The Actors
Full Cast
Nicholas Coghlan
(Danny)
Nicholas Coghlan is familiar to us from his role in the final
series of The Secret Life of Us. An Australian, he
hadn’t worked in NZ before being cast as the lead in Orange
Roughies.
Coghlan graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts
(NIDA) in Sydney three years ago. He has recently moved to
Melbourne from Sydney, where he had done some theatre and
“soapy stuff like a guest role as a cop on Home and Away, and
a little bit of film, like a small role in Star Wars 3.
“I like the variety of formats, and I’d like to do a bit more
film.”
Coghlan auditioned for a previous ScreenWorks production,
before auditioning and being cast as Danny in Orange
Roughies. He was here in New Zealand for about three
months in 2005 shooting the first seven episodes, then another
six months in 2006 shooting thirteen more episodes.
In preparing for the role Coghlan read books such as
biographies of undercover cops. “My research was about what
the emotional response is to doing that kind of work.
The people I’ve read about don’t tend to last long in
undercover work. They soon lose their friends and family.”
“I was very excited to read the scripts, they were the kind of
interesting and exciting TV that I hadn’t read in a long time.
The kind of TV that you wish people were writing!”
“While working in New Zealand my character was needed pretty
much every day, so it was great that the shoots were almost
all on location. Who wants to come to another country and
spend all their time shooting inside a studio?! It also suits
the style of the story, because the characters are always on
the move and there are always surprises in store for them.”
“The rest of the cast and crew were so easy going and
friendly. They were probably the most relaxed crew I’ve ever
worked with. There was a sense that although we need to get
the job done it has to be fun or there’s no point in doing
it.”
“One of the highlights for me was all the action sequences;
I’ve never done so much action before! I got to drive a fast
boat, and drive the car fast along a beach, and had stunt
doubles doing stunts too. It’s been a really great experience
for me all around.”
Zoe
Naylor (Jane)
Zoe Naylor is the new core cast member Regan McLeod in
hit Australian show McLeod’s Daughters. She had just
come off shooting a series of this show, when she was offered
the lead part of Jane in Orange Roughies.
“It was a little overwhelming at first. The character of Jane
was also physically demanding. We were scuba diving and riding
jet boats! My skill in extreme sports has definitely been
brought up a level, so that was fun. The shoot was very
location based, which I enjoyed. You have the most beautiful
country. We were arriving at locations at six in the morning
and got to watch the sun come up over some amazing
landscapes”.
Naylor is looking forward to coming back to New Zealand this
year to finish shooting Orange Roughies, but at present
is shooting McLeod’s Daughters, mostly in Adelaide. “My
career has really taken off recently, which is great. With two
lead parts in great television series’ it’s going to be a
full-on year!”
Of her role in McLeod’s Daughters, Naylor says, “I had
a guest role in 2004 over five episodes, then a break when I
shot the first part of Orange Roughies before I was
invited back as a core cast member on McLeod’s Daughters.
We shoot about six months ahead of what is airing on TV, and
it is gruelling work, with long hours in the hot outback. But,
it’s also a great training ground.”
“I’m enjoying it. It’s such a great Australian show. It’s shot
on film, in an amazing location in the country. Essentially
McLeods provides escape for its audience. Orange
Roughies as a drama is grittier and edgier. It’s been
probably the acting highlight of my career so far. The show is
so dynamic and the other actors are brilliant. Because this is
a fresh new series it’s also more exciting to work on.”
Until recently, Naylor was a familiar face on Sports Café
for about three years, where she reported on events taking
place in Australia. “I really love NZ. I love the people and
the work has been really good for me. Reporting for Sports
Café, we covered lots of great events like the Grand Prix,
football and The Rugby World Cup. My focus was on the sports
stars and the people behind them, but doing stuff on the fans
was great too. I love meeting people! I like to mix a bit of
news journalism with some lifestyle as well, so my stories are
informative as well as entertaining.”
“It’s great knowing I’ve got the secure work of these TV
series for a while. The producing team at ScreenWorks are
quite unique. Not only are they friends but they have a real
synergy and work very closely on the same page. The story
lines are relevant to real life events and incidents. I think
ScreenWorks are doing some really great stuff, and I’m proud
to be a part of this show.”
