Question and Answer Page

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                                                                                          Updated July 17, 2008

Q: One of the most frequently asked questions is " How old is Michael?"
A:  According to the IMDb he was born ...  27 April 1964., in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.
(But upon meeting him, you will be surprised that he does not look his age, which is probably why he can, and does, play teenager's to early twenties.)

Q: People love Gus Pike's accent and want to know what Mickey 's accents sounds like...?
A:  According to Alexandra Heilbron, who interviewed Mickey for the Avonlea Tradition Chronicle; Mickey speaks with a soft Northern Ontario accent, the accent is not  an obvious accent like Gus's accent is. To hear him speak in his natural accent, you need to watch him in "Collateral Damage" ( movie) or "Rin Tin Rin; K-9 Cop" ( tv show, that used to air on the Family channel, here in the US). Another interesting feature of the Rin Tin Tin show, is the fact that Barbara Hamilton ( Eulalie Bugle on RTA) played his mother! (Having spoken to MM... I agree, his accent is "soft".. but he does have one , occasionally he would say a word and it was all Canadian or "pure Gus"... :-D  Having lived in California for almost five years, MM's natural accent is softer than it was ... but his ability to do various American accents is greater.  It wouldn't surprise me to hear him do a "proper Bostonian" accent one of these day. LOL  )

Q: In the first few Gus episodes, he is considerably taller than the other children. How old was he supposed to be? This is a much asked question. :)
A:  Mickey's answer: "It is not unusual for teenage boys to get their height early, but I thought of Gus ,at this point , as being about 17 years old."

Q: What song does Eliza sing in "The Return of Gus Pike"? Aren't there two songs we hear when we see Gus on screen?
A:  John Welsman, who composed much of RTA's music replied, that the song is based on a traditional song  called "She's Like a Swallow", and is a song that Gus's mother, Eliza Pike, was fond of singing. The song most often heard in the background and is most associated with  Gus Pike,  (which was the song he played for Hetty King, on the fiddle , in the episode "Aunt Hetty's Ordeal" ) is simply called "Gus's Song". (  On the CD "Grey Eyed Morn" , by  Sue Richards, who plays the Celtic harp; there is a song eerily similar  called  * "Ur Cnoc Cein Mhic Cainte" *) (I believe that the rough translation to 'Un Cnoc Cein Mhic Cainte' would be 'Mountain Far Away Beyond the Sea of Condemnation'. cheers! Delilah ... another translation is  Ur The Fresh  Hills of Mhic Cainte) ) Comments made by John Welsman... "Some people in the music for film business say that the best score shouldn't really be noticed at all, but in my favorite films or tv programs, I want to feel/hear the music playing somehow connected inextricably with the scene or characters, as if they were creating the mood of the moment musically. And 'beautifully sad' certainly describes the feeling of that Gus Pike theme - it's a traditional Irish piece with a long complicated name *, but I took the melody and wrote the accompaniment around it, and I think it's one of my favorite pieces from the series, too."

Q: You look as if you are actually playing the fiddle, can you play?
A:  "I studied, and did learn to play several of Gus's song," Mickey answered," but never as well as Gus was able to play; so, any music you hear is being played by a musician, and not me".

Q: What nationality is Mahonen? 
A. Michael has said  ( in a guest book) ,"... I am first and foremost a Canadian. More particularly from Kirkland Lake in Northern Ontario, and must say that I'm proud of it. As far as heritage; my mother is Irish/Finnish, and my father is Finnish/Finnish.  I feel a great affinity to both the Irish and Finnish in my background. Nations that have had to fight to maintain their cultures, identities and borders and have refused to relinquish any of these..."

Q: Silly question... do you have a nick name?
A:  "  Yes ... my family and friends call me  "Mickey"... (grin) and it isn't a silly question."

Q: How do you pronounce your last name?
A: As for my name pronunciation, in Finnish it is pronounced:  MA' ho nen.
Anglicized, it sounds Irish and is pronounced: Ma HO' nen

Q: We all love Gus Pike, what about you?
A:  Michael was quoted as saying," ...I love playing Gus and was looking forward to meeting up with him again..." and "...It was hugely rewarding to portray Gus Pike ..." , " Gus Pike has an innate intelligence, isn't highly educated, but is smart... is very genuine, very earnest and a little mysterious..."", " He's a symbol of truth and hope and honesty. There are certain decisions the character has made which may have affected others in ways not too pleasant; such as leaving Avonlea; but that was the truth for the character at the time". " I thought it best to only come back periodically which is the way the character was originally written " he says, " I think that's ideal because there is a mystery about Gus Pike that needs to be maintained for the integrity of the character." ( quote from 1994/1995 ...before Gus's so called "death" at sea).

Q: Gus chided Felix for  trying to smoke his pipe , with the comment : "...Miss King says; smoking at a tender age is a sign of vulgarity..." ...any comment?
A:  A young fan, at the Harvest  Festival asked about smoking, and the answer was  "... smoking is un-cool..." . NO ... Mickey does not smoke. If when he is out with friends, there is an ash tray on the table and no one smokes, he will take the ash tray and put it on another table. He has smoked for certain roles, but does not smoke when not working.

Q: There  has been much speculation as to why you were not in the movie "Happy Christmas, Miss King". Many of us felt  the void left by the absence of Gus Pike, and were truly disappointed.
A:  Michael posted a long and detailed explanation for not being in HCMK  Click here to read it.

Q: What made you turn to acting as a profession?
A:  "It was television mainly. I watched television, and many times thought "That isn't very good." or I thought, " I could do better than that." Actually, I think a lot of people think that a lot of time. And, frankly, they're probably right." ( Not long after having these thoughts, Michael enrolled in the theatre program at Toronto's George Brown College.)

Q: In an interview dated May 14, 1994, by Eric Kohanik, it states  the fans reaction to your portrayal of Gus Pike was overwhelming., any comment?
A:  "Unbeknownst to me at the time I began the role, Gus Pike has become somewhat of a heart-throb," Mahonen laughs," But that's all right. It's fun. I love that character and the show. And the reaction is very flattering." ( According to Mahonen, Road to Avonlea has offered him the type of quality work that he has always been keen in pursuing.)

Q: What about work opportunities in L.A.?
A:  "The profession of an actor is very difficult because your career will always have ups and downs... There is no star system in Canada. There are celebrities but no publicity machine to support them. American culture is globally the most well known culture there is, because of the movie industry and the money that's put into it ....Because the market is very big in L.A., it demands patience. "concedes Mahonen. "They have a star system, so significant roles  in major projects are almost always offered to those people. So, they're gone  most of the time ( before anyone can audition for the roles...) .It gets frustrating sometimes., but, every actor has to be patient at times." and "...My career is sort of sitting on a plateau right now, because of my decision to come to the States..." (a quote from a  1995 interview). It has been reported, that as of August, 1999 ... Michael has returned to Toronto to live and work.

Q: Do you have a kind of philosophy that you try to live by?
A:  " I try to maintain hope. I've been described by people in my life as being a little obsessive and/or intense. That's fine by me. But sometimes happiness falls by the wayside due to that blinder vision. I can, at times, get lost in that obsessiveness towards my work. If  I could, I would work all of the time, but that's not the reality of an actor, no matter what level you're at. I just want to be happy and content in my life and career; and, be able to enjoy both of them..."

Q: You have the ability to work on stage as well as films and television. What do you look for in a role?
A:  "What I'm looking for is the truth in a character, a scene, a situation, and the story ", he reflects. "The deciding factor  is always the material." and "There are many ways to go about acting but it's important to me to try to find out who my character is in each piece I do; rather than continue to play extensions of myself..."

Q: How do you  approach a new character?
A:  "You always learn  things  along the way ," explains Mahonen. " Because each character is so different and so specific, it feels like I'm starting over every time."  and " It's always frightening at first. You want to get there, and you want to find that new thing that makes each character tick."

Q: How would you describe your career as an actor?
A:  "My career has almost been split between theatre and film and television.."  Unlike some actors  who tend to specialize in only one medium , Mahonen says he shifts easily from film and television to the stage. In fact, he see very little difference from one genre to the next.

Q: Was there one time when work was an especially challenging time?
A:  The filming of "Conspiracy of Silence" and "Road to Avonlea" simultaneously. A reviewer notes the following. "For four hours, Michael Mahonen is Lee Colgen, from the frightened teenage burgeoning alcoholic of 1971 to the full time drunk of the 1980's; a man who can not forget, for a single moment, the horror of the night a life was snuffed out. It's a classic performance; a portrayal of a high schooler you instantly loathe and an angry, on the defensive,  divorced father who seeks, but wins no pity. Remarkable enough, but more so when he ( MM ) reveals that  there were mornings when he played the troubled teenager, afternoons when  he played the  dissolute father, and on the following morning on the RTA set , where he was playing  the lovable teenager, Gus Pike".

Q: Lee Colgan was a very complex character, and the movie spanned sixteen years. How did you prepare for the role?
A:  " I relied on the script and the research I had read on the case, which helped to "flesh out" the role. Emotionally, it's been really demanding. I considered phoning Colgan for about four seconds, but then thought the role would become what he wanted portrayed, so I didn't."

Q: In the movie "The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios" , you played Paul, a 19 year old who died from receiving a tainted blood transfusion. How was this a challenge?
A:  " I had to imagine as vividly as I could what it was like to have a terminal disease... to go through the different phases, emotionally, physically, technically. I had to get the weakness in the voice. ", he says. "But ,also, I took time to be aware of this being over and done," Mahonen says, then adds " It was very emotional, but I came away with a positive attitude, an appreciation for life. It was like a great journey done. Everything in life was fresh."

