Dr Hone Ropata’s much anticipated return to Shortland Street will see him schmoozing with nurses, upsetting a few characters, and gaining a new love interest. DOMINIKA WHITE speaks exclusively with Temuera Morrison about reprising his famous alter ego.
Temuera Morrison is excited about returning to “the street” after a 13 year absence, during which time he rubbed shoulders with Hollywood’s elite and even had a Star Wars action figure doll modelled on his likeness.
Still looking every bit as buff and confident, he tells SPASIFIKmag.com that audiences won’t be seeing a softer version of Dr Hone Ropata - the role he is reprising on New Zealand’s most successful television drama Shortland Street – even if he is 47 years of age now.
“Well see him schmoozing with nurses, upsetting a few characters, and gaining a new love interest,” he explains.
Shortland Street fans will see Morrison on 5 June just before Shortland Street’s 4000th episode. Dr Ropata returns as a highly-strung consultant after working in Africa.
So what changes can we expect from Dr Ropata? For one thing, Morrison says he won’t be standing on phone books anymore to look taller. The Maori actor revealed that to SPASIFIK in its special exclusive Shortland Street 15 year anniversary Issue 20, May-June 2007. “I don’t need to, Dr Ropata has got younger and better looking,” he laughs.
He cringes at what Ropata used to look like though, when he played the part from 1992-1995. “I don’t know what was up with the mullet look,” he quips.
For the uninitiated, Dr Ropata was immortalised in Shortland Street’s history by a line he never he said, but what was said to him by Nurse Carrie Burton (played by Lisa Crittenden): “You’re not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata.”
Morrison says that line has lived with him right until this day with many of the older fans approaching him about it.
“It’s either that one or ‘cook me some eggs’,” he says, referring to his starring role as Jake ‘the Muss’ Heke on ‘Once were Warriors’.
Born in Rotorua, Morrison draws his Maori heritage from Te Arawa, Ngati Maniapoto and Ngati Rarua iwi.
Filming for Morrison’s part began in May and he is happy to be back on set, even though it is faster paced compared to movies. He explains that a movie can work on about two or five minutes of the film a day, whereas an entire Shortland Street episode has to be filmed in that space of time.
Dr Ropata will appear in a large chunk of the shows because he only has six weeks on set. “It’s pretty full on,” he explains. “I didn’t think it was going to be this busy for me. But they didn’t want to disappoint the audience so they’ve made it quite busy for me. It’s been great coming back. It’s nice to come back to catch up with the crew. It’s nice to see Michael Galvin.”
Morrison hopes to continue with movies, but says he needs to get back to the United States to land roles as the competition in the acting industry is high.
He already has a few projects in the pipelines, including a science fiction television movie called ‘Captain Drake’.
He is also participating in a New Zealand television show where he will go around New Zealand with others to race V8 utes.
Morrison says he hopes his appearance on Shortland Street doesn’t harm the show’s high ratings at the moment.
“They’ll have a laugh at least,” he says.
