Shortland Street extras meet actors

Wednesday 1: Locals involved in the production of a Shortland Street episode being shot here were kept busy yesterday as they tackled some of the 22 scenes for the show this week.

South Pacific Pictures’ Shortland Street publicist Rachel Keereweer took Cook Islands News on a bit of a tour of the set for one of the scenes shot at The Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa bar.

Today Keereweer is set to announce the winner of the ‘biggest fan’ competition where one lucky local will get to meet actors Toni Potter, who plays nurse Alice Piper, and Will Hall who fans know as Dr Kip Denton.

But for the last two days locals cast as extras have managed to spend some time with the Shorty Street faces too.

Even Miss Cook Islands Krystina Kauvai got in on the act as an extra in scenes shot on Monday night. Punanga Kaveao, was also brought on as an extra in one of the scenes yesterday. Kaveao is no stranger to the camera as a longtime performer and dancer and has had previous acting roles, including being cast as an island girl in the 2001 movie The Other Side of Heaven.

Marty Iro, who was in one of the scenes shot yesterday describes his part on the show as ‘extra extra’ after he got a call saying he would even have lines in his scenes.

“When I got the call to be in it, I thought why not have a bit of fun. It got a bit more serious when they said you have a few lines,” says Iro.

Iro plays a barman at the resort in the Rarotonga ‘romance’ episode.

Keereweer says some extra time is taken up with shoots as the camera has to be moved three times for the scenes in Rarotonga because they only brought one camera.

Back at the studio in Auckland there’s always three cameras to capture all the angles.

Both Toni Potter and Will Hall are keen to get to their scooter riding scene this week. Potter says she spent three years going to acting school on a scooter, but Hall on the other hand has had a lot of experience on Harley and Norton motorcycles.

Potter says she thinks Rarotonga is beautiful and that everyone has been really friendly.

When asked if Alice and Kip should get together, Hall says it’s not a good idea as Alice has too much baggage.

“Kip should get together with Xavier,” he says.

Hall says coming to Rarotonga has been great because his character has been stuck in the ‘hospital’ for so long and shooting here is better than the ‘old warehouse’ in Auckland.

The Shortland Street crew will wrap up the shoot by Friday when Potter and Hall are due to pay a visit to Avatea School.

Journalists from New Zealand’s Women Weekly and the New Zealand Herald are also here this week to do articles on the show and Rarotonga as a travel destination. - HG