even thoughthere was a whole bunch going on
inside I had to deal with.
Does that make?
Aaron Pete (08:39):
sense I don't know it does well like you, even
connected to like how big peopleare fans of like the Canucks,
and you think about that.
They're like their identity.
In some circumstances, like onthe night of game day they're a
Canucks fan, they're not likethey're not advertising anything
else, they are connected tosomething else and the outcome
of that team somehow defines whothey are, which I find like
(09:02):
really interesting because Ilike the UFC.
But it's like they go out thereone person fights one other
person.
I have nothing to do with it, Idon't get to claim that I had
anything to do with it, but whenyou're a fan of a team, you're
on the team, you're with them,and it's just when you look back
at the riots like some peopletake that very, very seriously.
Some people like to causeshenanigans, but some people
(09:25):
take their relationship with theteam very, very seriously
because it gives them that senseof identity.
Fred Ewanuick (09:31):
Yeah, unfortunately, some, some fans
get fanatical in that situation.
Yeah, I can see what I see.
I see where you're going withthat.
Yeah, I mean yeah, and speakingwith the Canucks, I feel that
for sure.
I've been a Canuck fan as longas I can remember, and the way
the team goes, like you know,their defeats are my defeats,
you know, especially against theBruins and and and those sorts
(09:54):
of things, is I feel it.
I feel you're right.
You feel like you're part ofthat community.
It's a community, right.
Aaron Pete (10:00):
Exactly, yeah, here's the heavy question for
you.
Fred Ewanuick (10:05):
That wasn right, exactly.
Yeah, here's the heavy questionfor you.
Aaron Pete (10:06):
We're gonna go deep here.
That wasn't the heavy question.
That's not a heavy question.
Fred Ewanuick (10:07):
Get ready for this?
All right, give me a sec.
All right, I'm ready okay.
Aaron Pete (10:12):
So in that same interview you talked about the
impact of one other person whoplayed a significant role in you
being connected to corner gas,and I think that's really
inspiring because sometimessomebody else helps you, open a
door and advocates for you, andit reminds me that one person
can make a difference in thelife of other people.
And you talked about LynnCarreau and how she supported
(10:36):
you when you went into audition,how she helped you prepare and
then how she, it sounds like,advocated for you in terms of
getting your role on Corner Gas.
And when fans, when, when fansof the show watch this, they're
going to know how instrumentalyou are to the show and it's
because of somebody else thathelped you kind of move in that
trajectory, that opened thatdoor for you, and I'm just
(10:56):
wondering if you can reflect onher impact on helping you get
that role.
Fred Ewanuick (11:01):
Yeah, lynn Carroll.
Yeah, she, she, she was acasting director in town.
Uh, she's since retired, um,and she's just, she's just a
what?
She's just a fantastic personand and, um, it's.
It's funny in this businessthere's casting directors that
get you, casting directors thatdon't, and some, some you're a
(11:22):
hard sell on, some like justseem to really like what you're
doing and it's easy to getopportunities with them and um.
So, going back to confidenceand like being I don't know how
I got into this business becauseI'm I'm really shy and anxious
and but, for whatever reason,whenever I went to see lyn Lynn
(11:43):
Caro whether it's early on forprescreens or any kind of taping
I just felt really comfortable.
I felt, like you know, I guess,safe.
You know, like I felt like itwas going to be okay.
Like you know, I'm not going tomake an idiot of myself and if
I did, she wouldn't let me fail,if that makes sense.
(12:20):
No-transcript uh, for the santaclaus 2.
Uh, this movie I don't know ifyou saw that movie.
It's a christmas, of course,and so I I didn't.
I wasn't auditioning for it.
They needed a reader behind thecamera and and she'd never
called me to read before and andso she got me in there to read
(12:43):
and and she, she said somethingthat I can't remember.
It didn't make sense.
I was a little nervous becauseI've never done reading for her
before.
But the director was in allthese sessions and and during
one of the auditions this wasreally funny she, uh, not uh,
lynn, but the, the director waslike so somebody was auditioning
and I was reading for him andthey did their audition.
(13:04):
It was, it was a good auditionand and, uh, and I was reading
off camera for the role that Iended up getting in in the thing
, and the director's like hey,hey, do you guys mind?
Hey, do you guys mind switchingfor can you go in front of the
camera?
He's just doing the scene againfor me, please, all right, and
that's how I got it.
And and I found out, you know,I got the feeling, the sense
(13:25):
that lynn didn't know where Iwould fit in this show, but felt
like, oh, maybe if I get him toread, something might click,
like, do you know what I mean?
Like that I.
And then, and so this is whatI'm talking about, the build-up
with her like I just felt really, um, supported by her whenever
I had to come in and I wasauditioning for something else
(13:48):
and when my audition was over,um, she followed me out of the
room and she just said hey, Iwant to give you a heads up.
There's something coming downthe line.
Um, I'm gonna get get your thescripts to the sides to your
agent.
I want you to have a look atthem.
Not sure when it's gonna happen, but I really, I'm really want
you and I'm gonna push for youin this.
And I was like, oh, wow, okay,and it was obviously corner gas.
And when she, when I went intoaudition and I don't know this
(14:12):
part, you'd have to ask Brentlike why.
But you know you, always,there's usually an initial
session where there's a bunch ofpeople come in and then they
tape, and then there's acallback session where usually
the director, producers arethere, and so the initial
(14:33):
session, I, I show up and we'retaping and usually go in.
You do it once.
They get.
Maybe they give you a couplenotes, maybe they don't, but you
know that was good or, um, oryou're not right, they won't
tell you that, but they'll go.
Oh, thanks, and you go.
You do it once, but sometimesit's oh, you know, I really like
that, can you?
But can you do this here?
And the initial session I showup and there wasn't.
There wasn't anybody else inthe waiting room, like it was
just me.
And then it was just me andLynn.
Usually there's like a reader,but Lynn was reading with me, if
(14:54):
I remember correctly.
I might have that wrong, I maybe remembering this wrong, but
it was.
I just remember it was us andand we, we, we worked at it a
long time.
We did the stuff a bunch oftimes and took a while at it,
not super long, but longer thannormal and then I didn't hear
anything about it but I was like, oh, that was different, all
(15:15):
right, cool.
And then when the callbacks came, we went through that and Brent
was there and David story wasthere, lynn was there, david
story was our head director andobviously Brent but was
everybody knows Brent but andand did the callbacks and it
went really well, like it was itwas.
You know, by then my confidencewas big because I figured, yeah
(15:36):
, they obviously want to see me.
You know, this is great Onceyou get the callback.
Once you get the callback, youfeel a little better.
You're like, oh, okay, I'mdoing something right, they like
.
But if Lynn but that wasn't thecase Like if Lynn told me before
going into the callback,they're like look, these guys
aren't that keen on you.
Like I had to really push toget them to see you at this
point I would have, I would havefumbled and fallen apart behind
(16:05):
the scenes.
What was going on was like Iguess, uh, lynn sent in the tape
and and brent and the otherproducers and stuff yeah, you
know, okay, but not really whatwe're looking for.
And and lynn, like was like no,no, no, you're gonna, you're
gonna see him at the callbacks.
He's, he's the guy you know,and I'm obviously paraphrasing.
I'm sure it went down a lotdifferent than that, but brent
told me this part, so I know itwent down something like that.
So I would have never got thatpart if lynn told me beforehand
(16:27):
like, look, they don't reallylike you, but I'm bringing you
in anyway.
You know, I would have.
Just I would have fell apart inthe room, uh.
But then that's another exampleof external confidence.
Right, like people aroundaround me uh instilled some
confidence.
So you think, oh, all right, Iguess I all right, so you go in
there and you just do it.
Yeah, so Lynn Carroll.
(16:48):
I legitimately would have never,I would not have gotten Corner
Gas if it was not for LynnCarroll.
Obviously, I did my part too.
I came in and I did my job, butI wouldn't have got that
opportunity.
I did my job but I wouldn'thave got that opportunity.
And you know who knows how lifewould have gone.
(17:09):
But yeah, I'm forever gratefulfor that.
You know, now I'm going tothink.
I know I've sent her an emailin the past thanking her Jeez.
Now I feel like I've got to goand reconstitute another one and
send it out her way.
Yeah, I miss her.
I could use Lynn right now.
My career is stalled a littlebit.
I got to convince her to getout of retirement.
Aaron Pete (17:36):
There's something about that story for me that
really resonates and I think itcomes to this idea of the
importance of mentorship andsupporting people in their craft
.
Like I see it a lot, withmusicians even talking to other
podcast hosts like we don't geta lot of encouragement when you
go out on your own, when you'retrying to do your own thing, it
(17:57):
can be incredibly lonely to betrying to figure it out.
Whether you're an artist andyou're painting.
Like I don't know if you watchthe Office, but there's that
scene where pam's standing thereand she's she's got all of her
art up and everybody who comesto visit doesn't really care.
And then michael walks in andwants to buy a piece and like
that matters to her and I thinkso.
So often when you're trying todo your own thing I know acting
(18:19):
can be incredibly independentbecause you're going into the
auditions that like there's nota lot of support and how much it
matters for someone to advocatefor you to, for them to believe
in you, can play a huge role inyour sense of confidence.
And just when I look at, like Icover a lot of journalism and
stuff and there's not a lot oflike the, the old guard of
journalists, passing on whatthey know to new journalists on
(18:43):
best practices, on how thingswent and so like.
We need to exchange thatinformation so we can all do a
better job.
And there's something to whatshe did for you, like believing
in you at times, maybe more thanyou believed in yourself, and
that's such a gift to giveanother person and it's so
easily missed, whether it's ateacher helping out a student or
something.
But those moments can reallyshape us and move us in a
(19:05):
direction.
And hers just really stood outwhen you told that story of like
wow, one person can like justkind of push you a little bit
further and it can open doors inways that that might not have
happened had she not played thatrole.
And then you can do that andother people can do that, and
it's just a call to action forall of us to remember that we
can be that beacon of hope foranother person, whether it's
(19:26):
like hey, you got to try thatagain, you can do this, you've
got this.
Like.
That can really resonate with aperson when they need it most.
Fred Ewanuick (19:33):
Yeah, well, for sure, those people you know, I
hope everybody has people likethat come through their lives.
I've been really fortunate thatI've had a number of people
come through my life family,friends, colleagues that have
been that sort of thing for me.
Um, sometimes I, sometimespeople can be that person, but
(19:58):
for some reason the, the message, the way they send the message
isn't as good and we wereresistant to that.
Which is it's such a fine lineLike, yeah, I, yeah, I don't
know, I don't know why that's.
That's the case because youknow like maybe as kids and your
parents, they're those peoplefor you at times.
But you're just like, ah, shutup, I can find a thing.
(20:19):
But then, like somebody likeLynn Carroll comes around, no,
you can do it.
You're like, oh, thanks, I cando it I believe you yeah yeah,
yeah, it's, it's.
It's a bit funny, uh, who wedecide to allow to be that
person for us.
Maybe, I don't know when.
Aaron Pete (20:36):
So my understanding is season one.
Everybody was kind of expectinglike maybe this goes nowhere,
brent.
But it said like we didn't knowif we were going to get renewed
or not.
We were kind of just having funwith it and we'd we'd see where
the chips land.
But then you get the responsethat over a million people have
watched.
This happens very, very rarelyand hadn't happened in years.
And then, corner gas, does that?
You get a call from the headsof ctv saying you killed it.
(21:00):
Season two is coming.
We're so excited.
How did that impact you didthat like?
Did that mean something to youpersonally that like you were a
part of something that producedsuch an impact across canada?
Fred Ewanuick (21:13):
um, well, yeah, I mean I wasn't, I wasn't.
I mean, obviously I wasincredibly happy, I was, I was
really it's.
It's nice to be a part ofsomething that people like like,
um, before that, I mean, I'vedone stuff I'm proud of, like
other things, but most of thestuff I was doing people weren't
watching or, you know, itwasn't a you know what.
(21:36):
Yeah, I don't want to bedisrespectful, but, like, I've
done stuff that just, you know,people weren't interested in.
Maybe, right, did other thingstoo that that, like I said, were
good and I was proud of.
But this was the first thingwhere it's like, oh, wow, like a
lot of people like it, likeit's, it's, it's it's yeah, it's
, it's it's incredibly proud tobe part of something like that.
