Tūhoe actress Ana Scotney to feature in upcoming Netflix series God's Favorite Idiot

Tūhoe's Ana Scotney is set to star in a new Netflix series God's Favorite Idiot. Photo / Getty Images

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Fresh from the popular success of New Zealand film Cousins, Tūhoe's Ana Scotney is set to star in a new Netflix series starting next month.

Scotney (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Tāwhaki Ki Ngaputahi) appears prominently in the trailer for the new series, God's Favorite Idiot, which is created and produced by Melissa McCarthy, who also stars in the show.

Scotney is well known for her lead role as the young Mata in the 2021 film Cousins and previously featured in The Breaker Upperers, where her performance was hailed as a breakout new talent.

In her new role, Scotney retains her New Zealand accent as she appears alongside US actors McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone who is co-producer.

God's Favorite Idiot tells the story of a mid-level tech support employee Clark Thompson (Falcone) who finds love with co-worker Amily Luck (McCarthy) at the exact same time he becomes the unwitting messenger of God.

Scotney's character is Wendy, a colleague who enjoys helping others by giving out advice, gifts and empathy.

The series. originally 16 episodes, will be delivered in two series of eight episodes.

Scotney follows in the footsteps of film giants Taika Waititi and Keisha Castle-Hughes by bringing Maori talent to the big screen.

Her performance in Cousins was praised in a New York Times review which singled her out as part of the "excellent ensemble cast".

God's Favorite Idiot is set to hit Netflix on June 15th.