Actor and director Michael Hurst talks to NZ on Screen about his broad range of theatre, television and film roles, including his long-running gig as sidekick Iolaus in the American TV series Hercules.

In the mid-90s Hurst also began directing for the screen, initially on episodes of Hercules and Xena, but also helming the feature film comedy Jubilee, and TV mockumentary drama Love Mussel.

Hurst talks about his early days in theatre, his first television appearance in 30 Minute Theatre - Tinkling Brass, and his first major roles in the Sunday Theatre one-off Casualties of Peace, and rock band drama Heroes.

He also talks about his first feature film role, in the 1984 David Blyth splatter film Death Warmed Up, and reveals that he hated seeing himself in the film and thought he had “made an appalling job of it”.

After Death Warmed Up, he decided he would never work in film again, but recovered from that fairly quickly with the feature Dangerous Orphans in 1985.  His work on 1993 classic Desperate Remedies made him “love film again.”

Hurst discusses the making of Desperate Remedies, in particular the delights of working with celebrated cinematographer Leon Narbey.

Hurst also tells the story of how he won the part of Iolaus in Hercules, and of his on-going connection to the role through Hercules and Xena fan conventions.

And he discusses how Hercules and Xena led him into television and film directing, including the feature Jubilee and the television mockumentary Love Mussel.

Hurst closes the interview talking about his latest project - a feature film called Bitch Slap.

Interview by Clare O'Leary with camera and editing by Leo Guerchmann.
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