(21:58):
Now, yeah, because I all, all Ido on I've done on that show is
show up, pretend other wordsthat people have written right,
like I'm not belittling my rolein that by any means, but this
is, you know, and I was likeproud of my part in it, uh, but
you know, all of that is on guyslike brent and all the writers
(22:22):
and showrunners that have helpedthe show along the way, the
crew, like all those people likehelped create that.
But if, if Brent didn't havethat and if David story wasn't
in a pitch session and they werelike not liking any of his
ideas and like what else haveyou guys like?
Well, there's this idea thatyou know, this comedian I know
has that.
(22:44):
You know another thing thatnever would have happened, right
interesting.
Aaron Pete (22:48):
What do you think resonated with people about the
first season?
Like if you had to go back andsee, like why did this hit when
so many other shows don't?
What do you think it was?
Fred Ewanuick (23:01):
I I can't tell you, I have no idea.
I mean I here's the things Ilike, I can I know are facts of
the show.
One it's funny, like you can'tdeny.
It might be not, might not beyour sense of humor, I've heard
that but it is funny, like it'sit's quality, it's well written,
it looks really cool.
They shot on super 16, so I hada really unique kind of look to
(23:23):
it, um, and it was a show thatdidn't try too hard and the
whole family could watch, youknow, and it wasn't vanilla,
like you know.
There was the odd racy sort ofinnuendo and stuff in there and
wordplay and stuff, but itwasn't risky, it was just happy,
it was, it was easy, and sothere's that.
(23:45):
So I understand why people likeit, but like to the extent that
it was as popular as it was inthe moment, um, and it seems to
have legs, like there's, itstill seems to be picking up
audiences here and there.
I can't tell you.
All I can say is because I'velistened to Brent answer
questions like this and Brentsaid a number of things, but one
(24:08):
of the things he said that Ithink is probably the most
accurate is that he just made ashow that he wanted to watch.
He wasn't trying to figure outwhat's going to be a hit.
What's going to be a hit,what's going to be, you know, a
big show.
He just went about creating andwriting a show that he would
(24:29):
like to see, and then you justput it out there and whatever
happens happens, right.
Aaron Pete (24:34):
So yeah a huge piece .
A huge piece from myperspective is that it was warm
in the sense that, like I thinka lot of people have complicated
familial relationships, peoplethey might not get along with
complicated family dinners orChristmas dinners and some of
those things can be really heavyand what you see with, like I
(24:57):
know Big Bang Theory was like acompetitor of your guys's or you
guys were on similarwavelengths at the same time is
that people just want somethingwhere they can trust that it's
going to be funny but that theycan relate to family members
they don't have.
Like I didn't have many of thefamily members that you guys
portrayed, but there wassomething warm about the idea
(25:17):
that that's how you would wantyour uncle or your cousin or
someone to be like.
There was something admirableabout their humor and the
simplicity of it that maybepeople weren't getting from
their home lives, or it wasnostalgic in a way that connects
them to who they remember theirfamily member being, or
something like that.
Fred Ewanuick (25:34):
Right, right, you telling me people wish they had
an Oscar in their life.
Aaron Pete (25:39):
I would love to have an Oscar in my life, Tim my
producer is sometimes my Oscar,where he's just calling me out
on how I'm messing up or couldbe doing things better, and it's
much appreciated yeah, I mean,yeah, yeah, you're right, I'd
like to have an oscar in my life.
Fred Ewanuick (25:54):
I might be oscar, I don't know, but um, no, I'm
probably, I'm hank, for sure.
But uh, yeah, no, yeah, youmight be onto something.
I mean, there's definitely awarmth to it, there's a it's,
it's genuine, for sure, like it.
That's what I was trying to saywhen I said it doesn't try too
hard, it just is, you know, like, um, it's funny because, like I
(26:17):
, I don't know that it would bea show that I would naturally be
drawn to like it.
The show grew on me right likeI don't know that it would be a
show that I would naturally bedrawn to, like it.
It, the show grew on me Right,like and that's not to say I
didn't understand it or didn'tthink it was funny Um, but I, I
was always.
The thing I was most proud aboutbeing part of that show was
(26:38):
that the whole family could sitdown and watch it.
And um, at the time, and evennow, I think that there's not
enough of that on on television.
So I don't know, it's I.
You know, I I not to get deepinto the there, there was always
(26:58):
a bit of weirdness.
Uh, in in the industry, not notwith the viewing public, but
but in in the end.
I mean, I had his detractors inthe in, in, in in the public
too.
But, um, there was this kind oflike weird sort of not hate but
dislike for the show and Icould never figure it out, like,
(27:19):
like, I I had a run-in, not arun-in, but uh, uh, uh, a
creator, uh, that you know, I, Ireally admired, created a lot
of shows and they told mestraight out, the gemini's one.
So they just, you know, theyhate the show and they think
it's terrible.
And and I never understood it,like because, like, if it's not,
(27:41):
if it's, if it's not your, ifit's not your sense, like if
it's not, if it's, if it's notyour, if it's not your sense of
humor, if it's not your taste,that's, that's fair.
Like you know, that's like afair, that's a fair response.
But to say it's terrible andgarbage and I heard that a few
times over the years I'm like,well, no, that's not fair,
because the show is quality,like it might not be your take,
(28:05):
but it's quality.
A lot of hard work goes into it.
The writing was alwaystop-notch, top-notch.
The cast is incredibly,respectful, respectable.
The crew was.
Everything about that show wasquality.
(28:26):
So, uh, that's the only time Iget my back ruffled up, like if
somebody doesn't like it.
They saw it's not my sense ofhumor.
I'm like, yeah, that's fair, noproblem.
I kind of had a coffee shotonce.
We were in for coffee and theguy there's, I think nancy, was
there too.
If I remember right, this is inregina it's like oh, you guys
are Corner Gas.
We're like oh, yeah, yeah, he'slike, yeah, I don't care for
that show.
And I'm like oh, okay, he'slike, yeah, not my sense, and I
(28:50):
think he even said not my senseof humor.
I'm like totally fair, thanks,I'll Americano, please.
Aaron Pete (29:06):
But you it to me.
Fred Ewanuick (29:07):
But lauren cardinal um came on the show and
one of the things that reallystood out to me in the same vein
.
Does he want his 20 bucks?
I own 20 bucks.
Aaron Pete (29:11):
Is that what he was like?
No, no, I think we're safe onthat front, but uh, he, he just
talked about how, like some ofthe stories that he heard about
the impact of the show and oneof them that, like, has never
left me is that he and and maybeyou were too, but like that
people in afghanistan fightingover there had reached out and
(29:32):
and that they were watching theshow when they were being rocket
attacked, because it gave themthat sense of home.
And I'm wondering if you haveany reflections on that or, like
experiences, on how the showimpacted people that that's that
example actually is.
Fred Ewanuick (29:49):
Um, acting is is is a lot of work.
It's not hard work, right like.
Before I got into acting, Iused to work.
Some of my my buddy's dad, uh,was a plumber, so we'd work
digging holes and ditches andstuff.
That's hard work, right like,but acting is a lot of work.
(30:12):
So I I never, early on I didn'treally have a lot of respect
for what I was doing.
It was just fun, right, it wasa job like I took it seriously I
don't don't get me wrong like II always wanted to be prepared,
know my stuff and do the best Icould, but it's fun.
So I never, I never thought itwas important.
Like I would always joke likewhen the zombie comes, the
(30:35):
zombies come, the last thingthey're gonna need is a bunch of
guys to pretend for a living,right like.
It's just like.
You know, uh, well, maybe Icould pretend to be a zombie and
like lure them away.
Aaron Pete (30:44):
Fit right in, yeah.
Fred Ewanuick (30:46):
Anyway.
So that story was the firsttime where it kind of changed my
perspective a little bit interms of entertainment, and I
remember being told that storyand it was.
It was impactful in that wayand I had no idea that it could
(31:08):
could do that.
Like you know, yeah, it's anescape.
People come home from work.
They want to forget about theirday.
No, okay, no, but when?
When we heard that it it just,it just.
It's one of those things it'slike oh, yeah, right, there's,
there's people all over theworld going through horrible
things and holy crap, thesepeople being bombarded by shells
(31:31):
and things, and they're sittingthere watching our, our show
and that's helping them getthrough it.
Aaron Pete (31:36):
That, yeah, that, you know that hit hit a spot for
sure, yeah I think it's reallyimportant and I don't know if
you've heard that the primeminister said that we don't have
like a shared national identity.
But like I've lived in bc mywhole life, I've been to
saskatchewan one time.
I don't have any connection tothat region or anything like
(31:57):
that, but like to me that showdoes reflect canadian values and
and it does reflect and that'swhy I think it was so successful
is it was in the compassion andthe kindness it was in those
moments that like our valuescame through.
It wasn't necessarily becausestephen harper was on or, yeah,
this political like it was thatthose are our values, that we
(32:19):
are simple, like quality peoplewho care about each other and we
tease each other and we're just, we're just a good, wholesome
community of people acrosscanada and like we haven't
really had a show like thatsince.
That's really like entered thezeitgeist and been able to be
embraced across canada in thesame way.
And so I noticed people reachout to you and brent and like we
(32:41):
keep pulling you back to acharacter you played quite a few
years ago now.
But it's because there'snothing like it still, there's
nothing that competes with that,that we can all agree that
that's what reflects Canadianvalues.
Fred Ewanuick (32:54):
Well, you know, I'm going to defer to you.
You would know better than methe Canadian values thing is
it's tough to figure out thesedays.
It does seem a bit muddied.
I don't know what that meansanymore to have Canadian values.
But yeah, you know, corner Gaswas in a very quirky animated
(33:17):
way, you know, like you got allthese characters from all sides
of the spectrum like all overthe map.
Every episode they find a wayto come together, pull their
pants up and get stuff doneright like um, yeah, we don't
come together as a, as a nation,like we used to.
(33:38):
I don't think we seem to befighting each other, not so much
like our neighbors, but there'sthat right.
And when I was younger, forsure, everybody had, we've
always had our differences,always like, always like.
But we always seem to cometogether.
And I and I don't want to gettoo, because I don't know enough
(33:58):
about it, but I was sodisappointed during the pandemic
at our response as individualsand how we just got so device
divided about it and and and I'mnot going to get into it
because I don't know enoughabout it, but what, what?
What disappointed me was how weweren't able to sort of come
(34:20):
together in this moment, theextreme moment, to kind of get
through it out the other end andthen sort out what we're wrong.
Does that?
Do you know what I mean?
yes, because we did have thatperiod where we were all
jangling things and we weregoing out at 7 pm, but then that
did come to an end, yeah,abruptly like abruptly it seemed
(34:42):
uh, and I'm not gonna pretendto understand why, but I just it
was that it was like thatseemed new for the canadian
experience, if you want to sayand I don't know if we figure
out how to sort that out yet- Idon't think we have and I don't
see anything on the near horizon, but I do think that's where
(35:03):
shows can often give us like.
Aaron Pete (35:03):
We don't think we have and I don't see anything on
the near horizon, but I dothink that's where shows can
often give us like.
We don't need to debatepolitics, we don't need to do
like.
We need places where we cangather, where we're not just
arguing with each other and wedon't have shared shows anymore.
We have 15 different streamingsites that are all streaming
different shows and you talk tohey, did you watch this?
No, no, I don't have that appor I don't do like.
And it's like we don't have ashared kind of 7 pm channel
(35:27):
anymore where we all kind ofgather and agree that that's top
of mind.
But my next question for you iswho was hank yarbo from your
perspective?
Fred Ewanuick (35:39):
uh, the smartest guy in the room, uh, the hottest
looking dude, uh, brimming withconfidence, yeah, you know,
he's, he's everything I wish Iwas.
Um, he's, yeah, he's actuallythat like he.
(35:59):
He thinks he's for lack of abetter phrase he thinks he's the
shit, he thinks he knows it all.
Um, but the thing about hankthat I do do actually connect
with, that I tried to put intohim, is he's, he's genuine, he's
real, he's not you.
You get what you get with hank,like there's no, there's no
(36:21):
ulterior motive.
He's not two faced.
What comes out of Hank's mouthis exactly what Hank's thinking,
you know, and I, I, I likepeople like that, like I like
people that understand thatabout themselves.
