Former Shortland Street star Claire Chitham reflects on career and life lessons

On her second time in Shortland Street, the star says she felt like she belonged. Photo / Emily Chalk

I’ve been on film sets since I was 12, and I was often told I was mature for my age. I was always really quiet on set. Listening and observing, all wide-eyed because I was acting with titans like Temuera Morrison and Ilona Rodgers. But I never felt properly part of that world until I returned to Shortland Street the second time.

I was halfway through fifth form when I landed the role of Waverley. She was only meant to be on the show for five weeks, then that became three months, then nine. When my contract ended, I finished school, then started a BA in Film and TV at the University of Auckland, but it wasn’t for me. I was just about to break up with uni and move to Sydney when Shorty asked me back. I was 18 that second time, my impostor syndrome was gone, and I felt like I belonged.

I spent eight years on the show during the golden era. Shorty found its place in Kiwi culture. It was funny, cheesy and dramatic, and people were addicted. There’s been a resurgence of late, now those early years are on YouTube, but it’s been weird to see my funny little 16-year-old face and hear my squeaky voice all these years later.

I’m so grateful social media wasn’t around back then, as we could be naughty and make mistakes in private. But these days, social media is a necessary evil, and it can feel like you don’t exist if you’re not doing it. But it has value. I like having a voice because creatives need an audience, whether to sell tickets or get eyeballs on a show, but it’s so powerful, which means it’s important to use it wisely, especially in the current climate.

Claire starred in Shorty for eight more years. Photo / Emily Chalk

When I started on Shorty, Waverley was perceived as annoying. She talked a million miles an hour, she gossiped and made accidents happen when she stuck her foot in her mouth. But it was her function to drive plots by telling everyone everything. She was also sweet and naive, so she got away with it. I’m very grateful she became more lovable and fun because, 25 years later, people still have fond memories of her and, by association, me. I’m at peace with my history with that character now.

Mum says I was dancing, singing and performing from the moment I popped out. Staring at the TV, after hearing a commercial just once, I could recite it back. I was also obsessed with after-school TV. Mum had no idea what to do with me, then she saw an ad for drama classes at The Dolphin Theatre in Onehunga. At the end of my first year there, I landed the lead in Pinocchio.

One of my drama teachers helped me get an agent when I was 12. My first audition was for a TV commercial, which I didn’t get. The second was for The New Zealand Adventures of Black Beauty, which I did get. Paul Gittens played my dad, and Ilona Rodgers was my mum. I loved everything about it and not just because I was allowed to drink as much Milo as I liked!

Claire moved to Melbourne after her divorce. Photo / Emily Chalk

I was a happy child growing up in the lush, green suburb of Hillsborough beside the Manukau Harbour. I had wonderful, loving parents. My dad was a salesman whose passion was building boats and sailing, so we spent lots of time on the water, and Mum paused her career as a nurse for her family. My brother Michael came along when I was 8. I was besotted with Michael, and I loved bossing him around and caring for him. That still forms the basis of our relationship, even though he’s 37 and the funniest person I know. A surprise half-brother turned up when I was 14 because Dad was married briefly when he was really young. Craig was 26 when he came into our lives, and he was quickly stitched into our family and remains so today.

I left New Zealand in 2009 after my divorce. It wasn’t just the pain of the end of my marriage I wanted to escape – I had always craved grand adventures, and I had never lived overseas. My friends had all done their OEs in their twenties while I’d been working full-time and managing a household, so when the house was sold, I fled to Melbourne, where my best friend lived. That was a safe space to reconfigure post-divorce.

I was just getting traction in Australia when I won the Green Card lottery. I loved Los Angeles, even though I lived hand to mouth. I had no savings, and I was a jobbing actor teaching Pilates, nannying, waiting tables and going to acting classes. This is back when Venice was affordable and the breezy California lifestyle was idyllic ... Going to the beach for sunset margaritas, riding my bike to cafes for kale smoothies. I’m grateful I had that Hollywood Venice experience when I did because it’s changed so much. I also had some wins in the acting game, and the losses taught me lessons, like how to be thick-skinned, even if I didn’t become the next Kate Winslet.

The star says friendships are her greatest romances. Photo / Emily Chalk

One of many lessons I have learned is, when life looks like it’s following one pathway, it can always surprise you. Knowing that has stood me in good stead. Like when I married Mikey [Havoc], I thought we’d have a family and be together forever, then the truth of that shifted. I also learned that I had to make things happen for myself and to be adaptable.

It takes a lot of energy to live in LA and, after getting close to making it a few times, I was exhausted by the hustle, so I came home for some family time when Dad became unwell. For two years, I had one foot in LA and one here, then my father’s illness evolved and I came home for good when Dad was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a type of dementia that affects speech. Navigating the ups and downs was very painful. Because dementia doesn’t just happen to the person diagnosed – it happens to all the people around them. It’s a death by a thousand cuts.

I lost my drive for acting for a while, so I started working behind the scenes. When Dad was sick, being on set was a great respite from the trauma at home, and I worked on big international shows. Not having to hustle for acting work also gave me the emotional bandwidth to be there for my family. Then acting returned organically when the time was right.

I haven’t made romance a priority since my divorce. I don’t want to waste my time or sacrifice my happiness for the sake of a relationship if it isn’t with the right person. Of course, that could all change, but I don’t walk around waiting for love. If anything, my friendships are my greatest romances. I’m so lucky to have friends for every situation. Whether I need to cry about career, health, family or I’m angry with world politics. My friends and their children fill my life.

Having had Crohn’s disease means I make health my priority today, and I’m still a passionate wellness advocate. The greatest lesson Crohn’s gave me was to listen when my body talks. If something is out of whack, whether it’s emotional, mental, or my skin’s breaking out, I tune in to my body and do something about it.

I love the people who work in film and television because they’re problem-solvers with Number 8 wire mentalities who adore what they do. That’s why I’m happiest on set working with creative people, which is why I’m focusing now on building projects from the ground up.

I spent a long time as an actor trying to prove I was more than Waverley. Outrageous Fortune did that, as did Fresh Eggs, which was a brilliant show. But even though I’ve done so many things since Shorty, if I died tomorrow, I still know what the headline will say!