New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison has worked alongside Jason Momoa, first as his father in “Aquaman” movies and later as King Kahekili, his rival, in the Apple TV+ mini-series “Chief of War.”
In September, Momoa called Morrison one of his “idols” when speaking with Aloha State Daily about “Chief of War.” Now, the actors are starring together in “The Wrecking Crew,” where Morrison plays the governor of Hawai’i.
The fast-paced action comedy features estranged brothers Jonny (Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista), who reunite in Hawai’i to find out who murdered their father. The movie launched on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 27. Here is how to watch.
“Hey, if there's any chance to work in Hawai’i, that's the best place to work in the world,” Morrison told ASD. “Stay on Waikīkī. Go and do some filming. Come back to Waikīkī. Have a little swim. Go eat. Go to the mall — Royal Hawaiian [Center] — and watch a little hula. Go try some malasada donuts. Oh, my God.”
“The Wrecking Crew” included 12 days of filming in Hawaiʻi and 43 days in New Zealand, Angela Laprete, the Hawaiʻi producer for the movie told ASD. Laprete is a founder of the Hawai’i Film Alliance, which formed in July and is advocating for tax incentives that could bring more movies and television shows to Hawai’i.
Morrison first captured Momoa’s attention when he played Jake Heke, the violent and alcoholic father at the heart of “Once Were Warriors” (1994), one of the most successful movies in New Zealand film history.
“I think he'd seen my movie ‘Once Were Warriors,’ which I was a big part of and it moved him in a way that actually put him into acting,” Morrison said. “So, when ‘Aquaman’ came along, I think he was a big mover in getting me to play his dad. He's just been a big fan of mine. He's like my son, really.”
Over the years, Morrison played Boba Fett in the “Star Wars” movies and the voice of Chief Tui in “Moana,” among other roles. Recently, Morrison and Momoa appeared in “Chief of War,” which was filmed mostly in ‘Olelo Hawai’i. “The Wrecking Crew” focuses on the Hawaiian side of where Momoa grew up, he added.
“He's worked hard,” Morrison said. “He's put himself in a nice, viable place now, where we can make these kind of movies.”
Morrison said with a laugh that he doesn’t look like the state’s current governor, Josh Green.
“Sometimes I ask myself, ‘What the hell am I doing in this film?’” he said. “But anyway, my buddy is asking, so I better just turn up and be the governor.’”
Morrison remembers the first time he met Bautista.
“I met Dave Bautista some time ago, too, when he first started out,” he said. “It was really nice to reconnect with Dave. In fact, when I saw Dave on set for the first time, he goes, ‘Do you remember me?’ I said, ʻOf course, I remember you!’”
They originally met while working together on one of the “Scorpion King” movies. Bautista was “still pretty new to the whole acting scene” and was trying to learn his lines, he added.
“I was giving him some hints: ʻWell, this is how you learn your dialogue, Dave. You don't put any emphasis on it. You just learn it flat,’” he said. “Later on, when you start to work with the other actor, that’s when the color will come.”
Learning the lines without inflection allows for more authentic emotional responses to the other actors in a scene, he explained.
“But if you started to shape it in the rehearsal now — or while you're at home at night — it's hard to break those patterns because you'll just get into your rhythm,” he said. “It’s best not to have any rhythm, any pattern, any emphasis anywhere until you start working with the other actors.”
On set for "The Wrecking Crew," Bautista recounted that advice and presented Morrison with a pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses as a thank you, Morrison added.
“So again, at all kinds of levels, we're having fun,” he said.
As viewers stream the movie, he wants them to also have fun.
“Where there's Polynesians, there's also a lot of comedy,” he said. “It's a great popcorn movie to sit down, take the family, have a good old laugh. It’s very colorful. There's a few surprises.”
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
