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Actor Lorne Cardinal, or Sgt. Davis Quinton from Corner Gas as he is best known, is in the midst of a promotional tour for the much-anticipated movie adaptation of the television show, Corner Gas: The Movie.
But the affable star, who moved to Squamish six years ago when Corner Gas the TV show ended, was very un-Hollywood in his willingness to chat about just about anything when he recently stopped by the The 小蓝视频 with his husky-border collie听cross, Jake.
Seeming relaxed and dressed in a red rain jacket and charcoal-coloured beret for a walk in the rain with his equally calm and friendly pooch, Cardinal touched on a variety of topics ranging from his favourite sport (rugby), to aboriginal music (excellent and under-appreciated), to how to keep dogs from pulling (muzzle-harness), to his long entertainment career.
While Cardinal is most well known for playing the loveably inept police officer, Davis, on the hit TV comedy that ran from 2004 to 2009 鈥� yes, it has been that long since the final Corner Gas original episode aired 鈥� he is also an accomplished director, producer and stage actor.听
In fact, it is the latter pursuit that is his first love, he said.
鈥淚 love the stage,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is what I was trained in and that is where I first discovered what I was meant to do.鈥�
It was in college in Kamloops during the late 1980s that Cardinal first tried his hand at theatre acting. He enrolled in a variety of courses, including an introductory drama course, to figure out what interested him. 鈥淲e did a one-act play and I got bit by the bug,鈥� he said.
Since then, Cardinal, 50, has wracked up more than 75 film and TV credits to his name and earned an听honorary doctorate from Thompson Rivers University for his contribution to theatre.
听鈥淚 try to diversify, that is key to longevity in this entertainment business,鈥� Cardinal said with a laugh.
Cardinal currently has a documentary film in the hopper. It is called Chasing Lear and chronicles the making of an all-aboriginal production of King Lear, in which Cardinal 鈥� who is Cree 鈥� also performed. 听
鈥淥nce I got hired鈥� I said, 鈥榃ho is documenting this?鈥欌�� Cardinal said.听 鈥淏ecause this has never been done before in Canadian theatre history.
There has never been an all-aboriginal Shakespeare on a main stage, unadapted. You know, it is not set in a band office or a bingo hall, it is straight classical Shakespeare.鈥�
Cardinal executive-produced the documentary with his life partner, writer and comedian Monique Hurteau. The documentary will air on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in the spring or summer.
When asked what brought him to Squamish, the Alberta native recounted loving the scenery when he came to the corridor on different movie shoots, included Insomnia with the late Robin Williams, in 2002.
Later, he headed west again in 2008 when he was grieving and feeling lost.
鈥淭he series had ended and I lost my dad and I just needed to get out of Toronto,鈥� Cardinal said. 鈥淚 knew I needed the cedars, the rivers and lakes to have a moment to heal and figure out what I was going to do next.鈥�
In Squamish, the humble Cardinal also found a level of fame and recognition with which he is comfortable.
Many local people know who he is and what he has done, but they are respectful, he said.
鈥淕reat people here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a little kid who lives in my neighbourhood, he is always biking around and he sees me and goes, 鈥楬ey, hi Davis!鈥欌�� Cardinal said, laughing.
After a half-hour of amicably chatting during the interview with The Chief, Cardinal finally got around to promoting Corner Gas: The听Movie.
The big-screen version of the show returns to the characters and the fictional sleepy Saskatchewan town of Dog River, but the town has fallen on hard times.
The community is broke and a large corporation wants to come in, bulldoze everything and turn it into a local hub for its national headquarters.
The townspeople get together to stop the corporation, and mayhem ensues.
Cardinal plays the same lovable policeman he was on TV all those years, but the movie isn鈥檛 just a longer episode, he said.
At the Saskatchewan premiere of the film on Nov. 25, Cardinal got to watch the movie with an audience for the first time.
鈥淚 think a lot of people were pleasantly surprised. They didn鈥檛 want us to wreck their TV show that everybody loved,鈥� Cardinal said, admitting he and the rest of the cast were equally concerned about the return of the beloved characters.
When the final credits rolled the audience jumped to its feet, Cardinal said, and many fans came to him to congratulate him on a job well done.
Corner Gas: The Movie was set to open in theatres this week, on Wednesday, Dec. 3. For more information go to,听