Q: I've heard that you are your own harshest critic; but that you take pride in this film... care to comment?
A;  "I had wanted to work with Michael Riley ( The "Narrator" of the film), for many years. It was a very special experience, very emotional, due to the nature of the subject. Several times we had the grips on the crew actually weeping away. It was quite an intellectual piece, and while it demands more attention from the audience than television usually does, the emotional impact is still there."

Q: Gus Pike is a "lovable boy", Lee Colgen a  drunk, can you talk about Kevin  in the play "Sled"? A malevolent character that kills three people in the play.( The role takes a heavy toll on him--- and on the play's audience.)
A:  "People who meet me after the show say ... I scare them" .When performances finish, " I find it difficult to consider the idea of going home and sitting alone". " During intermission, often the rest of the cast will be congregating in the common room upstairs and I'll just need to be by myself, thinking  of where I'm going next. I have fun, too: we crack up and have a great time. Sometimes that's necessary for sanity."  "Every single scene in this play is tantamount to what usually would be  the singular climatic scene in a character's journey. Basically, every scene I have every night for three hours is at that high level. Being intense while acting any role--espescially this one--is the only way I know how to work...".

Q: You play "good" characters, such as Gus and Paul, can you comment on the "bad" characters you also play?
A:  " I don't judge the characters that I play, no matter how "bad" they may seem from the outside. My job is to attempt to understand them from a point of innocence and build from there..." Although he also appears in comedies, Mahonen says : " I seem to be cast as angry  or brooding guys, roles that have huge emotional demands --like "Facts Behind Helsinki Roccamatios" in which the guy was dying of AIDS; I think I have a faculty to go to certain emotional levels..."

Q: Comedies? "Salt-Water Moon" by David French, a play set in the 1920's, tells the bitter-sweet love story  of a traveling salesman  and the former sweetheart he tries to win back  during an encounter on a moon filled night in Newfoundland ...care to comment?
A:  "I love the passion, the love, the humor of this play. They're very colorful characters, unique people.
And I love David French's work, I love his writing, it's very romantic." His co-star, Megan Leitch says;  " It is a very human story; it's about two people who know each other very well, and that's a challenge because it is so human and so true to life...". Mahonen: "...These characters are so colorful, and the way they go about things is quite funny..."

Q: What was the most "innocent" character you ever played?
A:  " It was some sort of  "Charlie Brown" show, in grade three or four," he says," I was given the part of Charlie, and I remember having to be forced to learn my lines at the last minute; and was quite bored with the actual work aspect. I liked just hanging out with the other kids when we rehearsed. The  poor teacher was so frustrated with me and my lines and was quite nervous about the whole thing, from what I remember."

Q: What training did you have to become an actor? Aside from playing Charlie?
A:  " An acting class across town, while in the seventh grade. Later, after some "soul searching" auditioned for and was accepted at the Theatre Arts program at George Brown College, in Toronto.    Peter Wylde, head of acting at the school, had a profound influence on Michael  as an actor and a person. Wylde directed a production of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" with Michael in the lead role.  [ Personal observation from Kitty. Having seen the Voyager episode, where MM plays  the "Vori" speaking "Brone", it is obvious that Michael's Shakespearean training paid off. Brone's tongue-twisiting dialogue, flowed smoothly and naturally from his lips.]

Q: Now that you had training, what did you do?
A:  Auditions were held for The Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, and Michael secured one of only 15 positions in this prestigious company. His first job was in the production of "The Miracle Workers", playing James Keller; following with the roles of Lucius and Popilious Lena in "Julius Caesar". Then "Biloxi Blues" at Stage West in Calgary, "D Street and Broadway" at Toronto's Factory theater, and "Bordertown Cafe" at Theater New Brunswick. In 1994, he played Jacob Mercer in "Salt Water Moon". 1997 brought Michael to Toronto's Tarragon Theater,  for  Judith Thompson's play "Sled", where he played "Kevin".

Q: Acting does not seem physically rigorous, how do you stay in good physical condition?
A:  " Basketball has been a life time love; also, hiking in the mountains, working out at the gym and rollerblading..."

Q: On a less serious note... Can you play any instruments?
A:  Piano lessons as a child. Some lessons to play the fiddle as Gus Pike. ( At one point the sound engineers on RTA were surprised to hear the song Gus was supposed to be playing coming from Michael and  the fiddle he was "playing"... he had learned to play the simple melody). For "Giant Steps"  Michael was coached by Terence Blanchard, whom he met at a  Jazz  club in Toronto. He advised Michael to "...work your fingers until they feel like they are going to fall off..." which he did; and then Michael went on to learn the actual fingerings to eight song excerpts used in the film.

Q: Do you speak any language other than English?
A:  (Side note from Kitty) It is required that all signs and printed material of any kind ; are in both French and English. It is ,also, required that all Canadians learn French in school. Whether or not Michael retained or still uses the French he was taught in school is unknown. There have been questions about the Finnish language, as well. ( MM is 1/4 Irish. 3/4 Finnish... but ALL Canadian)
A: Mickey is capable of speaking some  "basic, rudimentary French and an occasional word in Finnish " :) , but can speak English with an interesting variety of accents.