Kip Chapman

Kip Chapman hit the mainstream via 80 episodes of Shortland Street, playing Waverley Wilson's country cousin Eltham. In 2005 he starred in Cannes-invited short Nothing Special, as a man whose mum thinks he's Jesus. Qantas nominated for playing "ultimate hedonist" Levi in TV drama The Hothouse, Chapman has also acted in Westside and Jane Campion's Top of the Lake. In quake drama Hope and Wire he was an abusive skinhead. Chapman has also made his mark in theatre. Founder of the Auckland Theatre Awards, he co-created hits Apollo 13 and Hudson and Halls Live!, and directed suffrage musical That Bloody Woman.

I love playing someone so completely different to myself. Someone who's confident enough to do things I wouldn't be able to do in real life. Kip Chapman on playing Eltham Wilson in Shortland Street, TVNZ website, 2004