The Day John Candy Bumped Into His Future

John Candy didn’t walk into fame, he tripped into it.

Literally.

One day in the early '70s, a young, awkward John Candy nearly knocked over a woman while waiting in line at Eaton’s cafeteria. Embarrassed but polite, he struck up a conversation. Turns out, that woman was talent agent Catherine McCartney and her office? Right across the street from Fran’s Restaurant, one of Candy’s regular lunch spots.

Little did either of them know how that serendipitous moment would become the origin of a super successful comedic acting career…

They crossed paths again shortly after. This time, she invited him up to her office. That’s where John, shyly and almost apologetically, admitted he’d been taking acting classes, hoping, maybe, possibly, one day, he could be a professional. Catherine saw something in him instantly: a baby-faced, quick-witted guy with a soft soul and rare warmth. When a casting call came through for a high school football player in a Colgate toothpaste commercial, she sent him in. He nailed it.

His one line? “Oh sure, Casanova!”

It took 100 takes, but John was hooked. Not on the fame, not on the camera. On the feeling, being on set, cracking jokes with the crew, making something out of nothing. That commercial gave him the confidence to ask for more gigs. He got one for Molson Golden Ale, which aired during Hockey Night in Canada. His old high school friends saw it. He was over the moon.

At this point, John was still juggling acting gigs with a day job selling paper products out of a beat-up brown Pontiac. He wasn’t great at it, constantly rehearsing when he was supposed to be making sales calls. Eventually, his boss fired him, saying: “I never should’ve hired an actor.” John took that as a sign.

Around the same time, he ran into a young actor named Valri Bromfield at Eaton’s. She was funny. He was funny. Sparks flew, not romantic ones, but creative ones. Valri convinced John to quit his job and join her in children's theatre, driving around in a packed car, performing in hospitals, parks, and schools for basically no money. “It’ll be fun,” she said.

And it was.

Soon, she introduced him to her friend Dan Aykroyd. That’s when things really started to click. Through a spiderweb of friends, performances, and late-night hangs, Candy became part of a new creative tribe: Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, and more. They crashed at each other’s apartments, riffed on old comedy records, and played improv games that accidentally sharpened their skills. No one planned to become famous, they were just trying to make each other laugh.

And yet, almost every one of them did.

John would go on to star in some incredibly popular films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Spaceballs (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Cool Runnings (1993), and several others.

All sparked from a chance encounter at a local mall.

John Candy wasn’t born into stardom. He stumbled into it, one awkward bump, one bold yes, one laugh at a time.

And hey, if you’re a John Candy fan, make sure you check out the new documentary about his life (I Like Me) showing now on Amazon Prime (be ready, it’s a bit of a tear jerker).

3 Lessons for Solopreneurs:

1. Your next big opportunity might be standing behind you in line. Be present. Be open. Don’t underestimate a random conversation, luck favors those who show up.

2. Follow the energy, not the paycheck. John quit a paying job to make zero dollars in children’s theatre because it felt right. The relationships and momentum that came from that decision changed his life.

3. You don’t need a master plan. Candy didn’t map out a career. He just kept saying yes to people and places that lit him up. You don’t need clarity — you need curiosity.

P.S. Some careers are built on strategy. Others are built on a series of beautiful accidents. Make space for both

Tips and Strategies for Solopreneurs

5 Signs You’re Ready to Quit Your 9-5 and Start Coaching

Find me on X, LinkedIn, Threads, or Book a 1:1 Call

Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you: