MichaelInterview

C: How did you get the part of Jack?

M: I have an agent. I know that sounds posh but almost all actors have an agent. My agent rang � this is back in August �98 � and asked me if I wanted to audition for Dal and I went for the audition for Dal and did the part, went home and about a week later the phone rang and asked me if I wanted to play Jack so, yeah. I said �yes� and basically it all came from there.

C: How long have you been acting?

M: The first acting I ever did was back in1994 when I was about 10 and my two sisters wanted to be in this play called �Charlie and the Chocolate Factory� and I really couldn�t be stuffed to go to it but I had to because I couldn�t really stay at home so I had to stay in the car but there was nothing good to listen to on the radio so I had to come into the audition and Mum persuaded me to read for Charlie and for some strange reason I got Charlie. I was only 10 and I don�t know how well I did but that was my first acting experience.

C: Do you think you�re at all similar to Jack.

M: I think my humor�s kind of like Jack�s. It�s a little bit sarcastic. I don�t know as much about computers.

C: So are you a computer geek like Jack?

M: No, no. I don�t actually know that much about computers. I have a Playstation at home, which is what I tend to play so I don�t usually � actually know how to do much on a computer. I have to write a lot of essays and stuff in Word Processing and stuff but I don�t know much about computers and that.

C: When you joined �The Tribe�, accepted the part of Jack, did you know you were going to have you hair stripped and died?

M: I can�t actually recall, but I think they mentioned something about me dying my hair but I was so caught up about the whole thing that I didn�t really care what they did to my hair. They could have shaved my head and I wouldn�t have cared.

C: So how do you find it when you walk down the street?

M: I think New Zealander�s don�t tend to speak out as much as I suppose other nationalities would but I do get a few teenagers trying to be funny and I mean honestly, I think I can say - and I�m not just being nice - but I think that if someone came up to me and said a truly good comment then I would actually acknowledge it and I wouldn�t take offence to it but if they say stupid things like �Oh, your hair�s on fire� or �you�re a beacon� or something it�s just�

C: Do you just walk away?

M: Oh, yeah. Basically because it�s just stupid moronic comments. It�s just not even worth saying something to.

C: How do you spend your spare time?

M: While I�m working?

C: Yeah.

M: With working we don�t get too much to do, too much time off to do stuff on the weekdays but I tend to just hang out with my friends. I play soccer in the winter. I play a bit of golf sometimes. Not regularly but I play a little bit and I, yeah, I just hang out with my friends, or other things.

C: Okay. Who are your friends on the set?

M: Ah, well basically if you work fifty hours a week with different people you�re really going to be friends with all of them. I would, I�m friends basically with everyone on set. I get on with Dwayne and Caleb and Ryan. We�re all around the same age.

C: Do you want to continue acting for the rest of your life?

M: I�m not going to base my career on it.

C: Can you tell us about any embarrassing moments you�ve had on the set of �The Tribe�?

M: Right back at the start it was pretty hard getting used to the fact that you�re on camera quite a lot of the time, even when you weren�t acting. I had a lot of bogies in my nose so I sent the old finger up there and it was recorded on the camera and I actually didn�t know until someone else told me and the cameras have a direct link to the executive producers office.

C: Everyone saw it?

M: Yeah, yeah. (laughs)

C: And you didn�t know?

M: No.

C: How do you think you would cope as Michael if the virus really happened?

M: I think I�d be in shock. I�m not used to�I�m not very�I can�t really support myself. (laughs) I�m used to Mum tidying my bed and stuff and all that so I think I�d find it hard to get used to looking after myself.

C: If you had the choice to be Michael or Jack in real life, who would you choose?

M: Me, because I mean Jack�s too conservative. I mean, I�m much more social than he is.

C: Now if you got a big acting role what actors would you like to star against?

M: Yeah, I wouldn�t mind acting � womanwise � I wouldn�t mind acting next to Selma Hayek or Liv Tyler or Michelle Pfeiffer is actually a very good actor. Liz Hurley and a few others like that. In terms of male actors I really respect Sean Connery and Mel Gibson.

C: And the final question � if you could be an historical figure who would you most like to be?

M: I�ve always liked the idea of like exploration so I wouldn�t mind being someone likes James Cook or something.

C: Well thanks for joining us today on Tribeworld Michael.

M: That�s alright.

C: Is there anything that you�d like to add to the fans?

M: I�d just like to thank you for sending all those letters in.