An actor all his life
When a newborn Feleti Aulika (pictured above, with Sally Martin) made his screen debut as Pele Kruse, his mum Tess had no idea he would still be playing the character five years later. “He loves it at Shortland Street,” she says. “Every time our contract gets renewed I talk to him and say, ‘They’re going to need us a bit longer at work. Is that all right with you?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah’. “He actually really enjoys it. He never not wants to go there.” Only once has the drama been too much for the wee actor and that was during the show’s 25th-anniversary episode when the Ferndale volcano erupted. “He was with Nana Jen (Jennifer Ludlam, who plays Leanne) and I think her acting was so real that he started crying for real on set while (the cameras) were rolling,” Tess Aulika says. “It worked really well for what they needed to get but he actually thought it was happening so he got a bit of a shock but he was fine after that.” Aulika was nearing the end
of her second pregnancy when she saw a social-media post seeking someone about to have a part-Samoan baby to play the baby son of Nicole (Sally Martin) and Vinnie Kruse (the late Pua Magasiva).
“I heard from Andrea a couple of weeks later and she said, ‘You’re the only one who applied. Can we come and take some photos once baby is born?’ We weren’t looking for it and we certainly didn’t expect to be there for as long we have been,” says Aulika.
“It took a toll on me because I was so nervous, wanting him to do what they needed him to.
“Every time they needed us I’d make sure I’d feed him just before he went on so he’d be so relaxed that he’d just sleep and get passed around and be fine.”
She acknowledges that she couldn’t have done it without the support of her extended family.
“I’ve got three boys but I live with all my family and when I have to take Feleti to work there’s always someone who can do the school run for my older son or look after baby. It’s been real lucky that we’re able to go in whenever they need us,” she says.
“It is worth doing if you are able to be flexible with coming in. You don’t know how long you are going to be there each time so you’ll need a good support system for other children if you have other children.”
Now Feleti is older – like Pele he started school last year – he has his own lines to say and it’s up to his mum to ensure he learns them.
She goes through them with him the day before, and again just before, filming.
“And he remembers. That blows my mind. Because sometimes it’s a conversation and he has to wait for what I say before he says his lines and he does it.”