Dan For Mayor has settled into CTV's post-Olympic schedule and made itself at home, reaching over a million viewers in its first two outings and bringing a familiar face into Canadian homes in the less familiar role of star.
"It's the first show where my character has been the central character," agreed Fred Ewanuick, formerly Hank on Corner Gas, while pointing out there’s a core ensemble to the series. "I'm used to being the wacky guy who gets the laughs and not the guy who's holding the story together."
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There are familiar names behind the show, too, in co-creators Mark Farrell, Paul Mather, and Kevin White. "At one time or another each one of them was the showrunner for Corner Gas, and now they’re all in charge here, which is kind of weird," Ewanuick laughed. "I’ve worked with all of them for so long that I kind of know what they expect, and they know what they’re getting with me, so it’s working out pretty good so far. Unless they’re holding back and not telling me stuff."
He joked that my subsequent interviews with the writers would reveal the awful truth about him ("they’ll tell you the truth: 'He’s horrible, I don’t know what we were thinking'"), but they had nothing but praise for their star.
"Fred sets a great tone on set and that’s really important," said Farrell, who also produces 22 Minutes for CBC. "He’s in a good mood, he’s prepared, he’s fun to be around."
"We were really fortunate with Fred to anchor the series," White claimed. "It’s a more contemporary role for him. Hank felt a bit like a Jughead-y character on Corner Gas. In this, he feels like a more well-rounded person."
Mather was my last hope for dirt, and he failed miserably to provide it. "Fred is so fantastic. On Gas, we always wanted to have more Fred. I always knew he could be a lead. He’s such an intelligent actor, and he knows our writing so he gets our intention. We’re really lucky that we’ve got this pillar to support our show."
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