Number one, right, like, uh, um, and you know, let you know
(36:48):
where you stand with them,respectfully, respectfully, so I
know, that's who hank is to me.
I mean, I always played himlike, like he, when he walked
into a room or every time hewalked into the gas station.
Aaron Pete (37:00):
He's, he was like I'm the, I'm the smartest guy
here my, my reflections on thecharacter and, like you can
correct me if you disagree no,no, because it's a it's.
You won't be wrong, becausethere are reflections right is
like I think it was again in thecontext of like playing a
character and I know like actorsdon't have the world's hardest
(37:22):
job but in the character you youplayed, I actually think it may
have been one of the morechallenging ones because you're
regularly agreeing to play thebutt of the joke, right, like in
many circumstances you're theperson being gaffed on or teased
or mocked or and like in asense like to remove yourself
(37:43):
and just think like you'replaying that character and I
think at times that actually isone of the the most challenging
characters because you have tokind of live with the, the
levity of that circumstance.
Other characters, like Brent,like he's usually like he, he
got the answer, he got the quick, snarky response, like it's,
it's humorous, but he gets toplay kind of the gotcha person
(38:04):
and you regularly were the buttof the joke and I think there's
something admirable aboutputting yourself in that
circumstance and that's why Ithink it's not just that you
agreed to play the characterbecause you kind of at the
beginning you were like well,like I just read lines, but
there's also something to besaid for agreeing to play the
character that get teased andmocked a lot throughout the
whole show that you were willingto be that to people and that
(38:27):
like I don't know about you, butlike sometimes when you're
hanging out with friends peopledo not like being the butt of
the joke, like they they arevery against that.
Like I'll have friends and I'llI'll push their button and then
they'll be like that's too far.
No, like I don't like that andit's like it's actually a lot of
work to kind of take it on thechin and when my friends tease
me I do my best to just eat itand enjoy the roast or whatever
the teasing is going to be.
(38:48):
But that's actually a littlebit more work than I think
people might realize.
And it brought the showtogether in a really good way
because there could be somebodyyou were allowed to kind of
laugh at or laugh at thecircumstance and enjoy in a
different way, and I thinkthere's a lot of importance to
that role um, that's a great uh,yeah, that's a great um with
(39:11):
great perspective.
Fred Ewanuick (39:12):
I, I, I mean I definitely felt, felt that and
understood that um, and it did.
I wouldn't say it waschallenging, but there was times
where, you know, I go back tomy condo.
I was like I wish I could.
You know, I wish I could getthe funny lines here and there,
right, but but that that wasusually stifled pretty quick
because I just I genuine,genuinely loved playing hank.
(39:34):
Like it wasn't hard for me tobe hank the the only, the only
challenge I found was that thelonger the show went on season 3
, by the end of season 3, I wasreally upset with myself because
(39:55):
I felt, towards the end ofseason 2 and most of season 3, I
really felt like I was phoningit in and and like.
And most of season three, Ireally felt like I was phoning
it in and like.
So, going into season four, Ikind of gave myself a bit of a
talking to and I was like no,look, you got a job, you got to
(40:16):
go in and you got to be on it.
Right, you got to be present onset, you got to be prepared.
I mean, there was days inseason two.
Yeah, I be on like there wasthis pub of hanlon's, uh, that
we would go to and there were acouple nights where I won't say
the other cast member or myselfand the other cast member would
literally stumble out of thereat daylight and like have an
(40:40):
hour before we had to get in thevan to get out to work.
Like I'd look at my day, I andI was like, ah, I only got one
scene.
You know, I can, I can take aday off, kind of thing, um, and
not not by.
I like I was never, you know,drunk on Saturday and I only get
this impression that I was likeMickey, mickey Rourke or
something like well, that's notfair to Mickey Rourke.
I don't know mickey rourke,what?
(41:07):
I don't know why I said mickeyrourke, probably a great guy,
he's a great actor.
Why did I say mickey?
I feel terrible now, cut thatpart out, would you?
Um, but my point being is isthat was the challenge.
So from four on, uh, well,season one and most of two, I
was like this is my job and then, for some reason, I just got
lazy and owned it in for a bit.
So that was the challenge.
It was like this is my job andthen for some reason, I just got
lazy and phoned it in for a bit.
So that was the challenge.
It was like being professionalright that coming out of corner
(41:29):
gas that's what it taught memost is like being on a show for
that long.
It's easy to forget what yourjob is right and, um, that was
the biggest challenge for me.
Not so much I think I didn'tmind being by the joke.
Look, somebody's got to gethurt for comedy.
Like.
(41:49):
If somebody's not getting hurteither physically or emotionally
, uh, being made fun of, there'sno comedy like where's the
comedy like you know, like that,something you got Like you know
like that.
So you got to point and laughat something like that you have
to.
And so I guess I I guess I wastoo dumb to realize it that I
(42:13):
should be like how come I don'tget all the funny lines I'm
being?
but I just love playing Hank andand I've I've been asked it
over the years and I meant itevery time I've said it I would
have played Hank for the rest ofmy life like I, and I would
have been completely content andhappy.
I love that character.
That by far my favoritecharacter I've played.
(42:34):
I've had other characters Ireally love playing, but if I
was to play a character for myentire life, it would be Hank.
I love that.
I love that every minute of it.
Aaron Pete (42:44):
I like I know this is inside baseball in like a lot
of ways, but like there's justsomething to the characters that
were developed, like you in theshow developing the lego set of
corner gas in lego form, likethat can that can seem like just
a joke, but there is somethingto the fact that like whatever
(43:04):
your creative endeavor is, likerun with it, like it doesn't
don't define what your creativeendeavor is, based by other
people's standards, and like Ifound that so valuable.
Like having um, like like wanda, play this character of like
you're incredibly intelligentand most of it is not useful in
your day-to-day life.
Like there's something to thatthat like I know a lot of people
(43:25):
who think they've got it allfigured out because they're very
good at math or something andit's like but then you still
don't know how to get an oilchange in your car.
Like there's these funnydisconnects where you see in
people that I think are sorelatable.
The other piece that I think isimportant that we touch on is
Nancy Robertson talked about thetragically hip performing.
So did Brent, but like I thinkit was really special that you
(44:02):
were all up those those othervoices and and bringing in
whether it's prime ministers orum, olympic athletes and kind of
like pulling them in.
Can you reflect on thetragically hip coming out and
performing and being able to bea part of that?
Fred Ewanuick (44:16):
yeah, well, I mean, that was that was, that
was the biggest, and nodisrespect, because we also had
a couple of kids in the hall,guys who you know I was a huge
kids in the hall yeah.
And the prime minister, primeministers, that's a huge, that's
huge, that's huge, you know.
And just to cause, I knowHarper is a divisive figure in
(44:41):
Canadian politics.
He was fantastic on the show,right, and I'm definitely not
conservative leaning, so I'm notgoing to say what my politics
are, but I wouldn't have votedfor harper oh there, I just said
, but he was incredible.
You know what I mean.
So you're right for him to comeinto the show and be able to
contribute and be part of thefamily.
Aaron Pete (45:00):
Essentially and be the butt of the joke like he
switches his side, like he waswilling to be.
Fred Ewanuick (45:05):
I know he's a politician he, he nailed it like
, let's be honest, he, he nailedit, martin too, and he came on.
He was fantastic.
So, um, you're all sit,literally come on.
But the hip, my, my buddy,who's no longer with us uh,
derek Usher introduced me to theTragically Hip.
(45:25):
Derek Usher I'm not going toget into it because it'll make
me cry.
Derek Usher is one of thesepeople that come through your
lives and change you.
Derek Usher, anybody that Iknow who watches this will know
what I'm talking about.
But anyway, he got me onto thehip and the hip for me I don't
(45:50):
know how to say this every albumthe hip puts out, I I don't
like initially, but then I justkeep listening to it and then I
just can't not listen to the hipanymore and his voice, his
words, the music, it like.
Every time I listen to a hipsong, like it, just it, it it
(46:10):
showers me, right, and I'm notover exaggerating, like I, okay,
well, I said on leroy and uh,and I you know we were talking
about uh, uh, uh, desert islandsand what out, you know album,
and I'm like, can you pick yourfavorites?
Like like, that's an album,right, uh, of the hip and that's
(46:31):
what I would want like.
So when I heard they werecoming on the show, I don't get
starstruck, you know, like Idon't the the only other time I
got starstruck was when I metRichard Berder at a golf store
in North Vancouver.
Uh, richard Berder is a CanucksKing.
Richard Canucks goalie in theeighties, took him to the finals
(46:54):
.
Uh, and this is the only time I,only other time I couldn't talk
to somebody Right and right anduh, it was like that with the
hip.
So we did those.
They were just for there forthe one day.
We did our sort of half in roloand then the hip came and did
(47:14):
their half in the studio andthey got swamped right but, like
, all of a sudden, our crew grewby threefold.
Like I was like, who are, whoare all these people like?
And they're all there to seethe hip and, um, I do this.
It got me emotional when I wasdoing uh, so they're doing their
(47:38):
thing and and then and it wasamazing, the, you know, they're
doing it's private and they'regoing at it, they're singing it,
they take after take, and soI'm like, I'm like five feet
away from gordonny and he's,he's like bolting out those
lyrics and I'm like, just I'mlike, I'm like, I'm just like,
(48:00):
I'm just, you know, I'm like ablah, right, and and then they
finish, and then they get.
They get bombarded by people,rightfully so, and they're so
gracious, they're talking toeverybody, all of them, and I'm
just kind of standing in theback of the room like an idiot.
And then finally I just, youknow, I kind of scuffled out
that was my last scene of theday and I'm signing out and uh,
(48:25):
and the vans, a van's pullingout as I'm signed, I'm signing
my sheet out for the day, andand then the van.
I see the van come back andit's the hip, they're getting
driven back to their hotel andgourd opens the door and he gets
out.
I don't know, every time I talkabout it, I don't know, it's
such a big deal for me, and hegets out and he I guess he could
(48:48):
see that I was there, right,you know?
And uh, and he just talks withme like a normal person and I'm
like, wow, he just keeps talkingabout.
He's like what are you doing?
I was like well, my wife and Iare going across the country,
we're gonna drive.
He's like, oh man, we're goingacross the country on a tour and
he's like maybe we'll see eachother and I'm like, oh yeah man,
(49:08):
like, oh, really, that'd begreat and I wish I knew him.
I wish I knew he.
(49:32):
Just in that four minutes, fiveminutes, I was just like, oh wow
, this guy I see why peoplethink people might be gods,
because he was just so in thatmoment anyway, just so genuine
and open, and not Gord Downie,big star, just I know it took a
lot for him, I for him, torecognize that.
I was like wanting to saysomething from what I could
(49:53):
gather.
Maybe he was just like forgothis watch and ran into me, but
that's not, that's not what andit's.
It's one of those moments that,for whatever reason, gets me
emotional when I talk about it,but sticks with me.
I think about that every oncein a while and I I just think,
oh wow, that was one of thecoolest moments of my life.
Aaron Pete (50:15):
Yeah, big deal, that was a huge deal I appreciate
you for being willing to sharethat.
It's to be honest with you, Iyeah damn you for bringing it up
right.
Fred Ewanuick (50:25):
I don't know.
It got a little emotional toowhen I was talking about Leroy
and I was like, all right, inthis moment I can talk about it,
and no, apparently I can't.
I don't know why, so stupid.
Aaron Pete (50:35):
Well, I want you to know that I understand you, gord
, I'm sure, didn't see himselfthe way other people saw him
Right.
And so like, in thesecircumstances, the fact that
I've gotten to like I grew upand I would put on corner gas
before I'd go to bed on mycomputer and it would just play
all the episodes all the waythrough and I'd wake up and have
(50:57):
to press pause in the morning,like that's the amount that I
would consume corner gas.
Like my partner and I watch itevery year in summertime and we
like it's a, it's a it's afamily tradition for us to do
that.
And so like the opportunity tospeak with you, like Brent, like
the fact that you guys arebeing willing to share your time
on something and like I know itwas an opportunity for you guys
(51:18):
at the time.
But I also understand that whenyou're a creator, you don't
want to be typecast as just onething, right.
Like I don't want to be knownjust for one single interview or
like for one thing I do in mylife.
You're a broad, like interestingperson that has different
interests and you've playeddifferent characters over your
life.
Like you're always pulled backto this role.
