Starstruck star Rose Matafeo’s first impressions: Meeting Nelson Mandela, why I became a comedian

"I miss some things about New Zealand but increasingly see the UK as my home," says comedian Rose Matafeo. Photo / Babiche Martens

The comedian on her hippie parents and the culture that made her.

First rom-com I loved

Despite Bridget Jones’s Diary centring on a 30-something in London, I related to it as a 16-year-old growing up in Auckland, New Zealand. It’s a comfort watch, it calms me down. I’ve seen every Richard Curtis film. If you’re making a rom-com set in London, like I did with my series Starstruck, you’re open to comparisons to that world. There are bad rom-coms out there — but people who make good rom-coms, or comedy films in general, know how to do a story well and Curtis is one of them.

First famous person I met

My dad, a first-generation Samoan immigrant, was involved in the anti-apartheid movements in New Zealand. When I was 3 years old Nelson Mandela came to speak at a series of events in Auckland, and Dad was invited to one of them. We waited outside. When Mandela left the venue, the crowd surged forward. I started crying, assuming my brother had pushed me. Mandela came over to me and asked: “Why are you crying?” So, I blamed my brother.

First TV show I watched religiously

During the summer holidays when I was around 11 years old, I would get up and watch the drama series Moonlighting starring Bruce Willis. My parents were relaxed, so I watched lots of non-age-appropriate shows, which I think built character — and exposed me to many breasts at an early age.

First moment I realised I wanted to be a comedian

I wasn’t the class clown, but I was always a bit of a show-off. I won a New Zealand International Comedy Festival award when I was 15 and moved to England aged 23. It was cool to come to a country and be an unknown entity on a line-up. I had to change my cultural references and slow down my talking speed or else people didn’t understand what I was saying. I think people can understand me now.

First film I saw at the cinema

A re-release of the Disney animation The Sword in the Stone. We didn’t go to the cinema much when I was a child as it was too expensive. In my teenage years I went to the movies more. I was a brainier, more cultured person then. I go to the cinema a lot in London alone because I have fewer friends now, I suppose. I miss some things about New Zealand but increasingly see the UK as my home. I’ve just got my “indefinite leave to remain” visa, which means I will be here forever, it seems.

First pop-inspired fashion trends I adopted

I didn’t follow fashion trends. My parents are hippies (and Rastafarians, part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel in New Zealand), so I wore a lot of second-hand clothes. Nowadays I do give my appearance thought, but I think that’s the product of being raised as a girl. We’re encouraged and expected to. I’m trying to find out what I do for myself and what I do for others. It’s a minefield.

First book I loved

The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, a funny, classic adult novel that was adapted into a film starring nearly every hot Hollywood actor imaginable, including Rob Lowe, who I had a massive crush on. I was definitely a nerd growing up, but I wasn’t as clever as some of my friends.

First time I realised I’d made it

I often look at my stuff, especially my frying pan, and think: “I’m 31, I live in another country and all this stuff is mine.” And I own it because I do what I love: comedy.

Starstruck Season 3 will be available on TVNZ on September 2.

Written by: Jake Helm

© The Times of London