Much has been made over the years about Aotearoa’s Cliff Curtis chameleonic screen presence over his lengthy career, but he’ll always be a Māori storyteller at heart.
In his new Variety AU/NZ interview, the Rotorua-born star revealed how films like “Ka Whawhai Tonu” have helped him value his heritage.
“I get a lot out of being Māori that sustains me in a spiritual or values-based way. It gives me a perspective on the world and on the work that I do – it keeps me coming back to it. No matter how far into the Hollywood machine I go, I always come back home,” he said.
Reflecting back on his entire career, Curtis says there are a number of values he’s grasped tightly which have kept his humility intact despite his consistent success.
“To me, I see it as a triangle. One part is my culture, my heritage, the other part is creativity as an artist, and then the third part is just dealing with the reality of a business and seeing it for what it is.
“Having a context to understand what the business is and having to provide for a family, that settles things way down – that grounds things in a different way.”
Elsewhere in his Variety AU/NZ interview, Curtis shared more about what he looks for in both local and international projects.
“I’m looking for stories that reflect the place where I live and the people I live with and my family and my culture and my tribal affiliations, that’s just really key to who I am,” he said of working in his home country. “I get to play leads in movies when I’m home in New Zealand and [in] projects overseas, I get to play supporting roles. It’s really the culmination of all of those different experiences that really define me as an actor.”
Read Curtis’ full Variety AU/NZ interview here.