Keisha Castle-Hughes

Keisha Castle-Hughes found fame at 12, when Whale Rider became an international hit. Her debut performance as spirited Māori girl Pai scored an Oscar nomination. She followed a variety of international roles with local success, including TV show The Almighty Johnsons and acclaim and a Qantas award for telemovie Piece of My Heart. In 2015 she joined the cast of hit series Game of Thrones.

...Castle-Hughes, who's never acted before, is totally beguiling ... she possesses an innate grace that makes her transformation from outcast adolescent to spiritual warrior seem utterly natural. David Ansen, reviewing Whale Rider in Newsweek, 8 June 2003