Funny man actor Peter Rowley is best known for his appearances in a slew of TV comedy shows including A Week of It, McPhail and Gadsby, The Billy T James Show, the self-titled Pete and Pio, with Pio Terei, and Letter to Blanchy.

Funny man actor Peter Rowley is best known for his appearances in a slew of TV comedy shows including A Week of It, McPhail and Gadsby, The Billy T James Show, the self-titled Pete and Pio, with Pio Terei, and Letter to Blanchy.

Rowley does however have a dramatic side which he has ably demonstrated in the feature films Savage Islands, Russian Snark and Netherwood (currently in post-production).

In this ScreenTalk interview, Rowley talks about:

• How A Week of It became a hit satirising politics and politicians

• How lampooning Prime Minister Rob Muldoon made Muldoon more popular

• Being accused of ruining the career of Bill Rowling by the politician’s daughter

• Writing for The Billy T James Show while living with the show’s star

• Hating the emergence of political correctness while continuing to push boundaries in comedy

• Causing offence in a souvenir store by wearing a Nazi uniform

• Loving working with Pio Terei in Pete and Pio

• How Aucklanders didn’t ‘get’ Letter to Blanchy

• Successfully begging to be in the pirate movie Savage Islands

• The beautiful cinematography in Stephen Sinclair’s film Russian Snark

• Overcoming personal doubts about his abilities

NZ On Screen: Interview, Camera & Editing – Andrew Whiteside