I'd always enjoyed acting at high school, and I was all lined up

Matt Frewer, the actor known for wit and presence, once told of a turning point in his youth: “I’d always enjoyed acting at high school, and I was all lined up to do an honours degree course in biology at a Canadian university, and at the eleventh hour the drama teacher I had said, ‘You know, you’ll get a lot more girls if you go into acting,’ and that kinda sold it.” At first, these words appear as a jest, a playful recollection of youthful motives. Yet within them lies something deeper: the strange and often unpredictable ways in which destiny takes shape. For sometimes the grandest shifts in our lives are not born from solemn deliberation, but from a single remark, spoken lightly, yet carrying the power to redirect a soul.

The origin of this quote lies in Frewer’s crossroads between science and art. He stood prepared to pursue biology, a noble discipline, with its study of life and its mysteries. Yet he also carried within him a joy for acting, discovered in the freedom and creativity of high school plays. His path might have gone toward laboratories and microscopes, but at the urging of a teacher, even through a teasing suggestion, he turned instead toward the stage. What began as humor became a moment of revelation — the realization that one’s heart could find more vitality in performance than in study alone.

History shows us again and again how the destinies of men and women have turned on seemingly small moments. Consider Winston Churchill, who in youth struggled in school and was thought ill-suited for greatness. Yet one teacher, seeing his gift for words, urged him to pursue rhetoric and history, talents that would later steady a nation at war. Or think of Albert Einstein, dismissed as an ordinary child, until a compass placed in his hand awoke his mind to the mysteries of the universe. A chance gift, a casual word, a playful suggestion — these become sparks that ignite the fire of destiny.

Frewer’s story reminds us of the great truth that life is not always guided by reason alone, but also by chance, humor, and passion. The remark of his drama teacher may not have been a solemn prophecy, but it awakened a deeper truth: that his joy lay in the stage, in inhabiting characters, in making others feel and laugh and think. What was spoken in jest revealed something serious — that in acting he would not only find companionship, but a calling. And that calling, once embraced, shaped the rest of his life.

The lesson here is not that we should choose our paths by trivial motives, but that we must remain open to the unexpected guides life places in our way. Sometimes wisdom wears the mask of humor. Sometimes destiny is revealed in laughter. The crucial thing is not the form in which advice comes, but the willingness of the heart to listen. A casual word from a teacher may contain the seed of transformation, if only we have the courage to let it take root.

What, then, shall we practice? Let us be attentive to the words spoken around us, even those said in jest, for within them may lie guidance we had not considered. Let us also remember the power of our own words — that even a joke, spoken lightly, can linger in another’s heart and steer them toward greatness or despair. As parents, as friends, as mentors, let us speak with care, for our voices may shape the unseen future of those who hear us.

Therefore, O seekers of wisdom, remember Matt Frewer’s tale: a youth torn between science and art, a playful remark from a teacher, and the birth of a calling. The world often disguises destiny in ordinary clothes. Do not despise the small moments, for they may carry the weight of eternity. And when you find joy, even if revealed by laughter, follow it with courage — for joy is the truest signpost of the path your soul was meant to walk.