How did Graham Greene become a Canadian icon? Talent, discipline and luck

33:00What made Graham Greene an icon? Talent, discipline and luck

With hundreds of stage and screen credits to his name, Graham Greene is an undeniable Canadian icon.

In 1990, he became one of the most recognizable Indigenous actors in North America thanks to his breakthrough role in the Kevin Costner film Dances With Wolves, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

Now, the Oneida actor from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario is the recipient of a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. But before he carved out a prolific career in the performing arts, Greene was a draftsman, a steelworker, a welder and an audio tech — difficult jobs that taught him the importance of discipline and a strong work ethic.

In a career-spanning interview with Q's Tom Power, Greene says he got his first professional acting opportunity while working as a roadie (he mentions he toured with the Canadian band Abraham's Children and did sound for country artists like George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire and Buck Owens). That's when a guy named Doug Rogers asked him if he had ever considered doing theatre.

"I said, 'Well, I don't know about theatre. I don't even know what a script looks like,'" Greene recalls.

After receiving the script, Greene decided to give it a shot and landed the job. He was pleasantly surprised to find the work really enjoyable.

"I changed into the costume and they put me in the shade in a nice chair," he says. "They brought me food and water … and I thought, 'Jeez, I'm living the life of a dog! This is great. I don't have to carry anybody's amplifiers anymore. I don't have to do lights. I don't have to drive halfway across the country for nothing.'"

While Greene says it took him a while to get used to acting, he eventually came to the realization that he loved performing and had a talent for it. But as one of a few Indigenous actors in Canada at a time when representation was lacking, talent and discipline could only take him so far — he also needed luck.

"I got lucky, I just got lucky," Greene says. "A lot of actors that I know in the business, they had to punch and claw their way to do the stuff, and they had to work very, very hard at what they did to get where they are today. And me? I just got lucky."

The full interview with Graham Greene is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. He also talks about Dances With Wolves, his Oscar nomination and his advice to up-and-coming actors. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Graham Greene produced by Lise Hosein.