News
Get to know: Henry Beasley
Taken from TVNZ, Shortland Street.
Henry Beasley joins Shortland Street as the new teen in town, Tom Stanton. He talks to us about being the new kid on the block.
How did you get your role on Shortland Street?
I got an audition in August through my acting agency. (Auckland Actors)
How long have you been acting and how did you get your first big break?
Shortland Street is my first big break into television. Very exciting. I have had some experience but none in TV.
Name three similarities between you and your onscreen character.
Both consider ourselves artistic. Both born and bred in New Zealand. Both laid back.
What has been your best experience on the show to date?
Got given a birthday cake when I was new to the show. No one knew who I was. The experience was both mysterious and chocolatey.
Which other character would you like to be and why?
Most likely Luke. He's a bit of a kook.
What are your hobbies / interests outside of Shortland Street?
Aside from drama, my passion is music. I love everything about it and have since I was in primary school. I love performing music, writing music and just listening to music. I play the electric / acoustic guitar, the bass, and the keyboard / piano. I've involved myself in heaps of different styles of music performance and composition from pop to heavy metal to rap to rock. I've been involved in choirs, rock bands and acoustic groups just through school and friendship circles.
I own a skateboard. And I skate... but not very well. Not competitive or serious about it. Just a good thing to pass the summer holidays!
What do you do in your down time during the day when you're not shooting?
Doing exams at the moment so a lot of my down time has been getting some of that done. It's super hard though when you have so many interesting people to talk to. Also, I do have a tendency to doze off in my room when I get the chance to.
What is your favourite destination in NZ and overseas?
Queenstown. Love Queenstown. It's beautiful and I love the snow. I've been to Australia, Fiji and Vanuatu but I really love the idea of going to the States. Out of all the places I've been though, I'd have to call Vanuatu my favourite.
How many brothers and sisters do you have, are they older or younger?
Two brothers. One older (21) and one younger (13).
What is your date of birth and what star sign are you?
2nd of September.
Do you have any pets?
I have a dog (a Welsh corgi, like the Queen) called Bodie and a cat called T.K.
Who is the actor or actress that you look up to or admire most?
I love John Malkovich. I think he's fantastic for reasons that I cannot describe or explain. I'm also a big leonardo DiCaprio fan. I'm always impressed by the way he can pull off the hardest roles so convincingly.
What is the thing you enjoy most about going to work everyday?
Seeing people who can work a job that they are so good at in a way that keeps everyone smiling. It's a real privilege to be in a workplace where everyone seems happy to be in the job that they are in.
What has been your favourite scene to film in your time at Shortland Street?
A fight scene I had with Ula today was pretty great. It's nice to get to squeeze some emotion out of a teenage boy that's a bit too cool to care.
Do you watch Shortland Street at home? If yes, is it strange seeing yourself on television or are you used to it?
I don't. But still, it's strange seeing myself act.
What is your favourite food?
Gotta love Mexican food. Tacos, tortillas, enchiladas, nachos, the lot!
What is your favourite programme and / or film of all time?
It's hard to pick a favourite, but I love films like Lords of Dogtown and Almost Famous. I love them for the characters and lifestyles of the era and for the music.
Are you from Auckland or did you move here to film Shortland Street? Where did you grow up?
Born in Auckland at North Shore hospital, lived in Mt Albert, then grew up on the North Shore. Been in Auckland all my life.
Which other actors / actresses do you like working with the most and why?
Frankie (Ula) and the teen cast are awesome to work with. There's always a lot of banter and laughter. It's very rare that it feels like work.
Have you made any good friends amongst the cast and crew?
Frankie and the teenage cast for the most part because I've worked so much with them. But the rest of the cast and crew are all so friendly they make it easy to get along with everyone, even if you're shy.
What's the best experience you've had with a fan / fans?
No fans yet. Haha.
Tell us about your first day on Shortland Street - what was it like?
It was so daunting and ridiculously exciting. Couldn't really believe I'd be doing it as a job. Everyone I encountered was helpful and welcoming so it made it less intimidating but still really intense.
The making of a Zombie Holocaust
Watch Auckland Actors' Guy Pigden talk about the making of his Escalator film I Survived a Zombie Holocaust on the NZ Herald website.
I Survived a Zombie Holocaust features Auckland Actors Andrew Laing, Simon Ward and Mike Edward.
Watch it here.
Second round for Nothing Trivial
Taken from TVNZ.
TVNZ and NZ On Air are delighted to announce that TV ONE's record breaking series, Nothing Trivial, will return for a second season.
