Craig Olejnik

Born :

June 1, 1979

There's not too many shows with, you know, mid 20s male lead on it. And I thought that would be obviously something to go for The Listener.

The responsibility of being a lead is the most challenging part playing the character enjoyable is what I live for. But it's just being the liaison through, you know, the middle of so many departments. I'm connected to so many departments and you have to deal with so many people day in and day out. And the dialogue and the scripts it's the work. The work is the most challenging part.

responsibility character people

I grew up in Nova Scotia most of my life. And three years of my childhood we actually spent in Toronto and that's when my eyes were opened and my life was changed. We went to museums and theater and I was a minority. It was fantastic.

fantastic childhood eye

A friend of mine's sister was on a TV show here in Toronto, a popular show. I don't know I guess it must be some Canadian come line. Well Mr. Dressup a friend's sister was on Mr. Dressup and I just never understood - knew that I could know someone in the flesh that was on the TV. It was just a bizarre thing for me. I grew up drinking Coca Cola, singing to Michael Jackson and the '80s a pretty stand by me life.

coca-cola singing drinking

My first audition I ended up getting the film was Margaret's Museum with Helena Bonham-Carter. And I went off for about two months on my own even to Scotland and hit Brittan and Nova Scotia and was surrounded by very creative people, nomadic people. And I just really loved the lifestyle and the zest for life and they kind of confused me ever since. So I've been chasing that dragon.

confused creative people

There is a lot of years in my 20s that acting was really on the back burner not even saying I was traveling and writing, taking pictures and just kind of living and figuring out what I wanted to do.

acting kind writing

I think I was 26, 27 in Vancouver. I woke up one day and I was like what am I doing? I've accomplished nothing and then so I moved to Toronto. I had a cousin here. And I just said all right I'm going to act and that was it. And I decided to do the work that I never did before. And here it is.

cousin one-day thinking

The acting challenge is every day it was just for me a challenge obviously because of the volume that I - of work I had to do throughout the series. Every day was just trying to keep it fresh, trying to keep it maintain a consistency and a growth in the character and in myself. That was the main focus was staying focused when you're fatigued after, you know, it's mainly to work but it's ultimately very rewarding working with this production and the actors and the crew. The crew gave a lot for this thing.

consistency focus character