International relations

South African Lesley-Ann Brandt plays a Polynesian princess. Photo / Supplied

Viewers of TV One's new comedy series Diplomatic Immunity will probably assume that the actress playing the feisty Fe'ausian princess Leilani is a genuine Polynesian.

They'd be wrong. Although she looks every inch the part, dark-haired beauty Lesley-Ann Brandt, who spends most of the first episode clad in a bikini, is in fact South African, brought up in the racial melting pot of Cape Town.

"My family is from everywhere," Brandt laughs. "German, British, Spanish, some sort of Polynesian down the line I think, and Indian. But I'm a New Zealander now."

Brandt moved to Auckland after finishing high school and she views her indeterminate looks as a definite asset as an actor. "My partner says I'm a Cliff Curtis type," she laughs. "I can play anything - Polynesian, Thai, Latino."

But there's more to Brandt than her beauty. Diplomatic Immunity, debuting on TV One after Dancing With The Stars, is not only her first major television role, it also sees her thrown into the deep end of comedy among some of New Zealand's most experienced actors.

Just a few months ago she was working for a recruitment company and doing some modelling and acting workshops on the side. Now she plays the daughter of the fictional country's ambassador, torn between her love for New Zealand government representative Leighton (Craig Parker) and her battle for democracy for the people of Fe'ausi.

Brandt has to carry a lot of weight on her slim shoulders - and be funny with it.

"When I got the part it was so exciting. I had to resign from my job. It was a passion of mine that I wanted to act - my parents would probably say I've been performing since a young age - but I was maybe a bit afraid of the uncertainty of the life. And I didn't realise how pivotal Leilani's role is in the show."

She admits her early days on the set in a converted Auckland villa, working with veterans such as Parker, John Leigh and Dave Fane, were a steep learning curve.

"Comedy is quite hard, although I've always been a bit of a goof, to be honest. I learned such a lot from Craig. He is such a generous person. Whenever he saw me struggling he would never make me feel inadequate in any way. And Dave was just completely crazy, it was hard to keep a straight face. His mind works at a million miles an hour." Brandt is clearly an intelligent young woman - though how young is a mystery as she refuses to divulge her age. So, how did she feel about working every day in a bikini?

"Leilani's number one goal is to free her people. If wearing a bikini on the side of the road is what it takes, she doesn't care. She has that sort of naivete."

So that's Leilani. But what about Lesley-Ann? "In the early days, sure, walking on set one day I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. You're in a bikini, most of the crew are male. But that is the job, that's the character and you have to put that stuff aside." She laughs, adding: "But that's not to say I didn't go to the gym and tone up."

Diplomatic Immunity is obviously a comedy but sensitive souls may think it as taking the proverbial out of Polynesian culture. Does Brandt worry about how it might be received?

"There's a Polynesian actor fronting the show. It highlights not just the Polynesian community, but New Zealand as well. I think they will be able to laugh at those things."

With her looks and talent, Brandt is going to attract attention, although she says the idea of fame has never appealed to her. As for the future, she's already had a couple of auditions, but nothing she wants to talk about. For now, she is thanking her lucky stars for her first break, and hoping to "keep the momentum going".

"I've fallen in love with acting. I'm committed to the craft now."

* Diplomatic Immunity debuts on TV One, Tuesday at 10pm.