Mark
Ruka (Zack)
Mark Ruka has graced our screens frequently in the last year,
with major supporting roles in Kiwi films Number 2, River
Queen, and The World’s Fastest Indian, and TV
series The Market and Taonga. Before that he was
an Orc in The Lord of The Rings and a street kid in
Fracture and took a lead role in the Mataku series.
He has also appeared recently on stage at the Silo theatre in
This Is How It Goes, and starred in Taika Waititi’s
award winning short film Tama Tu.
“It’s been a busy year or two for me, but I was happy take
the role of Zack because I really like the Orange
Roughies story. This is my largest TV project to date, and
probably the largest role I’ve had so far. I’ve enjoyed the
challenge, and working with such a talented group of actors
and crew.”
“I think ScreenWorks are kinda like the Orange Roughies of the
industry – a rogue task force of people that have come
together to make/tell their own stories in their own way, in
their own time.”
William
Wallace (Tom)
William Wallace has been busy the last few years. He’s spent
time living and working in Wellington, Christchurch, and the
States, as well as here in Auckland. A long list of credits
follow him, the latest being a sailor in King Kong.
Prior film credits include Skin and Bone, Hearts of Men,
The Diaspora, and The Vector File. Wallace has also
featured in a host of television productions including Hard
Out, Xena: Warrior Princess, Street Legal and Shortland
Street.
For the role of Tom, Wallace bulked up by 5kgs to fit
Tom’s buff proportions. He also studied the way cops
move, and chatted to a relative who works on the force.
“I spent time figuring out what Tom’s motivations were,
and slipped into his skin. I like to develop a character over
a period, and release that part of my nature. It’s controlled,
but I had to get in touch with that angry side of my
personality. I went to the gym a lot and drank protein shakes,
was eating five to six meals a day.”
“Usually I am cast as the hero or the nice guy, so it was nice
to have the challenge of playing someone with an anger problem
like Tom. Because I’m quite a placid person, I find it
very easy to play negative characters, because I’m not afraid
of going to those places. I know I’m not going to get stuck in
that angry place, where another actor might be afraid of
unleashing that. I enjoy playing a darker role because in real
life I’m not like that.”
“During Orange Roughies I got to drive fast cars and
boats, get into fights, bust down doors and learn to scuba
dive. All great reasons to be an actor! I love ScreenWorks
because they make fun shows for men, with guns and car chases,
but there are deeper elements to it too, so I think women will
love Orange Roughies just as much.”
Stephen
Hall (Maddock)
Playing Maddock in Orange Roughies is just one
more in a long list of great roles for
Stephen Hall who’s bio is impressive. His work dates back to
classic Kiwi shows like Marlin Bay and films Ruby &
Rata and Once Were Warriors. Recently he sailed his
way into Peter Jackson’s King Kong and Geoff Murphy’s
Spooked.
The face of Kiwi television would not be the same without
Hall’s regular appearance on local screens. He’s done both
Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess, Secret
Agent Men and Power Rangers. Memorable film roles
include Broken English, Channelling Baby,
Savage Honeymoon and Daybreak pictures Lost Valley
and The Vector File.
“The only parts of Roughies I’ve seen so far are little
snippets. It’s hard to get an idea of how it’s turning out,
and it’s weird to be shooting the second series before the
first lot have aired. A great vote of confidence from the
broadcaster, though.”
Hall walked off a building site when he was 30 yrs old and was
persuaded by his girlfriend to audition for a play she was
working on after the lead actor was fired. “I landed this lead
role, and I had never been on stage in my life! It was
absolutely terrifying! That was my first foray into acting and
it was quite an experience.”
“I did another play straight after and I think my first TV
role was in Which Way Home. My first day I tripped over
a cable and knocked over a 10kg light. When I saw it air, they
had dubbed over my few lines. I’m surprised I continued to get
work!“
In researching the role of Maddock, Hall spoke with a
friend who was in the CIB. He also recently witnessed a
stabbing, where his first aid certificate was put to use, and
he was able to observe the police in action and pick up on
useful process and mannerisms.
