Tour guide to movie star
Gary of in a fringe production, PolyZygotic. She then auditioned for a Pacific musical, The Factory, playing a factory worker. ‘‘I then came back to Wellington and did some soul-searching. I started teaching students dancing, but I knew I wanted to be on stage.’’
In the film, she drew on her own experience having four brothers for the role. Gary reminded her of her own brother, Mose, who is the same age.
‘‘You had all these other characters who were, like, idiots. Lani was the heart of the film, the only one that had a clue.
‘‘The film became about family FAIRFAX NZ making when she had to come to grips with terminology that actors like Matt Whelan (of Go Girls, who plays her fiance), take for granted. Getting a crash course over the month, her daughter, now 2, was in the Cook Islands with her for part of the filming.
‘‘The hardest challenge for me was not knowing what was going on. Like, ‘Oh my gosh, are we actually filming right now?’ But the crew was awesome.’’
In her day job, the selfdescribed ‘‘people person’’ works as a Te Papa tour host, which she describes as another type of performance.
Her father hoped she would become a musician like him – he plays the piano in the Samoan church – as she also loves singing.
‘‘I was Dad’s baby. I was the child that had nomumfor 14 years, until he married my stepmother.
‘‘Now I think I’ve found my thing. But my children have to be my very first priority. It has to all work around them.’’ ● Gary of the Pacific (M) is playing in New Zealand cinemas now.