Whale Rider actress lands part in Star Wars

Young Auckland actress and Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes has been cast in the latest Star Wars movie.

The 13-year-old, who won rave reviews for her acting debut in Whale Rider, has been named on the official Star Wars Episode 3as a cast member. The website said she would take the role of a "regal leader".

Two fan websites speculated that she would be playing the Queen of Naboo.

"She's young and female, which fits the Naboo pattern," said one site. "She's a great actress, despite being so young."

Keisha's agent, Graham Dunster, would not discuss the Star Wars role other than to say most of the filming was completed.

Keisha played a lead role as Paikea "Pai" Apirana in the South Pacific Pictures-produced Whale Rider, which has won a host of international awards at film festivals.



Early this year she had no ambition to make a career in Hollywood.

"My ambition is to be a teacher and being in the movies hasn't changed that.

"The movie world is too unreal. The people seem on another planet, not aware of the real world.

"It's great to be part of it for a while but if I spent too much time doing movies I think I'd forget what reality was," she says.

A student at Penrose High School, Keisha was among 10,000 teens who auditioned for Whale Rider.

She said yes to questions of whether she was Maori, could ride a bike, and swim. A double later had to be found for the swimming scenes.

The Star Wars film will be released in 2005.