Robbie Magasiva: On following his heart...

Over a decade ago Robbie Magasiva gave himself two choices - rugby or acting. Since then, Magasiva has made audiences laugh in Skitz, The Semisis and Sione’s Wedding, and has starred in numerous screen dramas including Shortland Street, Cover Story, Jackson’s Wharf, Doves of War and The Tattooist. He made the acting call and hasn’t looked back.

In this ScreenTalk, Magasiva talks about:

• His first on screen acting role in a party political broadcast
• How he landed roles in Skitz and The Semisis 
• Recently catching his buttoned-down character in Jackson’s Wharf on late night TV and cringing
• Behind-the-scenes dynamics on and off the set of Stickmen
• His amusing audition process for The Strip
• How he joined The Naked Samoans and the joys of making Sione’s Wedding
• Cultural insights from the set of The Tattooist
• Auditioning for his role on Shortland Street

This video was first uploaded on 25 October 2011, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview, Camera and Editing - James Coleman