What are New Zealand’s acting talents working on now?
Jay Ryan, Morgana O’Reilly, Grace Palmer and comedian Urzila Carlson are all making a splash, shooting on sets around the globe.
In New York, Carlson, 48, is filming big US Netflix
Urzila Carlson’s new Netflix show plus other high-flying Kiwi stars filming - Spy
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What do we know about Urzila Carlson's new gig?
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The production sees Carlson – famous for her appearances on New Zealand and Australian TV comedy shows as well as her stand-up career – in good company, mixing with co-stars who also pride themselves on their own stand-up comedy work.
She’s enjoying a streak of international success. Earlier this year Carlson made her UK TV debut, appearing on QI with Alan Davies, and last year Carlson starred in feature animation Ozi: Voice of the Forest, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. She lent her voice to the character Honkus in the film, alongside a star-studded cast, including Donald Sutherland, Laura Dern, RuPaul and Amandla Stenberg.
In the last 12 months, Carlson has sold out two tours of the United Kingdom and a European tour. She also managed to squeeze in a season at the prestigious invitation-only Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
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Because of her commitment to filming Kinda Pregnant, Carlson had to miss this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, of which she is a three-time winner of the People’s Choice Award for most tickets sold at the festival.
At the end of this month, Carlson will tour North America and we are told she will be back to film 7 Days in New Zealand in early June.
Creamerie star Jay Ryan, 42, is currently filming new Netflix comedy North of North in snowy Nunavut, Canada.
The It Chapter 2 star revealed he was being patriotic while keeping warm, posting an Instagram shout out to Kiwi outdoor clothing company Earth Sea Sky.
North of North revolves around a young Inuit woman in a tiny Arctic village striving to forge her own path, defying societal expectations and gossip in her tight-knit community.
True Detective: Night Country’s Anna Lambe heads the cast, alongside Ryan and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24 and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).
Grace Palmer, 29, has also been filming in North America with her second season of hit Fox comedy series Animal Control alongside Joel McHale. Season two of the series started screening last month, and a third season was announced in February.
The Los Angeles-based actor films the comedy, which is set in Seattle, about a bunch of animal controllers in Vancouver, and like Ryan, has had to brace for the freezing temperatures.
She has recently returned to visit New Zealand, with Palmer taking in a South Island road trip.
Meanwhile, another Kiwi star, Morgana O’Reilly, 38, has been enjoying the tropical climate of Thailand, filming the heavily anticipated third season of The White Lotus alongside US stars Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs.
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O’Reilly’s young family has been visiting her in the tropical paradise, and she also caught up with fellow Kiwi actors Ava Diakhaby and Fern Sutherland on a boat trip.
Next week O’Reilly has a hiatus from filming and will be back in Auckland with her co-stars of new psychological drama Friends Like Her, for a special screening on Tuesday at Event Cinemas Newmarket. The series, about a surrogacy deal gone wrong, drops on ThreeNow on Monday, April 15.
