Ged Cann met with Once Were Warriors' star Temuera Morrison and new kid on the block Akuhata Keefe to discuss the upcoming release of their new film Mahana.
Morrison plays Tamihana Mahana, grandfather of Keefe's character, Simeon. The movie follows a 1960s Maori sheep-shearing family and their long-standing enmity with rival shearing family the Poatas.
Simeon (Keefe) unravels the truth behind the long-standing family vendetta and, at 14, emerges as a future leader in conflict with his authoritarian grandfather.
The film marks the return of director Lee Tamahori to the New Zealand film scene after 20 years working abroad on films like Die Another Day, Next and Once Were Warriors.
Temuera:
"Jake the Muss" and your new character are both powerful individuals in different ways.
I don't really like mentioning that other person. Jake the Muss is based on Once Were Warriors, which was written by a man called Alan Duff from Rotorua, now this is a totally different writer. This is the book Bulibasha, came out in 1993 by Whiti Ihimaera, his pen is from the East Coast. Sometimes they tend to put all us natives in the same waka. But it's quite a different area. This is a totally different kettle of fish.
How do you think the film played out?
We all just shared a lot. The minor characters worked hard. It was a fantastic ensemble. You watch this movie and I can't see any gaps. The kids are all absolutely natural. You really go back in time. I'm looking forward to the screening in Hamilton because my family's coming up from the farm so it's a movie they can finally relate to as opposed to some of my other ones.
This was filmed on much smaller budget and in only 35 days.
Yep, we don't muck around here. You couldn't have your meaningful pauses or milk the camera as us actors like to do. The waka had to move pretty fast on this shoot schedule. But that's where that clever director is.
Favourite scene?
I think Nancy Brunning's performance at the end is quite powerful. She kind of gets given the film in the way, she has to hold it together because my performance at the end turns a bit stiff. [laughs]
How does this vary from a Hollywood blockbuster?
It's not a formula, you don't expect what you expect. Nothing is guaranteed. The landscape also becomes quite a character. It's shot in a very classic style. You think you're watching a John Ford movie from way back.
There is a scene when you race the other family to a funeral. What was it like racing old rust buckets?
We had to get those cars going, and they kept overheating. The stunt drivers were useless because they couldn't get the gear changes right. It was quite a spectacular thing where you turn exposition into action.
Akuhata:
How did you end up auditioning?
I was on holiday in Auckland and someone phoned me to say there was a film coming in they wanted me to audition for. Three hours later I was in the audition room in front of a camera. I walked out thinking ah well, done. But three days later I got a phone call saying Lee wanted to see me in another audition. I didn't want to tell anyone just in case, but four weeks later I got the part.
The director said he was looking for a small wiry character, totally different from yourself. Then you changed his opinion of who the character was meant to be. You must be pretty proud of that.
When Lee said I changed his mind and that made me feel I could keep who I am. He does have a lot in common with me but not everything we do is the same. He's courageous. At the end of the film I have to stand up to everyone and tell some truths about the family.
You have a love interest too. What was that like as a 14-year-old?
It was pretty weird having a kiss on your first movie, but it was good. When the camera's right there in your face and there's a big crowd behind and in front of the camera and heaps of action going on too, there was nothing between me and her, it was between me and her and the camera.
A pretty gruelling schedule?
It was a 4am start to get to the location, work at about 6am, get some toast or hot chocolate, get into makeup, an hour to get extensions for the hair. I tried to do school work but it wasn't working out so I left it until I went back to school which was harder because my mum's the teacher. When I finish school I'm just going to concentrate on acting.
- Mahana opened in cinemas yesterday.