The Orator follows the story of Saili, a simple villager who must find the strength to defend his land and family, which are threatened by powerful adversaries. Video / Transmission Films
The actor who gave a moving performance in his role as a little person on Samoan language film The Orator has died.
Tributes are flowing for Fa'afiaula Sagote, whose performance on the hit movie made him an instant star when it was released in 2011.
It is understood the actor, aged in his early 40s, died after a short illness.
The Orator (O le Tulafale), funded by the NZ Film Commission, was written and directed by Wellington man Tusi Tamasese and was the first ever Samoan feature film filmed entirely in the Samoan language.
Those who worked with Sagote remember a humble taro farmer living in a village, on the island of Savaii, who had heard about calls for little people to audition for a new movie - but was too scared to call.
A scene from The Orator: Fa'afiaula Sagote as Saili and his wife Va'aiga, played by Samoan-Kiwi actress Tausili Pushparaj. Photo / Trigger Marketing
"He said to us it was like a role from God because he had heard about it, but hadn't responded and yet here we were. He said it was a gift from above."
The film is set in Samoa and follows a man named Saili - meaning "in search of" - who is a little person. He has to conquer his fears in a society that literally looks down at him; in a bid to defend his land and his aiga.
Tamasese said the majority of their time spent filming in Samoa was in 2010. It was during that time when the cast and crew alike started to realise just how special Sagote was and what he brought to the role.
"Everything Saili goes through in the film, Fiaula said he had gone through. He understood because he too had experienced people talking down to him or ridiculing him.
"And that personal experience opened up people's eyes to what it was like to be a little person."
Tamasese said there was one scene in particular, at the end of the movie, which was particularly poignant and which had those watching Sagote's performance in tears.
"It had been a very long day and he was really tired. It was hard on his legs, for him to walk, and I could tell he was so tired.
"But everyone [needed in the scene] was there and (director) Tusi was encouraging him. When Fiaula spoke in that last scene...wow. We were all touched."
Veteran NZ film producer Catherine Fitzgerald, who produced The Orator, said she was shocked and saddened at news of Sagote's death.
"Fiaula was just a pleasure to work with - someone with grace, intelligence and tenacity affected us all.
"He wasn't, of course, the character Saili. But he brought so much of himself and his life experience to the role and shared so generously; that he gave the character more depth and humanity than we could have hoped for.
"We are thinking of his (aiga) at this time. He was so loved by so many."
O le Tulafale (The Orator): Fa'afiaula Sagote as main character Saili. Photo / Trigger Marketing
The Orator would be the only film Sagote, who hails from Salelologa and Sasina villages, would act in.
That sole performance on the big screen, however, would earn him a coveted nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in the 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Tamasese said the money he earned from the film was used to help his family in Samoa. Because he could not drive, he bought a taxi for his brother so he could work.
Sagote was well-known by locals and tourists alike, who would pop up in to say hello at his workplace at the Jaynia Taxi Service in Savaii.
"He was a person of humility and loved anyone and everyone. He made friends easily and was good-hearted," Maea Tamasese said.
“Sometimes people would mistake him for another dwarf, who appeared on local TV ads. I asked him: ‘Why do you still wave to them when it’s not you’? He said he waved because he didn’t want them to feel bad’.”
