Although New Zealand actor Martin Henderson made his screen debut more than two decades ago, new film Home by Christmas marks his first movie shot on Kiwi soil.

Directed by Gaylene Preston and based on the wartime experiences of her parents, Home by Christmas sees Henderson playing a young soldier who leaves his wife behind to serve overseas.

After making his screen debut in 1988 on Margaret Mahy TV series Strangers, Henderson spent three years on Shortland Street playing Stuart Nielsen, then moved on to Australia and later the United States.

Since then he has acted everywhere from India to Sweden, and in everything from horror (The Ring) to musicals (Bride and Prejudice) to TV’s House MD. His work as Cate Blanchett’s disabled brother in drama Little Fish saw him nominated for an Australian Film Institute supporting actor award. Variety magazine called his performance “a revelation”.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Henderson talks about:

• playing Gaylene Preston’s father in Home by Christmas

• how Preston kept him on his toes

• his lucky break into acting, aged 13, with the TV series Strangers

• how three years on Shortland Street was both good and bad for his acting

• working in the United States, and the success of the remake of The Ring

• donning leathers for motorcycle movie Torque

• the spirit of collaboration on Australian movie Little Fish

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

NZ On Screen: Direction and Interview – Ian Pryor. Camera and Editing – Alex Backhouse