The series started with a bang - it was the highest rating debut of a local drama for this millennium. 516,300 New Zealanders tuned in for the first episode and the show has since held a loyal following of fans. As well as this week being the most viewed programme on TVNZ OnDemand, Nothing Trivial has sustained its television ratings success.
The decision from NZ On Air to fund another season of the hit drama is welcomed by Jeff Latch, head of TV ONE and TV2: "Nothing Trivial has great writers, a fantastic cast and it allwos New Zealanders to see their stories on screen. This has been a winning combination with viewers returning week after week. New Zealanders can't get enough of Nothing Trivial."
NZ On Air Chief Executive, Jane Wrightson, said the funding agency was delighted to support a second series.
"TV ONE has provided a great home for local drama this year with the first series of Nothing Trivial launching well and more recently the local Sunday Theatre season being received so positively. We look forward to the second season of Nothing Trivial continuing this strong performance next year," she said.
Head of Commissioning, Andrew Shaw, is also pleased with the decision: "The talented team at South Pacific Pictures has successfully brought endearing home-grown characters to life. TVNZ is proud to be associated with Nothing Trivial."
Tilly Devine: Violent femme
Taken from NZ Herald, by Barney McDonald.
Of the few photos of Tilly Devine online, the most telling are three police photos from May 27, 1925. Standing 1.6m in a heavy satin bonnet, the notorious Sydney madam is dressed in a dowdy jacket and skirt, with fancy shoes on her feet. A plain scarf imprisons her neck and her countenance is joyless, almost expressionless.
What strikes you most is how unlike Kiwi actress Chelsie Preston Crayford she looks. With a face to wither any red-blooded male's libido, Devine doesn't live up to her promising surname or her risque reputation. Physically, she's about as non-descript as anyone from the early 20th century could be, though a few other pictures display a set of Shirley Temple curls and a more gregarious personality.
But the Australian TV phenomenon Underbelly has never been interested in depicting historical figures with accuracy anyway. Across several different stories, the show has played fast and loose with facts and figures, which is part of its charm. It certainly underscores its success. In the fifth instalment to hit our screens, following the recent New Zealand addition, Land of the Long Green Cloud about New Zealand's Mr Asia connections, Underbelly: Razor on TV3 turns its attention to a couple of female rabble-rousers from Sydney's nefarious past. Unsurprisingly, the makers don't let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.
Read the full article here.
Law changes 'could stifle talent'
Taken from Stuff, by Charley Mann.
Key players in the New Zealand film industry have raised concerns over new law changes, which they say could stifle local talent both in front and behind the camera.
On Friday the government announced that entertainment industry workers entering New Zealand to work for 14 days or less, would no longer have to be approved by a local film industry guild.
The move comes almost a year after the government secured the filming of Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit through an urgent amendment to employment law, which prevented independent contractors from claiming entitlements as employees, as well as an agreement to increase the tax concession for big screen productions.
The Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand (SDGNZ) said the new process "opens up opportunities for significant exploitation" and was potentially damaging to the local film industry.
The SDGNZ said guilds had previously monitored immigration requests to ensure that local jobs were considered for productions.
The new process, which would see guilds bypassed, had "taken away our ability to regulate our own industries".
"In an industry where most television commercials are shot within a 14-day timeframe, and productions of television episodes and one-off dramas could also potentially fall within this timeframe, the new law changes effectively mean an open door policy."
New Zealand Actors' Guild secretary Greg Ellis said the changes could see local talent overlooked. "New Zealand may become merely a filming location and the creativity and innovation currently present in our creative sector could be lost."
Get to know: Judy Rankin
Taken from TVNZ, Shortland Street.
Judy Rankin plays Mona "the moaner" McKay, Callum's no-nonsense mother.
How did you get your role on Shortland Street?
The wig did it! Actually, Mona is my fourth character on the show. The first being Susannah Beauchamp back in the 1990's.
How long have you been acting for?
All my life or ever since I could dress up in old curtains. I'm involved in community theatre... Howick Little Theatre for 30 years or so and professionally on and off since Theatre Corporate in the 80's.
Name three similarities between you and your onscreen character.
Only the wrinkles! I'm not a bit like Mona!
What has been your best experience/scene on the show to date?
The welcome back.
Which other character would you like to be and why?
Sorry - I'm sticking with Mona.
What are your hobbies / interests outside of Shortland Street?
Howick Little Theatre... I am deeply immersed in Shakespeare at the moment in preparation for directing As You Like It for HLT next year. Apart from that travel, Zumba and family.
What is your favourite destination in NZ and overseas?
Very fond of central Otago and also our wonderful native bush and overseas - Italy, Italia, Italy!!!
Do you have any pets?
One black cat rescued as a kitten from Cornwall Park who can still show his feral side (ouch!)
Who is the actor or actress that you admire the most?
Michael Hurst in New Zealand and amongst others Cate Blanchet and Diana Rigg.
What is the thing you enjoy most about going to work everyday?
While on Shortland Street... just going to work.
What has been your favourite scene to film in your time at Shortland Street?
There's a talkback radio scene with Vinnie (Pua Magasiva) which is coming up soon.
What is your favourite television programme and / or film of all time?
Good grief! Too many to mention.
What's the best experience you've had with a fan / fans?
Being asked, "excuse me... are you on Shortland Street?"
What's the strangest experience you've had with a fan / fans?
I'm not that famous, thank goodness.
Can you remember your first day on Shortland Street - what was it like?
It was way back when the studios were in Browns Bay. I was soooo excited.
Warrior Princess sells 'best friends'
Taken from NZ Herald, by Kirsty Wynn.
Eco-warrior Lucy Lawless' heart is as big as her art. The wrold-renowned Greenpeace supporter is putting up pieces from her collection of New Zealand art for a global auction to help build the Rainbow Warrior III.
"I think I have maxed out what I can expect from family so these two pieces are things I have bought myself," Lawless told the Herald on Sunday. "They are the first two things I bought with my first money from Xena: Warrior Princess."
The Michael Parakowhai prints are of the Lone Ranger and Tonto titled 'You're My Best Friend' have been greeting guests at the top of the stairs in the Mission Bay home Lawless shares with film-producer husband Rob Tapert.
Read the full article here.
NZ Herald interview: Jesse Peach
Taken from NZ Herald, by Michele Hewitson.
What to do about Jesse Peach? He is the TV3 reporter and theatre director always described in terms of his prettiness of face, his extreme youth and his preternatural ability to persuade seasoned actors to work with him.
He is also always described as a sweetheart, a poppet, a thoroughly decent and lovely young man. All of this could make you feel a bit sick.
I imagine it must sometimes make him feel a bit sick, so he might not mind me saying that, although he can be all of those sugary things, what I wanted to do about him was wring his neck.
I mean this absolutely affectionately, but I do mean it. He just about drove me mad during the interview and then he drove me even madder by ringing me that evening. He was terribly polite and anguished about calling me but he was in a panic over something he'd told me about his personal life and he wasn't going to ask me not to put it in but he was worried about worrying other people and so on.
Of course I didn't want him to worry, and it's his own business ... But - and this is why I wanted to strangle him - why did he tell me anything in the first place? He is a journalist, after all.
Read the full article here.
Oliver Driver takes on directing
Taken from Stuff, by Kate Mead.
Oliver Driver's lofty frame looms over actors in Shortland Street's nursing station. He sweeps his hands through his curly hair and walks through the scene in stompy boots. This isn't back in 1999 when he played a pot-smoking nurse. Driver has switched to the hot seat and has just started directing New Zealand's longest-running soap opera. In between takes he leaves his director's chair and saunters over to the actors. "Move the clipboard down... get quick into positions... that was great timing," he guides.
Culture is at Shortland Street's studio in West Auckland and Driver - better known as an actor and theatre director - has snaffled some time in between scenes to chat.
He has been learning the ropes from the soap's other directors. "This is like being paid to go to a film school where you're the only student in some ways," he says. It takes four weeks to make one week's worth of episodes, known as a "block", and Driver began observing directors Wayne Tourell and Jonathan Alver before calling his own shots.
When Culture arrives, he is directing alongside Geoff Cawthorn. After the next block, he will be going solo with a director in the wings "who's just there if I get into trouble". His television-directing debut screens on October 24, but his solo episodes will not hit screens until early next year.
Read the full article here.
Two Little Boys: Webisodes
Taken from Flicks, by Ed.
Get your sneak preview of the upcoming film Two Little Boys here. 16 webisodes being released from today follow the experiences of four of the SIT student interns on set.
Two Little Boys (coming to cinemas next year) is a Kiwi comedy from director Robert Sarkies (Scarfies, Out of the Blue), starring Brett McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) and Hamish Blake (Hamish and Andy) as two hapless friends getting up to mischief.
We'll be posting these webisodes weekly, each detailing aspects of being an intern on this feature film. Here's the first one, introducing Matt Inns, the director's assistant.
Watch it here.