Multi-award winning New Zealand actress, Rena Owen. Photo / Supplied
Multi-award winning New Zealand actress, Rena Owen. Photo / Supplied
It's many a journalist's dream to interview someone as iconic as New Zealand film and TV royalty Rena Owen — and I was fortunate to do just that recently.
The almost 60-year-old has had one of the most epic acting careers in our country's history, with her lead role as Beth Heke in Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors (1994) cementing her reputation as one of Aotearoa's finest film, theatre and TV exports.
Owen (Ngāti Hine) now lives full-time in Los Angeles but has a base in Muriwai and grew up in Moerewa. She is of Welsh, English, Irish and Māori descent.
She spoke to me just hours after arriving back in the country, admittedly jetlagged, but grateful to be home.
In addition to her role as Beth Heke, Owen is widely known for playing Taun We in George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, as well as her role, Hine Ryan, on New Zealand's iconic television show Shortland Street.
The multi-award-winning actress is also the only female actress to ever have worked with both Hollywood heavyweights George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Going back to the start of Owen's career, I distinctly remember the first time watching Once Were Warriors in my early 20s and reeling at the raw beauty and brutality of it all.
I was living in Europe and happened to watch it with my Italian boyfriend at the time, who was appalled at the behaviour of Jake "the Muss" Heke.
This was his first real introduction to Māori and it was this particular depiction of Māori that many, including my Nan, felt deep shame around the film's portrayal of her people.
Yet despite the discomfort many felt watching this movie, it was an important and relevant tale to tell and shone a light on the issue of family harm, not just in Māori homes but in homes of all different cultural backgrounds.
The film also helped to create a lasting legacy by normalising and destigmatising conversations around the topic, ultimately making it easier for people to recognise markers of abusive behaviour.
Owen's powerful performance as Beth Heke was, in my opinion, the star of Once Were Warriors, with her resilience, mana and connection to her culture and people trumping any negative perceptions some may have had about the film.
The actress' latest movie, Whina, (the biopic of Dame Whina Cooper), is another one of those pivotal movies, which will no doubt catapult Owen's career to new heights.
I had the privilege of seeing an early screening of the film some weeks ago, which continues to give me goosebumps upon recalling certain scenes.
Owen plays "older Whina" in the story of "Te Whaea o te Motu — The Mother of the Nation", which she explained was the most challenging role of her career.
The actress shared the role of Whina with Miriama McDowell who played "younger Whina" and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne as "teenage Whina".
Rena Owen plays 'older Whina' in the new biopic about Dame Whina Cooper's life, Whina. Photo / Jen Raoult
When hearing Owen's life story, it would almost appear as if playing the role of Dame Whina Cooper was already written in the stars, given their interactions in her childhood.
"I am also a Catholic, so we used to attend the national Catholic conference in Panguru. My older sister actually went to the convent that Whina built," Owen said.
"During my teen years I was doing drama and was asked if I would act in one of the plays at the national conference.
"I'd like to think she came up to me and said I was a really good little actress," she laughed.
Owen described how she had trawled through hours of footage of Cooper in order to perfect and mimic her character, even recreating her side-ways smile so recognisable to her whānau.
She even insisted on pronouncing the word Māori as "Mow-ree", which in those days, she explained, was how people articulated the word.
"That decision has caused some negative feedback, but it was more important to me to remain true to Whina's authentic voice than to try and make it fit into today's context."
A true professional, Owen said she had to dig incredibly deep for the role and worked closely with Cooper's whānau to make sure she was doing the story and their matriarch justice.
After 30-plus years in the industry, Owen said playing Cooper had been more of a journey of perfecting her craft than learning anything new.
She said, if anything, it was Cooper's poignant message of faith and unity that had remained with her beyond the film.
"Whina was about community, and while she fought for Māori land rights she knew she couldn't achieve what she wanted to achieve through division," Owen said.
"When I returned to New Zealand, I was shocked by the division I saw. It was unlike anything I've ever witnessed before in this country.
"Her message was one of peace and kotahi tātou (we are one), which is such a relevant message in today's world. It's something we need to hear now more than ever."
Owen is currently at home in Aotearoa for the premiere of Whina, which officially launches today in cinemas across the country.
According to Owen, the film finished in late 2020, yet due to various Covid-19 lockdowns, the premiere had been pushed back until now.
The Whina film is a decade-long body of work and was only two out of about 60 films commissioned to continue through the pandemic.
Co-producer Tainui Stephens attributed this to the film industry, who believed Whina was a film the post-Covid-19 world needed to see.
Matthew Metcalfe was the film's other producer, with James Napier Robertson and Paula Whetu Jones the film's two directors.
Owen said coordinating a film production through two years of Covid-19 lockdowns was a credit to the producers and film crew, who in her opinion were the unsung heroes of the whole exercise.
"The producers are often the first on the scene and last to go home, yet are often forgotten behind all the glitz and glam," Owen said.
"I couldn't have done this film without them and everyone else who works behind the scenes. We probably all feel relieved to finally get this thing on the road.
"I'm excited for people to see Whina and to hear what people think, for better or worse, and believe it's a movie our country can be proud of."
