ScreenTalk

Michael Galvin: Shortland Street’s Dr Love

Screen Talker — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:25:19 +0000

Actor Michael Galvin is Shortland Street’s longest-serving actor, having played Dr Chris Warner on the soap for most of its 20 years. During that time on the show, his character has survived four marriages, drug-dealing, an emergency tracheotomy, and earned the title ‘Dr Love’. Outside of Shortland Street, Galvin has written stage plays and appeared in TV series Cover Story and feature film The Climb.

In this ScreenTalk, Galvin talks about:

How a hangover may have helped get him the part on Shortland Street
His character Chris Warner being snobbish and a benevolent dictator
Keeping the show fresh by using a mix of storylines
Dismissing the idea of being a sex symbol
Being haunted by having to sing a rap song on the show
How Shortland Street has become an important part of our culture
Being freaked out on the set of TV drama Cover Story
Meeting his acting hero John Hurt on the set of movie The Climb
Being happy to remain on Shortland Street for as long as he can

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Angela Bloomfield: on being Rachel

Screen Talker — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:12:31 +0000

Angela Bloomfield made a splash on Shortland Street when she first joined the show as messed up teenager Rachel McKenna. Over her long stint on the 20-year-old series, her character has battled bulimia, survived a lightning strike and recovered from alcoholism. Once voted NZ’s sexiest TV star, she has acted in the films Bonjour Timothy and Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners, and appeared in the TV shows Ride with the Devil, and Dancing with the Stars. As well as acting, Bloomfield has directed episodes of Shortland Street, Jackson’s Wharf and Go Girls.

In this ScreenTalk, Bloomfield talks about:

Getting the bug for acting on the set of Bonjour Timothy
Learning to act differently for film in The Frighteners
Being terrified on her first day on the set of Shortland Street
Enjoying playing the role of Rachel McKenna on the show
Feeling flattered but surprised by being seen as a sex symbol
How directing episodes of the soap has influenced her acting
Treating her stint on Dancing with the Stars as another job
Really wanting to have a lead role in a feature film

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Steven Zanoski: from our favourite kids show to our favourite soap

Screen Talker — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:05:42 +0000

Shortland Street producer Steven Zanoski’s first job in television was as a writer/reporter on the kids programme What Now? He went on to become a storyliner for Shortland Street and eventually the programme’s producer. During his time as a writer on the show, he also penned the screenplay for the one-off TV drama House of Sticks. Zanoski has also had a hand in the development of Outrageous Fortune and executive produced Mataku and Mercy Peak. In this ScreenTalk, Zanoski talks about:

Getting a job on the kids show What Now? at the age of 19
The genesis for writing the screenplay of the hour-long TV drama House of Sticks
How he learnt to write storylines for Shortland Street
The process of creating story arcs for the soap
Having over-all control of the show in his role as producer
Keeping the 20-year-old show fresh by bringing in new creative challenges
His favourite storyline when the clinic was blown up
How great storytelling will see Shortland Street into the future

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Paul Ellis: Shortie St’s bad boy grows up…

Screen Talker — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:40:26 +0000

Actor Paul Ellis is best known for playing bad boy Fergus Kearney on Shortland Street. Since leaving the show, he has appeared in a number of New Zealand, US and UK television productions including The Chosen, Celebrity Treasure Island, Legend of the Seeker, Dream Team and Ice. He has also appeared in 2008 movie The Delphi Effect and online soap Auckland Daze.

In this ScreenTalk, Ellis talks about:

Auditioning for a part on Shortland Street at the tender age of 18
Viewing his character Fergus as a bad boy with a good heart
Loving working with Claire Chitham on the show
How a part on the UK show Dream Team challenged him as an actor
Feeling nervous and a little out of place on Celebrity Treasure Island
Being in the film The Delphi Effect (aka Kiss Me Deadly)
Enjoying the large scale of production on Legend of the Seeker
Having to shave his head for the role of a monk on the show
Finding it weird playing ‘himself’ on Auckland Daze

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Jeffrey Thomas: Close to Home, Shortland St and everything inbetween…

Screen Talker — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:29:59 +0000

Actor Jeffrey Thomas has had a long and varied career in both TV and theatre. His best-known television role was as Inspector Brian Finn in the police series Shark in the Park. Thomas has also appeared in Mercy Peak, Shortland Street, Spartacus and Outrageous Fortune. He has just completed a small film role in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

In this ScreenTalk, Thomas talks about:

How Close to Home was the perfect place to hone his acting skills
Having lots of fun and laughter on the set of Gliding On
How being seen as a ‘leader’ got him the main role in Shark in the Park
How spending time with the police gave him the cues he needed for the role
Being mistaken for a real cop by a robbery victim
Loving the spectacle on the set of Hercules
Playing a dying man on Shortland Street
Enjoying working with John Hannah in Spartacus
The reason he can’t tell anyone about his experience on The Hobbit
Being surprised and humbled by his long career

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Blair Strang: a career resurrected

Screen Talker — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:20:31 +0000

Actor Blair Strang shot to fame in New Zealand playing the likeable ambulance driver Rangi in Shortland Street. After six years, he quit the show and returned to law school. Since then, his acting career has been resurrected playing a range of characters in shows such as Go Girls, Spin Doctors, Doves of War, and Orange Roughies. He now plays the un-PC Brian on the hit show Nothing Trivial.