So the fact that you're allwilling to do this and share
(51:41):
your time and reflect on thesemoments.
The fact that you're allwilling to do this and share
your time and reflect on thesemoments, I really appreciate, in
a very similar lens to whatthat interaction meant for you
with Gord Like this.
This means a lot to me to havethe opportunity to speak with
you on these things.
Fred Ewanuick (51:54):
Well, that's nice , I'm glad.
You know, obviously you knowI'm good, I'm glad, and thanks
for saying that.
You know we bring up the youknow, know actors always worried
about being typecast that thatwas never a concern of mine.
I mean, the only challenge withthat is like, well, if you
can't get other work, you knowhow you're going to pay the
(52:14):
bills, right.
But I've never, I've never,like I I love acting.
Well, here's the thing.
I don't know.
If I love acting, I love beingon set, and if that means I have
to act, then I'll do it.
I tried being a stage actor andlike I just can't Anxiety is no
good, and but so it was justabout like, like I said it with
(52:35):
Hank, like I found thatcharacter and that gave me well,
more than six years, because wedid the movie and then we did
the cartoon.
Like almost 10 years of work,that's like so that's great.
If that means, if that's whattypecast means, then okay, bring
(52:56):
it.
Like, can I do that for another10, though you know, because,
like I'm not ready to stop beingon set, like I want to be on
set more and I don't get to doit as much as I'd like, like,
I've been pretty lucky.
You know I seem to get one ortwo things a year, but it's.
It's not enough for my.
I guess that's my addiction,maybe being on set.
It's the same with hockey.
(53:17):
I still play hockey.
I'm a goalie.
I don't know if I actually likeplaying hockey, I just really
like being a goalie.
I like the gear.
I like I started.
One of my buddies is a goaliecoach and and and he'll take me
out to do training sessions.
Right, don't be a better goalie, and I like that more than I
like actually playing hockeygames.
So I think acting's like that.
(53:39):
For me, it's like, yeah, I likelike acting, but I just really
love being on set, like and, andit's got to be a part of
something.
That's what corner gas spoiledme is.
When you get on a long runningshow like that, it's just, it's
really comfortable, it's likeyour home, it's work, don't get
me wrong, it's work.
You got to be prepared, butit's you get to set you.
(54:02):
You feel like you're a part ofit.
It's like you know, it's justclick.
It's like being part of a team.
It's being on that team right,like yeah, maybe that's why I
liked it, because I'm not aconfident guy.
But you get all these peoplearound you that sort of instill
confidence in you and thenyou're part of an energy like a
positive energy rather than youjust carrying it or that person
(54:23):
just carrying it.
Aaron Pete (54:23):
You're all contributing to the good energy.
Fred Ewanuick (54:25):
Like I did Dan for mayor, and by no, it wasn't
like what Brent was doing.
Brent was like doing everything.
I was just the lead guy.
I didn't have to write it, Ididn't have to produce it or
nothing, and I was like I mean,this is for the birds, like I
just want to be Hank.
When you have to be responsiblefor all of it, that's just way
(54:49):
more stress than I'm able tomanage.
I think that's why I like Hankso much, because I can just be,
but I can't be on my own.
Aaron Pete (55:02):
I need that family.
Can I ask was the animatedseries different in a way that
maybe wasn't quite as rewarding?
Because you're not on set,you're just producing the voices
, or did that work because itwas?
You're still doing the samejokes, but you're just doing it
verbally.
You're not in a community.
It's somewhat a different thing, right?
Fred Ewanuick (55:21):
Yeah, it's the same but different, right, yeah,
it's, it's.
It's the same but different.
It's the same and like,especially because we we started
that just before the pandemicand then the pandemic, I think,
was season two, I can't remembernow, uh.
So initially we were all in theroom together.
Well, half of us were invancouver and the other half
were in toronto, but we were allconnected via, so it was like
(55:42):
doing a radio play, um, so thatwas great, that that was.
It was a very similarexperience, but lazier, right,
like I didn't have to go throughhair and makeup and you know,
like our day wasn't eight to tenhours, it was like uh three to
four hours, but you alsocouldn't hang out afterwards
with I guess the people fromtoronto too right no, you
(56:05):
couldn't.
But but I don't know, like, asthe show went on, I mean, we
still hung out, we went fordinners from time to time, but
as the show went on, we kind oflike found our own sort of
pockets of life out there.
Like, so we worked together andthen, yeah, we did some dinners
here and there, might go forcoffee with you know, go grab a
(56:26):
beer with lauren, or grab acoffee with nan, or you know,
from time to time, or, um, havea poker game from time to time.
But, like you kind of starteddeveloping your own life.
Like I, I was playing ultimatefrisbee out there, um, I started
golfing with wow, um, my, uh,my buddy warren, who was our
sound guy, um, so you, you know,you know what I mean.
(56:50):
Like it, it just became work,family, more, you know, um, so,
yeah, when we started doing theanimated stuff, it was just like
that.
Like you show up, you loveeverybody, it's great, they do,
you're funny and we laugh, andthen we kind of go back to our
lives may I ask what advicewould you have, or or what would
(57:13):
you tell?
Aaron Pete (57:15):
I'm not the person to ask what would you tell a
younger person who's in asimilar circumstance to where
you were, where maybe you don'thave that huge level of
confidence enjoy being a part ofa team.
How do people strive forward inthose types of circumstances
when they don't know exactlywhere they want to end up when
they're older?
Fred Ewanuick (57:36):
Well, look, that's a really good question to
ask.
Unfortunately, my experienceI'm hesitant to share because I
don't.
My experience might not beright for people and they could
go try what I might suggest andit could go horribly wrong.
Aaron Pete (57:57):
Right, we won't give them your phone number then.
Fred Ewanuick (58:01):
No, but I don't like.
I think what's helped me, likeI'm incredibly fortunate, I've
had a number of people in mylife my wife, number one who is
incredibly supportive, and soit's easy, right.
You have somebody that youdon't even, even when you don't
(58:25):
want to talk to somebody,understands that you should talk
to somebody, and finds ways toget you to talk without you
knowing you're talking, rightLike giving your aspirin with
some honey, you know, but likethe thing here's.
The thing, though, is is youhave I believe this, and I think
(58:49):
everybody should try to find away to make this to work you
have to take responsibility foryour own life, and nobody else
can.
Your happiness is not somebodyelse's responsibility.
Your well-being is not somebodyelse's responsibility.
Your mental health is notsomebody else's responsibility.
(59:10):
You have to do the work to getout of whatever it is, and that
may mean you need help, and soyou need to recognize that you
need help, and, and so if youfind that people are suggesting
you get help a lot, then maybethat's something that you need
(59:35):
to understand is like okay,maybe I need help and I should
go get that help.
Like that's all I can say,because everybody's journey is
going to be different.
I'm still working on mine andI'm 53.
So I'm always proud of myself.
I always give myself a pat onthe back because I'm way better
than I was.
But I'm nowhere near where Iwant to be, that's for sure.
Aaron Pete (59:57):
Fred, it has been an honor to speak with you.
Stop saying that the honor ismine.
Like as I said, I watched theshow.
I think you're a hugeinspiration.
I know that's hard for you totake in, but I hope you can hold
space for the impact thatyou've had on so many and
encouraging them to becomfortable with who they are,
(01:00:19):
and I think you're a hugeexemplar of that.
I think we're incredibly luckythat we've had individuals that
have advocated for you, likeLynn.
I like I think we're lucky forher advocacy because you
belonged on that show and we'relucky that that all worked out
the way that it did.
Fred Ewanuick (01:00:35):
You're the man oh , come on, that's very kind of
you to say.
But all right, for this onemoment I'll pretend I'm the man.
Aaron Pete (01:00:41):
Thanks, buddy, you know uh, how can people follow
your work and keep up to date?
Fred Ewanuick (01:00:47):
uh, well, I'm not super active on social media.
Probably best is instagram.
That seems to be where I I poststupid stuff.
Be prepared, but uh, it's, uh,it's not my well, I guess if you
search my name fred iwanekyou'll find me, but it's freddy
wanet, freddy wan it.
Uh, all one word on instagramis probably the best best of
(01:01:10):
luck to you.
Aaron Pete (01:01:11):
I know you've got some things cooking up and
you're working on bringing somenew ideas to life, so I wish you
the best of luck on that andreally appreciate you coming on
today oh, thanks, I appreciateyou having me.
Fred Ewanuick (01:01:20):
This was way more than I was expecting, but I I
quite enjoyed it, thank you I amso glad to hear that all right.
Oh man, son of a bitch, youmade me cry, what the hell.
Welcome back to another episode of the Bigger
Than Me podcast.
Here is your host, Aaron Peet.
Corner Gas is a Canadianclassic.
I've spoken with Brent Butt,Lauren Cardinal, Nancy Robertson
, and now I have the privilegeof speaking with the actor who
played Hank Yarbo.
My guest today is Fred Iwanek.
Fred, it is an honour to haveyou on the show.
(00:24):
I'm so excited to speak withyou.
Would you first mind brieflyintroducing yourself?
Fred Ewanuick (00:30):
Sure, my name's Fred Awanek and I don't know
what else to say.
I pretend for a living, I think, I don't know.
It's been a little while.
Aaron Pete (00:39):
Yeah, don't take yourself too seriously.
Well, you are on a very, verypopular show, but I want to pull
way back to the beginning.
In an interview you did withLer.
Well, you were on a very, verypopular show, but I want to pull
way back to the beginning.
In an interview you did withLeroy, you talked about growing
up being somewhat of a classclown, going to college, your
experiences there and thenwanting to drive trucks.
(00:59):
I'm wondering if you can justreflect on that period of your
life.
Who were you and where did youwant to go in life?
Fred Ewanuick (01:07):
Oh man, wow, I didn't think we were going to
get this deep.
We're getting deep, oh no.
Well, I hate to bore yourviewers and listeners.
Yeah well, I don't know.
All right, I grew up on theWest Coast, a town called Port
Moody, which isn't really a townanymore.
It's like a full on explosivesuburb now it's like it's.
(01:30):
It's well, so it's stone city.
It's not a suburb, but when Igrew up there it was about 5,000
people.
I think it's quite a bit more.
Now it's probably closer todon't quote me but 40, 40,000,
almost.
So 30 to 40,000.
Um, and so it really felt a bitisolated.
Um, so small school.
Uh, there was just a couple ofelementary schools in Port Moody
(01:56):
when I grew up and I went toMoody elementary, which was a
block away from my house.
So I walked to school every day.
Actually, all all the schools Iwent to Moody elementary, moody
junior, moody senior.
Uh, I guess I drove to moodysenior even though it was
walkable, because I got mylicense in grade 12.
So I drove like the four orfive blocks just because, um,
because I wanted to be cool.
But yeah, like you said, I was aclass clown.
(02:17):
Uh, I was a really shy kid,scared of a lot of stuff.
Uh, asked a lot of questions.
Uh, because I didn't know somuch.
According to my godmother,marianne, she, she told me,
would always tell this.
She always tells this storywhenever family gets together.
Reminisce that I would ask alot of like.
I was constantly askingquestions, like stupid questions
why is why is this guy blue?
Why is this that?
(02:37):
Why is that?
Why?
And uh, marianne um asked meone day is, I think, fred
Freddie, you ask a lot ofquestions?
And my response is well, marion, it's because I don't know so
much.
And so she loves telling thatand I kind of like it always
makes me giggle when she tellsit.
But super shy kid, scared of abunch of stuff, like everything.
(02:58):
And so, going from elementaryschool this is a long-winded way
of getting to why I became aclass clown.
Going into senior high, goingfrom grade 7 to grade 8, a group
of my friends and I gottogether to walk to school for
the first day of grade 8.
And the whole talk was like oh,grade 8s, they're going to
(03:21):
initiate you, they're going tolock you in the lockers, they're
going to write 8 on yourforehead with, you know,
permanent, permanent markers andand they're going to beat you
up and all this stuff, and, andso I was like, I was terrified.
I was like you know, and I wasa little fella, like I'm still a
little fella and like I'm notgoing to survive this.
(03:46):
Like what's going, like I'm,I'm meat, like I'm done, I'm
history.
