Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Rhys Darby in Flight of The Conchords.
Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Rhys Darby in Flight of The Conchords.
If you’ve ever wondered how Flight of the Conchords came up with the names for their iconic characters, wonder no more.
Jemaine Clement - who co-created the hit 2007 HBO show with James Bobin and Bret McKenzie - took to X this week to answer a very important fan question about Rhys Darby’s character, Murray Hewitt.
Responding to a query about the character’s origins and whether the name was inspired by Murray Wilson - the American songwriter and father of the Beach Boys’ Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson - Clement revealed the inspiration was a lot more Kiwi.
“We came up with the name Murray Hewitt by combining the names of two famous NZ rugby players,” the star said. He revealed the two players are Murray Mexted and Norm Hewitt, adding, “Thereby creating the most New Zealand name possible.”
We came up with the name Murray Hewitt by combining the names of two famous NZ rugby players: Murray Mexted and Norm Hewitt. Thereby creating the most New Zealand name possible. https://t.co/k58XmpJcbipic.twitter.com/c4aMntM6NQ
Mexted, 70, is a former rugby union player who, between 1979 and 1985, played 34 consecutive tests for the All Blacks and is known to be a great defender, having worn the number eight jersey.
While Mexted retired from the game many years ago, he has retained his high-profile status by serving as managing director at the International Rugby Academy.
As for Hewitt, 55, he played for the All Blacks between 1993 and 1998 and served as a hooker in the Hurricanes for 296 representative matches.
The former sporting star has maintained a low profile in recent years; however, in the years following his rugby stint, he became an advocate for changing Kiwi drinking habits after his own drunken incident in 1998 and also starred in the 2005 season of Dancing with the Stars.
Clement often shares revelations from his time creating Flight of The Conchords. In 2021, he spoke to Entertainment Weekly, where he revealed the show’s Hollywood success needed to happen before they could go on to make other local comedy shows like Wellington Paranormal.
“When we were making Conchords, they weren’t making very many New Zealand comedy shows then. They’d sort of given up on it. We had a much easier time in America than in New Zealand. After doing Conchords and because the Shadows movie did well, we got to make [Wellington Paranormal].”
“I always thought we’d be doing things here,” he says, speaking about how he envisioned staying in New Zealand early on in his career.
“And now I’m doing that, but I had to go to Hollywood first because it’s harder to do here, in a way.”
New Zealanders Jemaine Clement (left) and Bret McKenzie while filming the hit show.
It comes after Darby teased a Flight of the Conchords reunion, with the star and McKenzie could be in the works.
Speaking to Deadline in January while attending the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the star said,
“We’re always discussing the sort of things we’d like to do in the future and looking back at the classic things we’ve done.
“There will come a time when the world really, really needs [the reunion] and we will suddenly appear.”
The hit Kiwi show ran for two seasons and ended in 2009, however it returned in 2018 with a one-hour special.
Lillie Rohan is a London-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things TV, film and music.