“The work on Roughies has been pretty full on. I shot
14 scenes one day, and everything is shot out of sequence,
too. It’s quite fast and some of the storylines are involved
and dramatic. Luckily I’ve played a lot of cops before, and I
really like this character. He’s got a bit of a potty mouth
and he doesn’t suffer fools lightly, but he genuinely cares
about the people that work under him and he treats his team
like an extended family.”
“I’ve enjoyed all the location shooting for Roughies.
In the first block of episodes I got to do some fun action
too. Not as much in the second, but my character is at the
helm directing the troops and edging them on.”
“Orange Roughies
is an exciting show because the Roughies are a new venture.
They’re finding their way, and no one knows how it’s going to
go. Unlike a show like Street Legal where the
characters mostly played by the book, the Roughies are finding
their way and they don’t always follow the rules.
Nick
Kemplen (Noel)
Nick Kemplen had recently wrapped shooting for the TV series
Doves of War, when he was cast as Noel in
Orange Roughies. We probably know him best as Young
Hercules, or the good Southern man from the Speights
commercials.
“Noel was a lot of fun to play. He’s so easy going and has a
sweet innocence, believing that all people are essentially
good. I describe him as Kramer-esk. A big change from the
ex-soldier I played in Doves of War, though still in
uniform!”
“I enjoy comedic roles, so this is a step in that direction
for me. It’s nice not to have to take home my character’s
emotional baggage. Noel is a bit of a nerd, he’s a
change from some of the cooler characters I’ve played, but I
think there’s a bit of Noel in everyone.”
“Shooting Orange Roughies has been a lot of fun and
I’ve got to do some stunt fighting and diving. Noel is
a comfortable character for me to slip into, and I’ve enjoyed
watching the character and the role grow over the series.”
Between shooting the first and second sets of episodes,
Kemplen spent some time putting together a comedy pilot for
TV2’s comedy initiative, and is in negotiations with TVNZ to
get a comedy series together.
Roy Snow
(Denis)
We have missed Roy Snow as a regular on TV screens since his
core cast role as Shortland Street’s Matt McAlister
came to an end. He’s been singing, dancing and acting up a
storm on the stage since then, with roles in acclaimed shows
such as High Society, The Rocky Horror Picture Show,
Phantom of the Opera, Middle Aged Spread and
Ladies Night. In the latest show This Is How It Goes,
he appeared alongside fellow cast member Mark Ruka.
“This is How it Goes
was a good fun show and I enjoyed working with some other very
talented actors like Mark (Ruka) and Sara Wiseman. I have done
lots of theatre recently, but it was great to do some
television again, too.”
“Denis was an enjoyable character to play. His
intentions are honourable, which is a strange thing to say
about a lawyer.”
Of his three years on Shortland Street, Snow says, “I
enjoyed my time there. It was great for me. I had done only a
couple of Xena and Hercules parts before landing
the role on Shortland Street, so it was my ‘break’ if
you like, and has led to a career for me.”
“Shortland Street taught me how to work fast. We had
the luxury of more time with Roughies. They are very
different shows though, so I wouldn’t compare them.”
“I hadn’t worked for ScreenWorks before, but it was a very
easy process working with these guys.”
Untrained as an actor, Snow started out in the chorus for some
Auckland Theatre Company shows, before landing his first major
role in Hair. The other shows followed on from this.
“I’ve been lucky, because I’ve come out of nowhere and people
have been prepared to hire me. Theatre is good fun. It’s
something I really enjoy. I’m very comfortable and relaxed in
the theatre environment. I like the intimacy and immediacy of
the audience’s response.”
Since Orange Roughies, Snow has been working on a
couple of film projects with ex-Shortland Street-er
Karl Burnett and some other colleagues in Hamilton. “I’m also
workshopping a Kiwi play by Warwick Broadbent and I sing
during the week for a group called Alzare. We mainly do
corporate gigs. I’m untrained in this, too, but my mother and
father are both good singers, so I guess I had good genetics
for it.”
Nicole
Whippy (Donna)
Nicole Whippy graduated with a Bachelor of Performing and
Screen Arts from Unitec in 2000. Since then we have seen her
as a core cast member in Jacksons Wharf, for which she
was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2000 NZ Film
& TV Awards. We’ve also seen her in a host of recurring cameo
roles in shows such as Outrageous Fortune, The
Strip, Mercy Peak, Being Eve and Xena: Warrior
Princess.