And the first couple weeks ofschool I had my first I haven't
actually told that, maybe I'vetold this story before I had my
first um incidents of beingbullied, and it was this guy I
won't say his name because yearslater he's a wicked dude, but
(04:07):
he was a bigger guy and this isprobably how he was surviving
grade eight and for some reasonhe, he, he pointed me out and he
came up and he and it was inbetween classes, so the hall was
full and he puts me in aheadlock and and I can't
remember what he's saying, buthe was just he was, it was a
pretty aggressive headlock and Ipretended to pass out and
(04:33):
because I didn't know what to do, and so I just like went limp
and and and he freaked, hefreaked out and he started
crying and he ran out of thebuilding and then I was kind of
lying there and I guess you knoweverybody in the hall was kind
of like.
And then I got up and giggledand did a little like one of
those heel kicks you know thoselike old timey heel kicks and,
(04:54):
like you know, went off to classand then everybody was laughing
and that was kind of like myfirst class clown moment and
like when.
But in the preamble we joked.
You know, I'm just smart enoughto realize I'm not that smart.
I was smart enough in thatmoment to realize, oh, this is
my survival mechanism.
If I can make people laugh,maybe they won't beat me up, and
uh, so it seemed to work.
(05:15):
But the the downside of that is, I found over the years, is
it's hard to get people to takeyou seriously, uh, when you,
when you act like an idiot allthe time.
So that's my lesson, I guess.
Aaron Pete (05:28):
What I love about that period is I imagine a lot
of people are in thatcircumstance, so like I don't
think many people's youngeryears are where they feel like
they stand out, where they feelcomfortable within themselves or
feel like they really have astrong sense of identity.
And you starting from there andbeing so well known to so many
(05:50):
is, I think, inspiring andsomething that's different than
so many who come from a placewhere they were always confident
or they always felt comfortablewithin themselves or knew where
they wanted to go.
Your story doesn't reflect that, and I think that's that's more
broadly reflective of howeveryday people feel is that
they're they're trying to figureit out as they go along, and I
(06:12):
think I think there'sinspiration to be found in that
story uh.
Fred Ewanuick (06:17):
Well, that, if that's true, that's I hope
that's a positive thing.
Man, we are going way deeperthan I was expecting.
Yeah, uh, which I'm not opposed, don't get me wrong.
I yeah.
Aaron Pete (06:28):
You're going to love my next question.
Fred Ewanuick (06:30):
Oh no, you know, I don't know, like it is a
strange.
You know, I'm 53.
I'm of a certain generation,that you know.
Things were different, for sure, and I know it doesn't feel
like it right now, but oursociety has progressed
incredibly from when I was a kid.
(06:50):
Now, by no means am I going tosit here and tell you that we're
in good shape.
Like you know, as a societywe've got a ton to work on.
But I just think, you know,when I get together with my
friends and stuff and we, wereminisce about the old days
with my friends and stuff, andwe, we reminisce about the old
days.
It's like, wow, like we were,we were horrible to each other,
right like.
But we, you know, but we foundlike I don't know, it's hard to
(07:12):
explain like I, I started and Istarted playing team sports,
hockey and lacrosse specifically.
Uh well, I started playinglacrosse from a dare.
I started playing hockeybecause I want to be richard
burdur, but there's somethingabout being in a team and and
and I'm this shy, scared kid, soit'd be a great comedic movie.
(07:35):
You know, I got dared to playbox lacrosse and I was terrified
.
But when you, when you get putback, then, when you get put
into that team environment andyou've got a team behind you,
like, like it, it's a weirdthing.
It's like if you buy in, if youplay your role, if you find your
(07:56):
role, play your role, you're,you're accepted, and it doesn't
mean you have to, you have to bethe best or you even have to be
good, it's just like you'remaking an effort.
Right, and that was me inlacrosse especially.
Is it builds, it gives you, uh,an external confidence.
(08:18):
Even though I didn't have aninternal confidence, that team,
especially my lacrosse team, andespecially when I got to junior
, that team gave me an externalconfidence, uh to to help me
improve myself, even thoughthere was a whole bunch going on
inside I had to deal with.
Does that make?
Aaron Pete (08:39):
sense I don't know it does well like you, even
connected to like how big peopleare fans of like the Canucks,
and you think about that.
They're like their identity.
In some circumstances, like onthe night of game day they're a
Canucks fan, they're not likethey're not advertising anything
else, they are connected tosomething else and the outcome
of that team somehow defines whothey are, which I find like
(09:02):
really interesting because Ilike the UFC.
But it's like they go out thereone person fights one other
person.
I have nothing to do with it, Idon't get to claim that I had
anything to do with it, but whenyou're a fan of a team, you're
on the team, you're with them,and it's just when you look back
at the riots like some peopletake that very, very seriously.
Some people like to causeshenanigans, but some people
(09:25):
take their relationship with theteam very, very seriously
because it gives them that senseof identity.
Fred Ewanuick (09:31):
Yeah, unfortunately, some, some fans
get fanatical in that situation.
Yeah, I can see what I see.
I see where you're going withthat.
Yeah, I mean yeah, and speakingwith the Canucks, I feel that
for sure.
I've been a Canuck fan as longas I can remember, and the way
the team goes, like you know,their defeats are my defeats,
you know, especially against theBruins and and and those sorts
(09:54):
of things, is I feel it.
I feel you're right.
You feel like you're part ofthat community.
It's a community, right.
Aaron Pete (10:00):
Exactly, yeah, here's the heavy question for
you.
Fred Ewanuick (10:05):
That wasn right, exactly.
Yeah, here's the heavy questionfor you.
Aaron Pete (10:06):
We're gonna go deep here.
That wasn't the heavy question.
That's not a heavy question.
Fred Ewanuick (10:07):
Get ready for this?
All right, give me a sec.
All right, I'm ready okay.
Aaron Pete (10:12):
So in that same interview you talked about the
impact of one other person whoplayed a significant role in you
being connected to corner gas,and I think that's really
inspiring because sometimessomebody else helps you, open a
door and advocates for you, andit reminds me that one person
can make a difference in thelife of other people.
And you talked about LynnCarreau and how she supported
(10:36):
you when you went into audition,how she helped you prepare and
then how she, it sounds like,advocated for you in terms of
getting your role on Corner Gas.
And when fans, when, when fansof the show watch this, they're
going to know how instrumentalyou are to the show and it's
because of somebody else thathelped you kind of move in that
trajectory, that opened thatdoor for you, and I'm just
(10:56):
wondering if you can reflect onher impact on helping you get
that role.
Fred Ewanuick (11:01):
Yeah, lynn Carroll.
Yeah, she, she, she was acasting director in town.
Uh, she's since retired, um,and she's just, she's just a
what?
She's just a fantastic personand and, um, it's.
It's funny in this businessthere's casting directors that
get you, casting directors thatdon't, and some, some you're a
(11:22):
hard sell on, some like justseem to really like what you're
doing and it's easy to getopportunities with them and um.
So, going back to confidenceand like being I don't know how
I got into this business becauseI'm I'm really shy and anxious
and but, for whatever reason,whenever I went to see lyn Lynn
(11:43):
Caro whether it's early on forprescreens or any kind of taping
I just felt really comfortable.
I felt, like you know, I guess,safe.
You know, like I felt like itwas going to be okay.
Like you know, I'm not going tomake an idiot of myself and if
I did, she wouldn't let me fail,if that makes sense.
(12:20):
No-transcript uh, for the santaclaus 2.
Uh, this movie I don't know ifyou saw that movie.
It's a christmas, of course,and so I I didn't.
I wasn't auditioning for it.
They needed a reader behind thecamera and and she'd never
called me to read before and andso she got me in there to read
(12:43):
and and she, she said somethingthat I can't remember.
It didn't make sense.
I was a little nervous becauseI've never done reading for her
before.
But the director was in allthese sessions and and during
one of the auditions this wasreally funny she, uh, not uh,
lynn, but the, the director waslike so somebody was auditioning
and I was reading for him andthey did their audition.
(13:04):
It was, it was a good auditionand and, uh, and I was reading
off camera for the role that Iended up getting in in the thing
, and the director's like hey,hey, do you guys mind?
Hey, do you guys mind switchingfor can you go in front of the
camera?
He's just doing the scene againfor me, please, all right, and
that's how I got it.
And and I found out, you know,I got the feeling, the sense
(13:25):
that lynn didn't know where Iwould fit in this show, but felt
like, oh, maybe if I get him toread, something might click,
like, do you know what I mean?
Like that I.
And then, and so this is whatI'm talking about, the build-up
with her like I just felt really, um, supported by her whenever
I had to come in and I wasauditioning for something else
(13:48):
and when my audition was over,um, she followed me out of the
room and she just said hey, Iwant to give you a heads up.
There's something coming downthe line.
Um, I'm gonna get get your thescripts to the sides to your
agent.
I want you to have a look atthem.
Not sure when it's gonna happen, but I really, I'm really want
you and I'm gonna push for youin this.
And I was like, oh, wow, okay,and it was obviously corner gas.
And when she, when I went intoaudition and I don't know this
(14:12):
part, you'd have to ask Brentlike why.
But you know you, always,there's usually an initial
session where there's a bunch ofpeople come in and then they
tape, and then there's acallback session where usually
the director, producers arethere, and so the initial
(14:33):
session, I, I show up and we'retaping and usually go in.
You do it once.
They get.
Maybe they give you a couplenotes, maybe they don't, but you
know that was good or, um, oryou're not right, they won't
tell you that, but they'll go.
Oh, thanks, and you go.
You do it once, but sometimesit's oh, you know, I really like
that, can you?
But can you do this here?
And the initial session I showup and there wasn't.
There wasn't anybody else inthe waiting room, like it was
just me.
And then it was just me andLynn.
Usually there's like a reader,but Lynn was reading with me, if
(14:54):
I remember correctly.
I might have that wrong, I maybe remembering this wrong, but
it was.
I just remember it was us andand we, we, we worked at it a
long time.
We did the stuff a bunch oftimes and took a while at it,
not super long, but longer thannormal and then I didn't hear
anything about it but I was like, oh, that was different, all
(15:15):
right, cool.
And then when the callbacks came, we went through that and Brent
was there and David story wasthere, lynn was there, david
story was our head director andobviously Brent but was
everybody knows Brent but andand did the callbacks and it
went really well, like it was itwas.
You know, by then my confidencewas big because I figured, yeah
(15:36):
, they obviously want to see me.
You know, this is great Onceyou get the callback.
Once you get the callback, youfeel a little better.
You're like, oh, okay, I'mdoing something right, they like
.
But if Lynn but that wasn't thecase Like if Lynn told me before
going into the callback,they're like look, these guys
aren't that keen on you.
Like I had to really push toget them to see you at this
point I would have, I would havefumbled and fallen apart behind
(16:05):
the scenes.
What was going on was like Iguess, uh, lynn sent in the tape
and and brent and the otherproducers and stuff yeah, you
know, okay, but not really whatwe're looking for.
And and lynn, like was like no,no, no, you're gonna, you're
gonna see him at the callbacks.
He's, he's the guy you know,and I'm obviously paraphrasing.
I'm sure it went down a lotdifferent than that, but brent
told me this part, so I know itwent down something like that.
So I would have never got thatpart if lynn told me beforehand
(16:27):
like, look, they don't reallylike you, but I'm bringing you
in anyway.
You know, I would have.
Just I would have fell apart inthe room, uh.
But then that's another exampleof external confidence.
Right, like people aroundaround me uh instilled some
confidence.
So you think, oh, all right, Iguess I all right, so you go in
there and you just do it.
Yeah, so Lynn Carroll.
(16:48):
I legitimately would have never,I would not have gotten Corner
Gas if it was not for LynnCarroll.
Obviously, I did my part too.
I came in and I did my job, butI wouldn't have got that
opportunity.
I did my job but I wouldn'thave got that opportunity.
And you know who knows how lifewould have gone.
(17:09):
But yeah, I'm forever gratefulfor that.
You know, now I'm going tothink.
I know I've sent her an emailin the past thanking her Jeez.
Now I feel like I've got to goand reconstitute another one and
send it out her way.
Yeah, I miss her.
I could use Lynn right now.
My career is stalled a littlebit.
I got to convince her to getout of retirement.
Aaron Pete (17:36):
There's something about that story for me that
really resonates and I think itcomes to this idea of the
importance of mentorship andsupporting people in their craft
.
