Screentalk

Actor and director John Callen has a voice that is hard to forget. Callen has appeared in a number of TV shows and films including Close to Home, The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and, most recently, The Hobbit. His directing credits include Shortland Street, and the documentary series Epitaph and Taonga.

In this ScreenTalk, Callen talks about:

• Why The Hobbit has been his most extraordinary job
• Still enjoying a good fight despite being older than his contemporaries
• How costuming proved to be a big hassle on the set, and a light moment with co-star Billy Connolly
• How playing a murderer on Close to Home appealed to autograph hounds
• The excitement of directing actors on Shortland Street
• Enjoying directing 'real' stories for Epitaph
• Learning about Māori history on the series Taonga
• The challenge of re-writing scripts on war documentary The Kiwi Who Saved Britain

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

Award-winning actor Sarah Peirse is best known for her portrayals of two very different mothers — the ill-fated Honorah Rieper in Heavenly Creatures, and the disaffected sophisticate in Rain. Peirse’s first film was the 80s short Queen Street, followed by tele-feature A Woman of Good Character. More recently, she has appeared in tele-movies Bliss: The Beginning of Katherine Mansfield and Aftershock.

In this ScreenTalk, Peirse talks about:

• Having an intense acting journey in A Woman of Good Character
• Playing the gloriously named Vivienne Wallop in Sylvia
• Being heavily pregnant on the set of The Navigator
• Her experience of working with director Vincent Ward
• Being told not to watch Peter Jackson’s previous films prior to working with him on Heavenly Creatures
• Dreaming about the character she played in the film
• Finding the story in the feature film Rain compelling
• Perspectives on her character’s grief and self-destruction
• Playing a 'constrained and compromised' mother in Bliss: The Beginning of Katherine Mansfield
• Not knowing whether or not her work on the Hobbit films will make the final cut
• Feeling blessed to have been able to do roles integral to many films

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

Actor Dean O’Gorman won his first lead role in a feature film in Bonjour Timothy at the age of 17. Soon after he starred in Shortland Street, then went on to appear in a long list of international and local TV dramas including Young Hercules, McLeod’s Daughters and The Almighty Johnsons. O’Gorman’s next big screen appearance will be in The Hobbit. In this ScreenTalk, O’Gorman talks about:

• Getting the lead role in Bonjour Timothy at just 17
• Being at the mercy of the writers on Shortland Street
• Learning to play with swords on the set of Xena
• A physically demanding role on Young Hercules
• Playing a gay character in the film When Love Comes
• Being a ‘man women would like to see’ on McLeod’s Daughters
• A small but satisfying role in Serial Killers
• Learning to play cricket with his left hand for Tangiwai: A Love Story
• Being more conservative in real life than his character in The Almighty Johnsons

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

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