She recently featured in a BBC Christmas movie, Arthur Conan
Doyle’s The Lost World, appearing alongside Bob
Hoskins.
“A girlfriend of mine told me about her audition for Donna,
with this great plate throwing scene; I was so envious! Then I
found out the next week I did have an audition and just threw
myself into it. You don’t get roles like this often, they
rarely come along.”
“I’m just starting to stop getting the little girl roles, and
start getting to play women, and really enjoying it. You
couldn’t play Donna as a little girl. She has lived life, had
her heart broken and knows what it’s like in the real world.
It’s great playing a character with depth and life
experience.”
“My scenes were shot mostly in the hospital where my character
works as a nurse, or at ‘our house’ in Henderson. It was all
on location, because that’s how the series is shot.
I had done lots of studio shoots previously, so the location
shoots were a nice change.
Working with Mark Ruka was great too. I had met him once
before, but we get on great and feel really comfortable around
each other, luckily, since our characters are so passionate
about each other that you just have to give yourself over to
it for it to work.”
Ingrid Park (Helen
Moore)
Ingrid Park played supporting cast member Maddy in
Street Legal over several series, and before that the
popular doctor MacKenzie Choat in Shortland Street. In
Orange Roughies her character is Helen Moore, a
smart cookie who has developed a formula or set of optimum
conditions for growing truffles. She gets kidnapped and
tortured for her secret, but Helen has spent many years
developing it so is naturally reluctant to give it up without
a struggle. Enter the Roughies.
“For the role of Helen I was tied up a lot, with bruised make
up on. Once I was made up, tied and gagged I just felt like I
was really there. I didn’t have to work at it. My two
torturers were Mark Williams and Eryn Wilson, who are both
lovely guys. Mark is such a great baddie, and I’ve known Eryn
for years. So we joked around during the breaks. It would have
been exhausting to stay in character all day.”
“The role was harrowing, but I don’t think I could have got
through it without a sense of humour. I’d never played a part
quite like this before. Previously I had worked on Street
Legal and recently I’ve been doing musical theatre, the
Chicago tour with Michael Barrymore. I had some time off
acting in between those, where I ran a children’s drama school
in Palmerston North, but it’s great to be back acting again.
The storyline my character is part of is topical and relevant
to issues happening in the world today. I think people will
appreciate that as well as enjoying the action.”
Katherine Kennard
(Maria Hanniford)
Street Legal’s Joni Collins
for four years, for which she won a string of awards,
Katherine Kennard is back on Kiwi TV with a guest role as
Maria Hanniford in Orange Roughies.
“Maria
is an Argentinean baddie. I have played quite a few baddies
and they’re quite fun and easy to do. You have to order people
around and stand there looking mean. It’s not hard. This was a
small role for me, but hopefully with an impact.”
After Street Legal wrapped, Kennard moved to LA in the States
for about a year. Although not as successful as some Kiwi
actors there, she has returned with a commitment to working as
an actor in New Zealand. This means looking for alternative
means to making an income during the down times between roles.
Kennard has set up her own business helping at-risk children,
and works with the Kiwi Can Trust, where she teaches values
and self esteem to primary school and intermediate aged
children in low decile areas. “It’s great working with the
children, and its way more fulfilling than just getting a role
on some American TV Show.”