Like I see it a lot, withmusicians even talking to other
podcast hosts like we don't geta lot of encouragement when you
go out on your own, when you'retrying to do your own thing, it
(17:57):
can be incredibly lonely to betrying to figure it out.
Whether you're an artist andyou're painting.
Like I don't know if you watchthe Office, but there's that
scene where pam's standing thereand she's she's got all of her
art up and everybody who comesto visit doesn't really care.
And then michael walks in andwants to buy a piece and like
that matters to her and I thinkso.
So often when you're trying todo your own thing I know acting
(18:19):
can be incredibly independentbecause you're going into the
auditions that like there's nota lot of support and how much it
matters for someone to advocatefor you to, for them to believe
in you, can play a huge role inyour sense of confidence.
And just when I look at, like Icover a lot of journalism and
stuff and there's not a lot oflike the, the old guard of
journalists, passing on whatthey know to new journalists on
(18:43):
best practices, on how thingswent and so like.
We need to exchange thatinformation so we can all do a
better job.
And there's something to whatshe did for you, like believing
in you at times, maybe more thanyou believed in yourself, and
that's such a gift to giveanother person and it's so
easily missed, whether it's ateacher helping out a student or
something.
But those moments can reallyshape us and move us in a
(19:05):
direction.
And hers just really stood outwhen you told that story of like
wow, one person can like justkind of push you a little bit
further and it can open doors inways that that might not have
happened had she not played thatrole.
And then you can do that andother people can do that, and
it's just a call to action forall of us to remember that we
can be that beacon of hope foranother person, whether it's
(19:26):
like hey, you got to try thatagain, you can do this, you've
got this.
Like.
That can really resonate with aperson when they need it most.
Fred Ewanuick (19:33):
Yeah, well, for sure, those people you know, I
hope everybody has people likethat come through their lives.
I've been really fortunate thatI've had a number of people
come through my life family,friends, colleagues that have
been that sort of thing for me.
Um, sometimes I, sometimespeople can be that person, but
(19:58):
for some reason the, the message, the way they send the message
isn't as good and we wereresistant to that.
Which is it's such a fine lineLike, yeah, I, yeah, I don't
know, I don't know why that's.
That's the case because youknow like maybe as kids and your
parents, they're those peoplefor you at times.
But you're just like, ah, shutup, I can find a thing.
(20:19):
But then, like somebody likeLynn Carroll comes around, no,
you can do it.
You're like, oh, thanks, I cando it I believe you yeah yeah,
yeah, it's, it's.
It's a bit funny, uh, who wedecide to allow to be that
person for us.
Maybe, I don't know when.
Aaron Pete (20:36):
So my understanding is season one.
Everybody was kind of expectinglike maybe this goes nowhere,
brent.
But it said like we didn't knowif we were going to get renewed
or not.
We were kind of just having funwith it and we'd we'd see where
the chips land.
But then you get the responsethat over a million people have
watched.
This happens very, very rarelyand hadn't happened in years.
And then, corner gas, does that?
You get a call from the headsof ctv saying you killed it.
(21:00):
Season two is coming.
We're so excited.
How did that impact you didthat like?
Did that mean something to youpersonally that like you were a
part of something that producedsuch an impact across canada?
Fred Ewanuick (21:13):
um, well, yeah, I mean I wasn't, I wasn't.
I mean, obviously I wasincredibly happy, I was, I was
really it's.
It's nice to be a part ofsomething that people like like,
um, before that, I mean, I'vedone stuff I'm proud of, like
other things, but most of thestuff I was doing people weren't
watching or, you know, itwasn't a you know what.
(21:36):
Yeah, I don't want to bedisrespectful, but, like, I've
done stuff that just, you know,people weren't interested in.
Maybe, right, did other thingstoo that that, like I said, were
good and I was proud of.
But this was the first thingwhere it's like, oh, wow, like a
lot of people like it, likeit's, it's, it's it's yeah, it's
, it's it's incredibly proud tobe part of something like that.
(21:58):
Now, yeah, because I all, all Ido on I've done on that show is
show up, pretend other wordsthat people have written right,
like I'm not belittling my rolein that by any means, but this
is, you know, and I was likeproud of my part in it, uh, but
you know, all of that is on guyslike brent and all the writers
(22:22):
and showrunners that have helpedthe show along the way, the
crew, like all those people likehelped create that.
But if, if Brent didn't havethat and if David story wasn't
in a pitch session and they werelike not liking any of his
ideas and like what else haveyou guys like?
Well, there's this idea thatyou know, this comedian I know
has that.
(22:44):
You know another thing thatnever would have happened, right
interesting.
Aaron Pete (22:48):
What do you think resonated with people about the
first season?
Like if you had to go back andsee, like why did this hit when
so many other shows don't?
What do you think it was?
Fred Ewanuick (23:01):
I I can't tell you, I have no idea.
I mean I here's the things Ilike, I can I know are facts of
the show.
One it's funny, like you can'tdeny.
It might be not, might not beyour sense of humor, I've heard
that but it is funny, like it'sit's quality, it's well written,
it looks really cool.
They shot on super 16, so I hada really unique kind of look to
(23:23):
it, um, and it was a show thatdidn't try too hard and the
whole family could watch, youknow, and it wasn't vanilla,
like you know.
There was the odd racy sort ofinnuendo and stuff in there and
wordplay and stuff, but itwasn't risky, it was just happy,
it was, it was easy, and sothere's that.
(23:45):
So I understand why people likeit, but like to the extent that
it was as popular as it was inthe moment, um, and it seems to
have legs, like there's, itstill seems to be picking up
audiences here and there.
I can't tell you.
All I can say is because I'velistened to Brent answer
questions like this and Brentsaid a number of things, but one
(24:08):
of the things he said that Ithink is probably the most
accurate is that he just made ashow that he wanted to watch.
He wasn't trying to figure outwhat's going to be a hit.
What's going to be a hit,what's going to be, you know, a
big show.
He just went about creating andwriting a show that he would
(24:29):
like to see, and then you justput it out there and whatever
happens happens, right.
Aaron Pete (24:34):
So yeah a huge piece .
A huge piece from myperspective is that it was warm
in the sense that, like I thinka lot of people have complicated
familial relationships, peoplethey might not get along with
complicated family dinners orChristmas dinners and some of
those things can be really heavyand what you see with, like I
(24:57):
know Big Bang Theory was like acompetitor of your guys's or you
guys were on similarwavelengths at the same time is
that people just want somethingwhere they can trust that it's
going to be funny but that theycan relate to family members
they don't have.
Like I didn't have many of thefamily members that you guys
portrayed, but there wassomething warm about the idea
(25:17):
that that's how you would wantyour uncle or your cousin or
someone to be like.
There was something admirableabout their humor and the
simplicity of it that maybepeople weren't getting from
their home lives, or it wasnostalgic in a way that connects
them to who they remember theirfamily member being, or
something like that.
Fred Ewanuick (25:34):
Right, right, you telling me people wish they had
an Oscar in their life.
Aaron Pete (25:39):
I would love to have an Oscar in my life, Tim my
producer is sometimes my Oscar,where he's just calling me out
on how I'm messing up or couldbe doing things better, and it's
much appreciated yeah, I mean,yeah, yeah, you're right, I'd
like to have an oscar in my life.
Fred Ewanuick (25:54):
I might be oscar, I don't know, but um, no, I'm
probably, I'm hank, for sure.
But uh, yeah, no, yeah, youmight be onto something.
I mean, there's definitely awarmth to it, there's a it's,
it's genuine, for sure, like it.
That's what I was trying to saywhen I said it doesn't try too
hard, it just is, you know, like, um, it's funny because, like I
(26:17):
, I don't know that it would bea show that I would naturally be
drawn to like it.
The show grew on me right likeI don't know that it would be a
show that I would naturally bedrawn to, like it.
It, the show grew on me Right,like and that's not to say I
didn't understand it or didn'tthink it was funny Um, but I, I
was always.
The thing I was most proud aboutbeing part of that show was
(26:38):
that the whole family could sitdown and watch it.
And um, at the time, and evennow, I think that there's not
enough of that on on television.
So I don't know, it's I.
You know, I I not to get deepinto the there, there was always
(26:58):
a bit of weirdness.
Uh, in in the industry, not notwith the viewing public, but
but in in the end.
I mean, I had his detractors inthe in, in, in in the public
too.
But, um, there was this kind oflike weird sort of not hate but
dislike for the show and Icould never figure it out, like,
(27:19):
like, I I had a run-in, not arun-in, but uh, uh, uh, a
creator, uh, that you know, I, Ireally admired, created a lot
of shows and they told mestraight out, the gemini's one.
So they just, you know, theyhate the show and they think
it's terrible.
And and I never understood it,like because, like, if it's not,
(27:41):
if it's, if it's not your, ifit's not your sense, like if
it's not, if it's, if it's notyour, if it's not your sense of
humor, if it's not your taste,that's, that's fair.
Like you know, that's like afair, that's a fair response.
But to say it's terrible andgarbage and I heard that a few
times over the years I'm like,well, no, that's not fair,
because the show is quality,like it might not be your take,
(28:05):
but it's quality.
A lot of hard work goes into it.
The writing was alwaystop-notch, top-notch.
The cast is incredibly,respectful, respectable.
The crew was.
Everything about that show wasquality.
(28:26):
So, uh, that's the only time Iget my back ruffled up, like if
somebody doesn't like it.
They saw it's not my sense ofhumor.
I'm like, yeah, that's fair, noproblem.
I kind of had a coffee shotonce.
We were in for coffee and theguy there's, I think nancy, was
there too.
If I remember right, this is inregina it's like oh, you guys
are Corner Gas.
We're like oh, yeah, yeah, he'slike, yeah, I don't care for
that show.
And I'm like oh, okay, he'slike, yeah, not my sense, and I
(28:50):
think he even said not my senseof humor.
I'm like totally fair, thanks,I'll Americano, please.
Aaron Pete (29:06):
But you it to me.
Fred Ewanuick (29:07):
But lauren cardinal um came on the show and
one of the things that reallystood out to me in the same vein
.
Does he want his 20 bucks?
I own 20 bucks.
Aaron Pete (29:11):
Is that what he was like?
No, no, I think we're safe onthat front, but uh, he, he just
talked about how, like some ofthe stories that he heard about
the impact of the show and oneof them that, like, has never
left me is that he and and maybeyou were too, but like that
people in afghanistan fightingover there had reached out and
(29:32):
and that they were watching theshow when they were being rocket
attacked, because it gave themthat sense of home.
And I'm wondering if you haveany reflections on that or, like
experiences, on how the showimpacted people that that's that
example actually is.
Fred Ewanuick (29:49):
Um, acting is is is a lot of work.
It's not hard work, right like.
Before I got into acting, Iused to work.
Some of my my buddy's dad, uh,was a plumber, so we'd work
digging holes and ditches andstuff.
That's hard work, right like,but acting is a lot of work.
(30:12):
So I I never, early on I didn'treally have a lot of respect
for what I was doing.
It was just fun, right, it wasa job like I took it seriously I
don't don't get me wrong like II always wanted to be prepared,
know my stuff and do the best Icould, but it's fun.
So I never, I never thought itwas important.
Like I would always joke likewhen the zombie comes, the
(30:35):
zombies come, the last thingthey're gonna need is a bunch of
guys to pretend for a living,right like.
It's just like.
You know, uh, well, maybe Icould pretend to be a zombie and
like lure them away.
Aaron Pete (30:44):
Fit right in, yeah.
Fred Ewanuick (30:46):
Anyway.
So that story was the firsttime where it kind of changed my
perspective a little bit interms of entertainment, and I
remember being told that storyand it was.
It was impactful in that wayand I had no idea that it could
(31:08):
could do that.
Like you know, yeah, it's anescape.
People come home from work.
They want to forget about theirday.
No, okay, no, but when?
When we heard that it it just,it just.
It's one of those things it'slike oh, yeah, right, there's,
there's people all over theworld going through horrible
things and holy crap, thesepeople being bombarded by shells
(31:31):
and things, and they're sittingthere watching our, our show
and that's helping them getthrough it.
Aaron Pete (31:36):
That, yeah, that, you know that hit hit a spot for
sure, yeah I think it's reallyimportant and I don't know if
you've heard that the primeminister said that we don't have
like a shared national identity.
But like I've lived in bc mywhole life, I've been to
saskatchewan one time.
