Cree/Mé​tis actress and activist Tantoo Cardinal has entertained and educated Canadian audiences with her work for nearly 40 years. In this CBC interview from 1990, she shares how her life with her grandmother has inspired her craft, reflecting on her time growing up in Anzac, Alta. and learning from her grandmother's circle of friends.

"I felt like I had a window into the old, old world — from the way people think and act and relate to one another," she says. "So that whenever I act, my roots, my foundations, where I came from [all] feed me."

At this year's Canadian Screen Awards, Cardinal is being honoured with the Earle Grey Award, an award given to a Canadian television actor whose work has impacted the industry both at home and around the world — so CBC Arts found this archival footage in celebration. Her words still inspire us today.