FULL CAST LIST:
ACTOR
ROLE
EPISODE 1 & 2 -
Telefeature
Nicholas Coghlan
Danny Wilder
Zoe
Naylor
Jane Durant
Mark Ruka
Zack Wiki
Stephen Hall
Ron Maddock
William Wallace
Tom Bowden
Kimberley
Ooi Tao Li
Nicole Whippy
Donna Wiki
Roy
Snow
Denis Fielding
Olivia James-Baird
Sophie Wilder
Sean Duffy
Paul Grayson
Blair Strang
DS Sean Parkes
Yvonne Tan
Crystal Yo
Donna Pivac
Sal Jones
Daniel
Sing
Terry Loo
Tim
Raby
Guy Abbott
Trevor Sai Louie
Bobby Yo
Peter Daube
David Chambers
Jeremy Winer
Taxi Driver
Dianne Lamont
Mrs Baxter
Sean Button
Car Cleaner
Deon Netana
Monitor
Anna Hutchinson
Anja
Andy Sophocleous
Policeman
Robert Pollock
Roger Steele
EPISODE 3
Nicholas Coghlan
Danny Wilder
Zoe
Naylor
Jane Durant
Mark Ruka
Zack Wiki
Stephen Hall
Ron Maddock
William Wallace
Tom Bowden
Nicole Whippy
Donna Wiki
Kimberley
Ooi Tao Li
Sean Duffy
Paul Grayson
Roy
Snow
Denis Fielding
Donna Pivac
Sal Jones
Mike Oldershaw
Dive Supervisor
Ingrid
Park
Helen Moore
Mark Williams
Kevin Simmons
Eryn
Wilson
Paul Mossman
Antony
Martin Bus
Driver
Richard Hanna
Richard Hanniford
Katherine Kennard
Maria Hanniford
Patrick Hales
Police Sergeant
Toni
Potter
Cheryl Bowden
Brooke Petersen
Receptionist
Tim Beveridge
Steve Moore
EPISODE
4
Nicholas Coghlan
Danny Wilder
Zoe
Naylor
Jane Durant
Mark Ruka
Zack Wiki
Stephen Hall
Ron Maddock
Nick Kemplen
Noel Bullerton
Nicole Whippy
Donna Wiki
Kimberley
Ooi Tao Li
Roy
Snow
Denis Fielding
Antony
Martin Bus
Driver
Ingrid
Park
Helen Moore
Mark Williams
Kevin Simmons
Eryn
Wilson
Paul Mossman
Richard Hanna
Richard Hanniford
Katherine Kennard
Maria Hanniford
Nikki Si’ulepa
Rental Office Manager
Donna Pivac
Sal Jones
Bradbury
Patrick Kuhtze
Tim Beveridge
Steve Moore
Jack the Dog
As himself
EPISODE 5
Nicholas Coghlan
Danny Wilder
Zoe
Naylor
Jane Durant
Mark Ruka
Zack Wiki
Stephen Hall
Ron Maddock
Nick Kemplen
Noel Bullerton
Kimberley
Ooi Tao Li
Olivia James-Baird
Sophie Wilder
Jack
Hurst
Nick Hutton
Rebecca Mallitte
Cindy Hutton
Michael Dwyer
Mr Hutton
John Landreth
Marine Broker
Stephen Ure
Vic Donaldson
Patrick Wilson
Arthur Brownlie
Marty Waite
Night Fisherman
Dianne Lamont
Mrs Baxter
Adrian
Keeling
Country Policeman
EPISODE 6
Nicholas Coghlan
Danny Wilder
Zoe
Naylor
Jane Durant
Mark Ruka
Zack Wiki
Stephen Hall
Ron Maddock
Nick Kemplen
Noel Bullerton
Nicole Whippy
Donna Wiki
Kimberley
Ooi Tao Li
Roy
Snow
Denis Fielding
Scott Harding
Reporter
Tim Faville
Eastwood
Donna Pivac
Sal Jones
Yvonne Tan
Crystal Yo
Robert Pollock
Roger Steele
Peter Daube
David Chambers
Rod Lousich
Doug Johnson
Jason
Fitch
Jarod Horan
Rob
Cope
Carl Horan
Sally McCormick
Fertility Doctor
EPISODE 7
Nicholas Coghlan Danny
Wilder
Zoe
Naylor
Jane Durant
Mark Ruka
Zack Wiki
Stephen Hall
Ron Maddock
Nick Kemplen
Noel Bullerton
Nicole Whippy
Donna Wiki
Kimberley
Ooi Tao Li
Olivia James-Baird
Sophie Wilder
Sean Duffy
Paul
Grayson
Roy
Snow
Denis Fielding
Blair Strang
DS Sean Parkes
Lorretta
Dale Nurse
#1
Marie Thompson
Nurse #2
Diego Betanzo
Surgeon
Jason
Fitch
Jarod Horan
Rob
Cope Carl
Horan
Peter
Daube David
Chambers
Sara Howie
Penny
Robert Pollock
Roger Steele
Shirley Eliott
Mrs Horan
Tim Schijf
Journalist
Donna Pivac
Sal Jones
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