I don't have any connection tothat region or anything like
(31:57):
that, but like to me that showdoes reflect canadian values and
and it does reflect and that'swhy I think it was so successful
is it was in the compassion andthe kindness it was in those
moments that like our valuescame through.
It wasn't necessarily becausestephen harper was on or, yeah,
this political like it was thatthose are our values, that we
(32:19):
are simple, like quality peoplewho care about each other and we
tease each other and we're just, we're just a good, wholesome
community of people acrosscanada and like we haven't
really had a show like thatsince.
That's really like entered thezeitgeist and been able to be
embraced across canada in thesame way.
And so I noticed people reachout to you and brent and like we
(32:41):
keep pulling you back to acharacter you played quite a few
years ago now.
But it's because there'snothing like it still, there's
nothing that competes with that,that we can all agree that
that's what reflects Canadianvalues.
Fred Ewanuick (32:54):
Well, you know, I'm going to defer to you.
You would know better than methe Canadian values thing is
it's tough to figure out thesedays.
It does seem a bit muddied.
I don't know what that meansanymore to have Canadian values.
But yeah, you know, corner Gaswas in a very quirky animated
(33:17):
way, you know, like you got allthese characters from all sides
of the spectrum like all overthe map.
Every episode they find a wayto come together, pull their
pants up and get stuff doneright like um, yeah, we don't
come together as a, as a nation,like we used to.
(33:38):
I don't think we seem to befighting each other, not so much
like our neighbors, but there'sthat right.
And when I was younger, forsure, everybody had, we've
always had our differences,always like, always like.
But we always seem to cometogether.
And I and I don't want to gettoo, because I don't know enough
(33:58):
about it, but I was sodisappointed during the pandemic
at our response as individualsand how we just got so device
divided about it and and and I'mnot going to get into it
because I don't know enoughabout it, but what, what?
What disappointed me was how weweren't able to sort of come
(34:20):
together in this moment, theextreme moment, to kind of get
through it out the other end andthen sort out what we're wrong.
Does that?
Do you know what I mean?
yes, because we did have thatperiod where we were all
jangling things and we weregoing out at 7 pm, but then that
did come to an end, yeah,abruptly like abruptly it seemed
(34:42):
uh, and I'm not gonna pretendto understand why, but I just it
was that it was like thatseemed new for the canadian
experience, if you want to sayand I don't know if we figure
out how to sort that out yet- Idon't think we have and I don't
see anything on the near horizon, but I do think that's where
(35:03):
shows can often give us like.
Aaron Pete (35:03):
We don't think we have and I don't see anything on
the near horizon, but I dothink that's where shows can
often give us like.
We don't need to debatepolitics, we don't need to do
like.
We need places where we cangather, where we're not just
arguing with each other and wedon't have shared shows anymore.
We have 15 different streamingsites that are all streaming
different shows and you talk tohey, did you watch this?
No, no, I don't have that appor I don't do like.
And it's like we don't have ashared kind of 7 pm channel
(35:27):
anymore where we all kind ofgather and agree that that's top
of mind.
But my next question for you iswho was hank yarbo from your
perspective?
Fred Ewanuick (35:39):
uh, the smartest guy in the room, uh, the hottest
looking dude, uh, brimming withconfidence, yeah, you know,
he's, he's everything I wish Iwas.
Um, he's, yeah, he's actuallythat like he.
(35:59):
He thinks he's for lack of abetter phrase he thinks he's the
shit, he thinks he knows it all.
Um, but the thing about hankthat I do do actually connect
with, that I tried to put intohim, is he's, he's genuine, he's
real, he's not you.
You get what you get with hank,like there's no, there's no
(36:21):
ulterior motive.
He's not two faced.
What comes out of Hank's mouthis exactly what Hank's thinking,
you know, and I, I, I likepeople like that, like I like
people that understand thatabout themselves.
Number one, right, like, uh, um, and you know, let you know
(36:48):
where you stand with them,respectfully, respectfully, so I
know, that's who hank is to me.
I mean, I always played himlike, like he, when he walked
into a room or every time hewalked into the gas station.
Aaron Pete (37:00):
He's, he was like I'm the, I'm the smartest guy
here my, my reflections on thecharacter and, like you can
correct me if you disagree no,no, because it's a it's.
You won't be wrong, becausethere are reflections right is
like I think it was again in thecontext of like playing a
character and I know like actorsdon't have the world's hardest
(37:22):
job but in the character you youplayed, I actually think it may
have been one of the morechallenging ones because you're
regularly agreeing to play thebutt of the joke, right, like in
many circumstances you're theperson being gaffed on or teased
or mocked or and like in asense like to remove yourself
(37:43):
and just think like you'replaying that character and I
think at times that actually isone of the the most challenging
characters because you have tokind of live with the, the
levity of that circumstance.
Other characters, like Brent,like he's usually like he, he
got the answer, he got the quick, snarky response, like it's,
it's humorous, but he gets toplay kind of the gotcha person
(38:04):
and you regularly were the buttof the joke and I think there's
something admirable aboutputting yourself in that
circumstance and that's why Ithink it's not just that you
agreed to play the characterbecause you kind of at the
beginning you were like well,like I just read lines, but
there's also something to besaid for agreeing to play the
character that get teased andmocked a lot throughout the
whole show that you were willingto be that to people and that
(38:27):
like I don't know about you, butlike sometimes when you're
hanging out with friends peopledo not like being the butt of
the joke, like they they arevery against that.
Like I'll have friends and I'llI'll push their button and then
they'll be like that's too far.
No, like I don't like that andit's like it's actually a lot of
work to kind of take it on thechin and when my friends tease
me I do my best to just eat itand enjoy the roast or whatever
the teasing is going to be.
(38:48):
But that's actually a littlebit more work than I think
people might realize.
And it brought the showtogether in a really good way
because there could be somebodyyou were allowed to kind of
laugh at or laugh at thecircumstance and enjoy in a
different way, and I thinkthere's a lot of importance to
that role um, that's a great uh,yeah, that's a great um with
(39:11):
great perspective.
Fred Ewanuick (39:12):
I, I, I mean I definitely felt, felt that and
understood that um, and it did.
I wouldn't say it waschallenging, but there was times
where, you know, I go back tomy condo.
I was like I wish I could.
You know, I wish I could getthe funny lines here and there,
right, but but that that wasusually stifled pretty quick
because I just I genuine,genuinely loved playing hank.
(39:34):
Like it wasn't hard for me tobe hank the the only, the only
challenge I found was that thelonger the show went on season 3
, by the end of season 3, I wasreally upset with myself because
(39:55):
I felt, towards the end ofseason 2 and most of season 3, I
really felt like I was phoningit in and and like.
And most of season three, Ireally felt like I was phoning
it in and like.
So, going into season four, Ikind of gave myself a bit of a
talking to and I was like no,look, you got a job, you got to
(40:16):
go in and you got to be on it.
Right, you got to be present onset, you got to be prepared.
I mean, there was days inseason two.
Yeah, I be on like there wasthis pub of hanlon's, uh, that
we would go to and there were acouple nights where I won't say
the other cast member or myselfand the other cast member would
literally stumble out of thereat daylight and like have an
(40:40):
hour before we had to get in thevan to get out to work.
Like I'd look at my day, I andI was like, ah, I only got one
scene.
You know, I can, I can take aday off, kind of thing, um, and
not not by.
I like I was never, you know,drunk on Saturday and I only get
this impression that I was likeMickey, mickey Rourke or
something like well, that's notfair to Mickey Rourke.
I don't know mickey rourke,what?
(41:07):
I don't know why I said mickeyrourke, probably a great guy,
he's a great actor.
Why did I say mickey?
I feel terrible now, cut thatpart out, would you?
Um, but my point being is isthat was the challenge.
So from four on, uh, well,season one and most of two, I
was like this is my job and then, for some reason, I just got
lazy and owned it in for a bit.
So that was the challenge.
It was like this is my job andthen for some reason, I just got
lazy and phoned it in for a bit.
So that was the challenge.
It was like being professionalright that coming out of corner
(41:29):
gas that's what it taught memost is like being on a show for
that long.
It's easy to forget what yourjob is right and, um, that was
the biggest challenge for me.
Not so much I think I didn'tmind being by the joke.
Look, somebody's got to gethurt for comedy.
Like.
(41:49):
If somebody's not getting hurteither physically or emotionally
, uh, being made fun of, there'sno comedy like where's the
comedy like you know, like that,something you got Like you know
like that.
So you got to point and laughat something like that you have
to.
And so I guess I I guess I wastoo dumb to realize it that I
(42:13):
should be like how come I don'tget all the funny lines I'm
being?
but I just love playing Hank andand I've I've been asked it
over the years and I meant itevery time I've said it I would
have played Hank for the rest ofmy life like I, and I would
have been completely content andhappy.
I love that character.
That by far my favoritecharacter I've played.
(42:34):
I've had other characters Ireally love playing, but if I
was to play a character for myentire life, it would be Hank.
I love that.
I love that every minute of it.
Aaron Pete (42:44):
I like I know this is inside baseball in like a lot
of ways, but like there's justsomething to the characters that
were developed, like you in theshow developing the lego set of
corner gas in lego form, likethat can that can seem like just
a joke, but there is somethingto the fact that like whatever
(43:04):
your creative endeavor is, likerun with it, like it doesn't
don't define what your creativeendeavor is, based by other
people's standards, and like Ifound that so valuable.
Like having um, like like wanda, play this character of like
you're incredibly intelligentand most of it is not useful in
your day-to-day life.
Like there's something to thatthat like I know a lot of people
(43:25):
who think they've got it allfigured out because they're very
good at math or something andit's like but then you still
don't know how to get an oilchange in your car.
Like there's these funnydisconnects where you see in
people that I think are sorelatable.
The other piece that I think isimportant that we touch on is
Nancy Robertson talked about thetragically hip performing.
So did Brent, but like I thinkit was really special that you
(44:02):
were all up those those othervoices and and bringing in
whether it's prime ministers orum, olympic athletes and kind of
like pulling them in.
Can you reflect on thetragically hip coming out and
performing and being able to bea part of that?
Fred Ewanuick (44:16):
yeah, well, I mean, that was that was, that
was the biggest, and nodisrespect, because we also had
a couple of kids in the hall,guys who you know I was a huge
kids in the hall yeah.
And the prime minister, primeministers, that's a huge, that's
huge, that's huge, you know.
And just to cause, I knowHarper is a divisive figure in
(44:41):
Canadian politics.
He was fantastic on the show,right, and I'm definitely not
conservative leaning, so I'm notgoing to say what my politics
are, but I wouldn't have votedfor harper oh there, I just said
, but he was incredible.
You know what I mean.
So you're right for him to comeinto the show and be able to
contribute and be part of thefamily.
Aaron Pete (45:00):
Essentially and be the butt of the joke like he
switches his side, like he waswilling to be.
Fred Ewanuick (45:05):
I know he's a politician he, he nailed it like
, let's be honest, he, he nailedit, martin too, and he came on.
He was fantastic.
So, um, you're all sit,literally come on.
But the hip, my, my buddy,who's no longer with us uh,
derek Usher introduced me to theTragically Hip.
(45:25):
Derek Usher I'm not going toget into it because it'll make
me cry.
Derek Usher is one of thesepeople that come through your
lives and change you.
Derek Usher, anybody that Iknow who watches this will know
what I'm talking about.
But anyway, he got me onto thehip and the hip for me I don't
(45:50):
know how to say this every albumthe hip puts out, I I don't
like initially, but then I justkeep listening to it and then I
just can't not listen to the hipanymore and his voice, his
words, the music, it like.
Every time I listen to a hipsong, like it, just it, it it
(46:10):
showers me, right, and I'm notover exaggerating, like I, okay,
well, I said on leroy and uh,and I you know we were talking
about uh, uh, uh, desert islandsand what out, you know album,
and I'm like, can you pick yourfavorites?
Like like, that's an album,right, uh, of the hip and that's
(46:31):
what I would want like.
So when I heard they werecoming on the show, I don't get
starstruck, you know, like Idon't the the only other time I
got starstruck was when I metRichard Berder at a golf store
in North Vancouver.
Uh, richard Berder is a CanucksKing.
Richard Canucks goalie in theeighties, took him to the finals
(46:54):
.
Uh, and this is the only time I,only other time I couldn't talk
to somebody Right and right anduh, it was like that with the
hip.
