Every time I interview Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, he seems a half-foot taller than the last time I spoke with him. Yet his ego never grows as I found out last summer in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Ainsworth, of course, plays young Mark Critch, circa 1990, on the CBC sitcom. We were outdoors on location on a residential street closed off for the production. Also there was Sophia Powers, who plays Mark’s girlfriend Fox. The two characters have graduated to high school this fourth season, which has plenty of emotional highs to go with the comedy.
It is fun to hear Ainsworth speak in his own lilting Liverpudlian tongue during this interview. He and his famous co-star, the great Malcolm McDowell, are often at the Duke of Duckworth, cheering on their favourite football club.
Ainsworth talks about his new baby brother, meeting the prime minister and his upcoming feature film with costars Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney.
Special note: at the end of this episode, listen for a tribute to one of my high school pals, Stephen Dudley. I recently learned that this brilliant pianist, whose music can be heard on most of these episodes, passed away late last December. Here, in a cassette recording made exactly 50 years ago, he gifts a folk night crowd with one of his own compositions. Stephen was 67.
To listen to this episode, simply click on the white arrow in the blue dot above.
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