NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Actor Lorne Cardinal speaks to a group of Crescent Heights High School Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019 at the school's theatre.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
Crescent Heights High School students had a special visitor Thursday, with actor Lorne Cardinal stopping by to speak.
Cardinal is best know for his work on the hit TV series Corner Gas, but was at CHHS to spread positivity and to interact with young Canadians.
“I want to come in and talk to the students about being a professional actor and to give them keys to succeed,” said Cardinal. “Not even just acting, I want to talk to young people about fear, how to use it and how to conquer it.
“I want to talk about confidence and some of the keys to success – the biggest being to not take shortcuts.”
Cardinal says he knows there are a lot of obstacles in everyday life, but a consistent effort toward one’s goals will pay off in the end.
“I want people to try,” he said. “Try new things and don’t let fear get in the way of new experiences – being uncomfortable is a good thing, it leads to new experiences.
“Even if you fail, you learn something. You can only get there by stepping forward and trying something new.”
Cardinal has been acting for 26 years and has done just about every job in the industry. He says having a passion is important.
“You need to enjoy what you’re doing,” he said. “No matter what it is, if you’re passionate about it, you’re going to succeed.”
The actor says he enjoys speaking events where he can interact with crowds of all ages.
“They had some great questions for me,” he said. “Even really young kids have great questions like what my favourite genre of shows is – it’s fun to hear what they come up with.”
Cardinal connecting with young people across the country is becoming important for him.
“I feel like I have good insight,” he said. “For Indigenous students, and for all students, I want them to know that if they put in the work, you can succeed.
“You can’t rely on luck hoping to get famous.”