So we did those.
They were just for there forthe one day.
We did our sort of half in roloand then the hip came and did
(47:14):
their half in the studio andthey got swamped right but, like
, all of a sudden, our crew grewby threefold.
Like I was like, who are, whoare all these people like?
And they're all there to seethe hip and, um, I do this.
It got me emotional when I wasdoing uh, so they're doing their
(47:38):
thing and and then and it wasamazing, the, you know, they're
doing it's private and they'regoing at it, they're singing it,
they take after take, and soI'm like, I'm like five feet
away from gordonny and he's,he's like bolting out those
lyrics and I'm like, just I'mlike, I'm like, I'm just like,
(48:00):
I'm just, you know, I'm like ablah, right, and and then they
finish, and then they get.
They get bombarded by people,rightfully so, and they're so
gracious, they're talking toeverybody, all of them, and I'm
just kind of standing in theback of the room like an idiot.
And then finally I just, youknow, I kind of scuffled out
that was my last scene of theday and I'm signing out and uh,
(48:25):
and the vans, a van's pullingout as I'm signed, I'm signing
my sheet out for the day, andand then the van.
I see the van come back andit's the hip, they're getting
driven back to their hotel andgourd opens the door and he gets
out.
I don't know, every time I talkabout it, I don't know, it's
such a big deal for me, and hegets out and he I guess he could
(48:48):
see that I was there, right,you know?
And uh, and he just talks withme like a normal person and I'm
like, wow, he just keeps talkingabout.
He's like what are you doing?
I was like well, my wife and Iare going across the country,
we're gonna drive.
He's like, oh man, we're goingacross the country on a tour and
he's like maybe we'll see eachother and I'm like, oh yeah man,
(49:08):
like, oh, really, that'd begreat and I wish I knew him.
I wish I knew he.
(49:32):
Just in that four minutes, fiveminutes, I was just like, oh wow
, this guy I see why peoplethink people might be gods,
because he was just so in thatmoment anyway, just so genuine
and open, and not Gord Downie,big star, just I know it took a
lot for him, I for him, torecognize that.
I was like wanting to saysomething from what I could
(49:53):
gather.
Maybe he was just like forgothis watch and ran into me, but
that's not, that's not what andit's.
It's one of those moments that,for whatever reason, gets me
emotional when I talk about it,but sticks with me.
I think about that every oncein a while and I I just think,
oh wow, that was one of thecoolest moments of my life.
Aaron Pete (50:15):
Yeah, big deal, that was a huge deal I appreciate
you for being willing to sharethat.
It's to be honest with you, Iyeah damn you for bringing it up
right.
Fred Ewanuick (50:25):
I don't know.
It got a little emotional toowhen I was talking about Leroy
and I was like, all right, inthis moment I can talk about it,
and no, apparently I can't.
I don't know why, so stupid.
Aaron Pete (50:35):
Well, I want you to know that I understand you, gord
, I'm sure, didn't see himselfthe way other people saw him
Right.
And so like, in thesecircumstances, the fact that
I've gotten to like I grew upand I would put on corner gas
before I'd go to bed on mycomputer and it would just play
all the episodes all the waythrough and I'd wake up and have
(50:57):
to press pause in the morning,like that's the amount that I
would consume corner gas.
Like my partner and I watch itevery year in summertime and we
like it's a, it's a it's afamily tradition for us to do
that.
And so like the opportunity tospeak with you, like Brent, like
the fact that you guys arebeing willing to share your time
on something and like I know itwas an opportunity for you guys
(51:18):
at the time.
But I also understand that whenyou're a creator, you don't
want to be typecast as just onething, right.
Like I don't want to be knownjust for one single interview or
like for one thing I do in mylife.
You're a broad, like interestingperson that has different
interests and you've playeddifferent characters over your
life.
Like you're always pulled backto this role.
So the fact that you're allwilling to do this and share
(51:41):
your time and reflect on thesemoments.
The fact that you're allwilling to do this and share
your time and reflect on thesemoments, I really appreciate, in
a very similar lens to whatthat interaction meant for you
with Gord Like this.
This means a lot to me to havethe opportunity to speak with
you on these things.
Fred Ewanuick (51:54):
Well, that's nice , I'm glad.
You know, obviously you knowI'm good, I'm glad, and thanks
for saying that.
You know we bring up the youknow, know actors always worried
about being typecast that thatwas never a concern of mine.
I mean, the only challenge withthat is like, well, if you
can't get other work, you knowhow you're going to pay the
(52:14):
bills, right.
But I've never, I've never,like I I love acting.
Well, here's the thing.
I don't know.
If I love acting, I love beingon set, and if that means I have
to act, then I'll do it.
I tried being a stage actor andlike I just can't Anxiety is no
good, and but so it was justabout like, like I said it with
(52:35):
Hank, like I found thatcharacter and that gave me well,
more than six years, because wedid the movie and then we did
the cartoon.
Like almost 10 years of work,that's like so that's great.
If that means, if that's whattypecast means, then okay, bring
(52:56):
it.
Like, can I do that for another10, though you know, because,
like I'm not ready to stop beingon set, like I want to be on
set more and I don't get to doit as much as I'd like, like,
I've been pretty lucky.
You know I seem to get one ortwo things a year, but it's.
It's not enough for my.
I guess that's my addiction,maybe being on set.
It's the same with hockey.
(53:17):
I still play hockey.
I'm a goalie.
I don't know if I actually likeplaying hockey, I just really
like being a goalie.
I like the gear.
I like I started.
One of my buddies is a goaliecoach and and and he'll take me
out to do training sessions.
Right, don't be a better goalie, and I like that more than I
like actually playing hockeygames.
So I think acting's like that.
(53:39):
For me, it's like, yeah, I likelike acting, but I just really
love being on set, like and, andit's got to be a part of
something.
That's what corner gas spoiledme is.
When you get on a long runningshow like that, it's just, it's
really comfortable, it's likeyour home, it's work, don't get
me wrong, it's work.
You got to be prepared, butit's you get to set you.
(54:02):
You feel like you're a part ofit.
It's like you know, it's justclick.
It's like being part of a team.
It's being on that team right,like yeah, maybe that's why I
liked it, because I'm not aconfident guy.
But you get all these peoplearound you that sort of instill
confidence in you and thenyou're part of an energy like a
positive energy rather than youjust carrying it or that person
(54:23):
just carrying it.
Aaron Pete (54:23):
You're all contributing to the good energy.
Fred Ewanuick (54:25):
Like I did Dan for mayor, and by no, it wasn't
like what Brent was doing.
Brent was like doing everything.
I was just the lead guy.
I didn't have to write it, Ididn't have to produce it or
nothing, and I was like I mean,this is for the birds, like I
just want to be Hank.
When you have to be responsiblefor all of it, that's just way
(54:49):
more stress than I'm able tomanage.
I think that's why I like Hankso much, because I can just be,
but I can't be on my own.
Aaron Pete (55:02):
I need that family.
Can I ask was the animatedseries different in a way that
maybe wasn't quite as rewarding?
Because you're not on set,you're just producing the voices
, or did that work because itwas?
You're still doing the samejokes, but you're just doing it
verbally.
You're not in a community.
It's somewhat a different thing, right?
Fred Ewanuick (55:21):
Yeah, it's the same but different, right, yeah,
it's, it's.
It's the same but different.
It's the same and like,especially because we we started
that just before the pandemicand then the pandemic, I think,
was season two, I can't remembernow, uh.
So initially we were all in theroom together.
Well, half of us were invancouver and the other half
were in toronto, but we were allconnected via, so it was like
(55:42):
doing a radio play, um, so thatwas great, that that was.
It was a very similarexperience, but lazier, right,
like I didn't have to go throughhair and makeup and you know,
like our day wasn't eight to tenhours, it was like uh three to
four hours, but you alsocouldn't hang out afterwards
with I guess the people fromtoronto too right no, you
(56:05):
couldn't.
But but I don't know, like, asthe show went on, I mean, we
still hung out, we went fordinners from time to time, but
as the show went on, we kind oflike found our own sort of
pockets of life out there.
Like, so we worked together andthen, yeah, we did some dinners
here and there, might go forcoffee with you know, go grab a
(56:26):
beer with lauren, or grab acoffee with nan, or you know,
from time to time, or, um, havea poker game from time to time.
But, like you kind of starteddeveloping your own life.
Like I, I was playing ultimatefrisbee out there, um, I started
golfing with wow, um, my, uh,my buddy warren, who was our
sound guy, um, so you, you know,you know what I mean.
(56:50):
Like it, it just became work,family, more, you know, um, so,
yeah, when we started doing theanimated stuff, it was just like
that.
Like you show up, you loveeverybody, it's great, they do,
you're funny and we laugh, andthen we kind of go back to our
lives may I ask what advicewould you have, or or what would
(57:13):
you tell?
Aaron Pete (57:15):
I'm not the person to ask what would you tell a
younger person who's in asimilar circumstance to where
you were, where maybe you don'thave that huge level of
confidence enjoy being a part ofa team.
How do people strive forward inthose types of circumstances
when they don't know exactlywhere they want to end up when
they're older?
Fred Ewanuick (57:36):
Well, look, that's a really good question to
ask.
Unfortunately, my experienceI'm hesitant to share because I
don't.
My experience might not beright for people and they could
go try what I might suggest andit could go horribly wrong.
Aaron Pete (57:57):
Right, we won't give them your phone number then.
Fred Ewanuick (58:01):
No, but I don't like.
I think what's helped me, likeI'm incredibly fortunate, I've
had a number of people in mylife my wife, number one who is
incredibly supportive, and soit's easy, right.
You have somebody that youdon't even, even when you don't
(58:25):
want to talk to somebody,understands that you should talk
to somebody, and finds ways toget you to talk without you
knowing you're talking, rightLike giving your aspirin with
some honey, you know, but likethe thing here's.
The thing, though, is is youhave I believe this, and I think
(58:49):
everybody should try to find away to make this to work you
have to take responsibility foryour own life, and nobody else
can.
Your happiness is not somebodyelse's responsibility.
Your well-being is not somebodyelse's responsibility.
Your mental health is notsomebody else's responsibility.
(59:10):
You have to do the work to getout of whatever it is, and that
may mean you need help, and soyou need to recognize that you
need help, and, and so if youfind that people are suggesting
you get help a lot, then maybethat's something that you need
(59:35):
to understand is like okay,maybe I need help and I should
go get that help.
Like that's all I can say,because everybody's journey is
going to be different.
I'm still working on mine andI'm 53.
So I'm always proud of myself.
I always give myself a pat onthe back because I'm way better
than I was.
But I'm nowhere near where Iwant to be, that's for sure.
Aaron Pete (59:57):
Fred, it has been an honor to speak with you.
Stop saying that the honor ismine.
Like as I said, I watched theshow.
I think you're a hugeinspiration.
I know that's hard for you totake in, but I hope you can hold
space for the impact thatyou've had on so many and
encouraging them to becomfortable with who they are,
(01:00:19):
and I think you're a hugeexemplar of that.
I think we're incredibly luckythat we've had individuals that
have advocated for you, likeLynn.
I like I think we're lucky forher advocacy because you
belonged on that show and we'relucky that that all worked out
the way that it did.
Fred Ewanuick (01:00:35):
You're the man oh , come on, that's very kind of
you to say.
But all right, for this onemoment I'll pretend I'm the man.
Aaron Pete (01:00:41):
Thanks, buddy, you know uh, how can people follow
your work and keep up to date?
Fred Ewanuick (01:00:47):
uh, well, I'm not super active on social media.
Probably best is instagram.
That seems to be where I I poststupid stuff.
Be prepared, but uh, it's, uh,it's not my well, I guess if you
search my name fred iwanekyou'll find me, but it's freddy
wanet, freddy wan it.
Uh, all one word on instagramis probably the best best of
(01:01:10):
luck to you.
Aaron Pete (01:01:11):
I know you've got some things cooking up and
you're working on bringing somenew ideas to life, so I wish you
the best of luck on that andreally appreciate you coming on
today oh, thanks, I appreciateyou having me.
Fred Ewanuick (01:01:20):
This was way more than I was expecting, but I I
quite enjoyed it, thank you I amso glad to hear that all right.
Oh man, son of a bitch, youmade me cry, what the hell.
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