You may have heard him on CBC Radio in years past, or you may know his work on the new TV series Haven, but you probably know him best as Jim Lahey, the perpetually drunk park supervisor in the wildly successful Canadian TV series Trailer Park Boys. On September 12, one of Fanshawe's classrooms filled with laughter as John Dunsworth spoke to a group of Theatre Arts and Advanced Filmmaking students about his many years of experience in the entertainment industry.

"How does one become an innovator?" Dunsworth asked the students, who were hanging on every word from the charismatic star. He went on to answer his own question: "Sometimes it's not good to be ahead of everyone else, because if you're a step ahead of the curve, you have to be really clever to make it work." Dunsworth quickly switched gears, telling the students, "I'm a Catholic, so even when I'm being good, I feel like I'm being bad," thus setting the tone for the morning of serious advice interlaced with humour that isn't exactly politically correct.

"I have no points prepared for today. I react to ... stimulus," said Dunsworth, looking for questions from the students. In front of the 30 plus people in the room, the conversations were largely one-onone, with hopeful actors getting the chance to talk to the industry veteran personally. Despite — or maybe due to — Dunsworth's frequent conversational asides, the time passed quickly and was filled with roaring laughter.

After being posed a question, Dunsworth drew some very creative illustrations on the chalkboard to explain a recent filming experience. Just days ago, in water off the Nova Scotia coast, he spent the morning filming a short featuring his 19-year-old daughter Molly Dunsworth, who can be seen in Hobo With a Shotgun. He confessed he has always wanted to act with her.

Of his experience, he explained, "I don't do it for glory, or money. The reason I'm still so excited after 45 years in the business is because I've been able to do what I want. After all these years it still feels wonderful."

Animated movements and a plethora of accents and characters made the tips Dunsworth gave as side-splitting as they were educational. "Don't go out and get drunk Friday night if you're working Saturday; that's not the 'success' we're looking for," is one of the pearls of wisdom Dunsworth imparted, along with, "Organization is one of the most important things in the biz."

Often getting sidetracked, Dunsworth created an atmosphere of such hilarity it was impossible not to laugh. "The Merchant of Venice could be said to have a genetic disposition towards schizophrenia," he joked, then quickly teased, "I could tell you about the pirates of Nova Scotia, but that's another story."

On a more serious note, Dunsworth spoke about putting yourself out there and taking every opportunity you're given to get experience in the industry. The word "verisimilitude" is used to describe the truths found in the art of acting, and Dunsworth cited many of his own trials and tribulations to dispense career and life advice to the young audience.

Just over two hours later, Dunsworth finally circled back to the original question asked, that is after explaining that in terms of TV syndication, "Producers can live off of royalties, but the actors get boned," and that, "Father Jacobson wouldn't work as a character; that's a Jewish priest."

Three hours flew by filled with genuine advice, countless inappropriate jokes and a creative solution to crossing picket lines in vehicles. From radio to theatre to film, and dabbling in casting and scriptwriting, the man provided invaluable guidance to all the young hopefuls who were so enthralled with everything he had said. "I'm so glad to be Canadian I can't even tell you," he said, and ended the talk with thoughts of patriotism and praise, thanking all those who made his morning lecture possible and enjoyable.