In this ScreenTalk, Strang talks about:

Getting a role on The Billy T James Show through his friend Ilona Rodgers
Noticing the shyness of the show’s star when not performing
Being told off by his mother after getting a role on Shortland Street
How the role of Rangi on the soap changed over time
Why changes to the show led him to quit after six years
Feeling he’d done a really bad acting job on Spin Doctors
Why having a hangover helped him get a role on Doves of War
Playing with guns and getting soaked in a boat in Orange Roughies
How playing Brian on Nothing Trivial has been his favourite role to date

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Rima Te Wiata: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Screen Talker — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:47:27 +0000

Rima Te Wiata created a name for herself impersonating many famous New Zealanders in the comedy shows Laughinz, Issues, and More Issues. Her most famous parody was of newsreader Judy Bailey. Te Wiata is also a successful dramatic actor, having appeared in a number of TV dramas such as Shark in the Park, Sons and Daughters, and Shortland Street. Her film credits include 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous and Via Satellite.

In this ScreenTalk, Te Wiata talks about:

Learning from the legendary Pat McDonald on the Aussie soap Sons and Daughters
The joy of acting with other actor friends on Shark in the Park
Having huge fun performing on the comedy shows Issues and More Issues
How newsreader Judy Bailey asked her not to continue parodying her
Heading to Australia to star in the sketch show Full Frontal
Being conned by fellow star Eric Bana
Having to learn to drive in order to host the doco Motormania
Playing a ‘mean cow’ in the film Via Satellite

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Ken Blackburn: always the bad guy

Screen Talker — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:00:15 +0000

Ken Blackburn is a British born actor and writer who emigrated to New Zealand as a child. In his long career, Blackburn has appeared in theatre and screen productions in New Zealand, Australia and Britain. He is best known in this country for his portrayal of The Boss in the popular sitcom Gliding On. His other TV credits include Close to Home, Hunter’s Gold, Moynihan and Shortland Street. His film credits include Skin Deep and Rest for the Wicked.

In this ScreenTalk, Blackburn talks about:

Enjoying playing a devious lawyer on the soap Close to Home
Working on location in Central Otago for the series Hunter’s Gold
Wishing he’d bought the horse he worked with on the show
Playing the quintessential bureaucratic boss in Gliding On
How the actors were given freedom to add to the scripts
Having a hair dying mishap on the set of Sea Urchins
The joy of working with the three young Māori actors on the show
Feeling that the writers made his character too abrasive in Shortland Street
Narrowly escaping death jumping from a helicopter in The Grasscutter
Why working on Rest for the Wicked was like a reunion with mates

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Nancy Brunning: Nurse Jaki Manu to Strength of Water

Screen Talker — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:23:11 +0000

Nancy Brunning’s television debut was in the first episode of Shortland Street as series regular Nurse Jaki Manu. She turned in a memorable performance as gang girl Tania in What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, and played a fun loving lesbian in When Love Comes. Brunning has appeared in a number of TV projects including Mataku and Fish Skin Suit. As well as acting, she also directed the WWII-era short Journey to Ihipa.

In this ScreenTalk, Brunning talks about:

How it took six months to get used to working on the set of Shortland Street
Feeling the pressure of playing the only Māori female character on primetime TV
Having to tell her father she was playing a lesbian in When Love Comes
Writing a diary to develop her tough role in What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?
Learning to stand up to director Ian Mune on set
Finding it hard to work out the character of Joy in The Strength of Water
Why a particular scene in the movie proved to be the hardest to shoot

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

Donogh Rees: from Constance to Marilyn Waring and Nurse Judy

Screen Talker — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:09:38 +0000

Donogh Rees is an accomplished actress in theatre and on screen. Her feature film debut was playing the lead role in Constance. She won a Film and TV award for her portrayal of a woman with a head injury in the film Crush, and in 2012 will be seen playing Lady Capulet in an unorthodox film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Her most well known television role was playing Nurse Judy Brownlee in Shortland Street, but she has been in a number of TV shows such as Marlin Bay, Xena and the mini-series Fallout.

In this ScreenTalk, Rees talks about:

Learning on the set of Constance that every experience teaches something
Discovering the nuances of emotional expression on the set of Iris
Observing on-set tensions during filming of Crush
Being asked if she’d done any porn while researching her role in the film
Working hard to find the essence of her role as Marilyn Waring in Fallout
Hanging upside down to play a volcano goddess in Xena
Bringing out the ‘everyday’ racism of Judy Brownlee in Shortland Street
Lip synching the role of Lady Capulet in a film re-working of Romeo and Juliet

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.