Witness the fitness:

New Zealand actor and gym owner Joe Naufahu (right) talks to Sarah Nealon about Maori TV’s School Of Training, his first reality show.

Reality series looks to ancient Rome.

As an actor, Joe Naufahu is used to pretending to be someone else. But for his latest TV job the only person he has had to be is himself. Naufahu, who appeared in

Game Of Thrones’ sixth season as Dothraki warlord Khal Moro, is hosting a new Maori TV reality show. It is based around the style of exercise practised at the gym business he has owned since 2010 called Ludus Magnus School Of Training, with the name Ludus Magnus coming from a gladiatorial arena in ancient Rome.

School Of Training is the name of Naufahu’s reality show where four men and four women endure a series of challenges to see who is the best fitness trainer.

“I guess it’s like a cross between maybe The Apprentice, Survivor and The Amazing Race,” says Naufahu. The winner lands a job at Naufahu’s gym.

Naufahu, whose older brother Rene played Shortland Street ambulance driver Sam Aleni, says this is the first time he has been in a reality show.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” he says. “It’s required quite a different approach. A lot of it is thinking on the spot and ad-libbing.”

Viewers may recall Naufahu from his Go Girls role where he played Eli, a rugby player who was confused about his sexuality. But it was his stint on Game Of Thrones which really grabbed people’s attention. Since then he has completed

Cowboy Drifter, an Indie film shot in New Mexico. There was also a small role in sci-fi flick Ghost In

The Shell with Scarlett Johansson. However he’s not about to ditch New Zealand for Hollywood.

“I won’t go over there and do the actor thing and sit around and wait tables and stuff,” he says.

“I’ve got two beautiful children who I spend a lot of time with. I’ve got a daughter Eva who’s 10 and my son Freddy who’s eight and I love them to bits. And if I wasn’t going for a reason it would be too hard to be away from them.”