One on One: Zack Ward

It was really fun doing this week's One on One. Zack Ward is a brilliant Canadian actor. He was in numerous movies and TV shows. I would say that he's probably best known for his role as the bully, Scut Farkus, in "The I love this holiday classic so to have Zack take part in One on One is such an honour.
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Chef D: With your mother Pam Hyatt being a successful actress and in the business did you always want to be a actor, or was there interests in other professions? How did your career start..

Zack: No, at first I wanted to be a Ninja. But I learned they didn't make good money as they weren't unionized, so there were no medical benefits.
Actually, yes. I wanted to be an actor around the age of 8-9. We were living in Stratford, Ontario, where my mother was performing in the Stratford Festival, when "it" happened. My mom (mum in Canada : ) ) would read to me from "Lamb's tails of Shakespeare", basically a kid's version of the plays, this way I would be able to understand the shows she was in and better enjoy the process.
My mother was a very forward thinking woman and so explained some of the more bawdy jokes in Shakespeares work. A lot of his plays were the "Married with Children" of their time, and my mom helped me to understand the jokes through the language as best she, and I, could.
I was watching "Taming of the Shrew" and excited to hear the actor say, and the audience react, to a "naughty" joke. But when he delivered, it fell flat. He did the line like a sermon, not a dirty joke. And because of that the audience responded with confused head nodding, because the actor had failed to make the language relevant to the time and people and in doing so forgotten his key responsibilities.
Obviously I didn't understand this the same way then. For me "that guy sucks. I could do better then him", was what went through my head. Not very inspiring, I know. But true. I then told my mom that I wanted to be an actor. She said "NO". She "wanted me to live a normal life". After months of cajoling, it was my older brother, Carson Foster, who changed her mind. "What's a normal life?".
She couldn't answer and so gave in.
At the age of 10 I started in commercial auditions and tv guest star roles, then landed my first movie role in  "A Christmas Story". From there it was just a lot of auditions; booking as many as possible.

Chef D: Are you working on any upcoming projects that you can share with the readers? For the number of roles you have played on TV and movies do you have a favorite..

Zack: My upcoming projects are the movies "Last Stop", "Experimental" and "#1 Zombie Killer".
"Last Stop" is a feature I produced starring Mena Suvari, Brian Austin Green, Joanne Kelly and myself. It's a suspense thriller you can check out at themovielaststop.com. We are in the sales process right now.
"Experimental" is a short film I wrote,directed,produced and edited. It's based on a sci-fi horror feature that I am getting financed to shoot in Canada. It's won a number of awards including AICN (Aint It Cool News) pick of the week. You can watch the trailer and and full short film on Zackward.me or Experimentalmovie.com.
"#1 Zombie Killer" is a horror film with a "6th Sense" twist. I'm writing it now to direct and star in it.

As to a "Favorite" project, not really. The fact is I love the process and each one teaches me new things. I feel blessed being able to work in front and behind the camera, so the whole world of film making is a high to me. The best example I can give is movies are like summer camp and TV series are like High school.


Chef D: Being an actor for as long as you have is there a actor or actress you haven't worked with but hope to one day? And is there a city or country you haven't had the chance to work in but would love to one day..

Zack: Jeff Bridges! I'd love to work with him. I'd like to shoot more in Canada but as a director because I think there is such amazing diverse beauty to be captured on film and only a Canadian truly understands and appreciates the rugged honesty of our country.

Chef D: Other interests or charities outside of acting?

Zack: Yes. I've started a Bully Prevention fundraising campaign. It just ended but I was able to raise $7k for programs. I'll be doing it every year under the new name The Farkus Foundation

Chef D: When at home with your family do you have a special dish or meal you love to have, can you share that with the readers.

My mother makes an amazing carrot ginger soup that tastes delicious and clears the sinuses.
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Carrot Ginger Soup
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 cup 35% cream
Salt and white pepper
Sour cream
Parsley chopped for garnish
Rye bread for garnish and dipping

Directions:
In a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Don't fill the blender more than half way, do it in batches if you have to. Cover the blender and then hold a kitchen towel over the top of the blender*. Be careful when blending hot liquids as the mixture can spurt out of the blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then puree until smooth. Return to the pan and add cream, stir over high heat until hot. For a smoother flavor bring soup to a boil, add salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with dollop sour cream and parsley sprigs. *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
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Thanks again to Zack for taking the time to take part in this week's One on One!

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