Veteran actor Bruce Allpress has had a long career in theatre, film and television. His television credits include Close to Home, Hanlon, Shark in the Park, Duggan, The Cult, and the lead role in the series Jocko. His many film appearances include The Piano, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and, most recently, Rest for the Wicked.

Veteran actor Bruce Allpress has had a long career in theatre, film and television. His television credits include Close to Home, Hanlon, Shark in the Park, Duggan, The Cult, and the lead role in the series Jocko. His many film appearances include The Piano, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and, most recently, Rest for the Wicked.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Allpress talks about:

• Getting a dressing down from a producer on the set of Close to Home
• How being ‘laconic’ at his audition got him the lead role in Jocko
• Having to learn how to use a bullwhip in four days for the show
• How the character of Jocko was a quintessential New Zealand character
• What happened when his mate Ian Mune lost control of a horse on set
• Getting the role of Sparky on Mortimer’s Patch by removing his teeth
• Almost wrecking a camera while riding a quad bike on Duggan
• Finding The Piano an odd film to be in
• Not really understanding his role in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
• Acting with his ‘over 60s mates’ in the film Rest for the Wicked
• How the best has yet to come in his career

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

NZ On Screen: Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside