Some of Antony Starr’s first roles in front of the camera were on Shortland Street, where he played three different characters. But in contrast to playing brothers Van and Jethro West in Outrageous Fortune, these first roles were played one at a time not all at once. In the intervening years, Starr has breathed life into scripts from many of NZ’s most popular film and television productions.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Starr reveals:

• How he coped with the relentless shooting schedule of Shortland Street

• Reflections on knife fights and leaping to his death on Street Legal

• How his role on Mercy Peak provided inspiration for Outrageous Fortune

• The importance of the director to an actor

• What it was like sharing the set with Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian

• The satisfaction of playing nasty characters like in feature film In My Father’s Den

• What the audition was like for Outrageous Fortune’s twin brothers Van and Jethro West

• Some of the processes behind portraying the contrasting characters of the twin brothers

• What it was like to play a grieving father in feature film After the Waterfall

• An insight into the story behind tele-feature Spies and Lies

Many thanks to The Hilton Auckland for providing a room with a view for the interview!

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

NZ On Screen: Interview, Camera & Editing – James Coleman