Emmy-winning actress filming in Lower Hutt
In a grand old house tucked away in Lower Hutt, a film crew are busy bustling through with their equipment.
Amid towering wardrobes, stacks of pillows and linen, there’s a certain energy in the cast and crew of Reunion, a dark thriller.
Settling into a bedroom overflowing with props, Emmy Award-winning actress Julia Ormond (Howards End, Ladies in Black and HBO movie Temple Grandin, for which she won the Emmy) describes herself as being part way through a ‘‘marathon’’ of filming Reunion.
‘‘Frankly you’re catching me at the period where it’s really getting to me as an actor. It’s a struggle and it’s challenging. And it’s one of those roles where it should be,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s like running a marathon. You know you’ve got to do it and you know you’ve got to pace yourself, but your legs are feeling a bit wobbly. I’m right there with wobbly legs.’’
The Surrey-born actress, well known for roles stretching back to the 1990s such as Sabrina, has taken on the lead role of mother Ivy, in director Jake Mahaffy’s latest movie, shot on location in Lower Hutt.
This time around, the awardwinning director is telling the story of a mother and daughter packing up their old home, when they have to face the trauma that lies in their family history.
‘‘I found the script really engaging and it kept me on my toes. But it was a strange mix, an unusual mix and I think Jake as a director has shown he’s quite uncompromising – in a good way – about the integrity of what he wanted it to be,’’ Ormond said.
It’s her first time working with Mahaffy and she said that she felt like she always learnt a lot when she worked with someone who was ‘‘up and coming’’.
Ormond is joined on set by New Zealand actress Emma Draper (What We Do In The Shadows), who plays her daughter ‘‘anxious’’ Ellie.
‘‘I’ve been blown away. She’s doing really beautiful work.’’
Other cast members include Cohen Holloway (Hunt For The Wilderpeople) and John Bach (The Light Between Oceans).
Ormond touched down in New Zealand a month ago – her first proper visit to the country – and said her time here had just flown by.
‘‘I love the fact my job has given me the opportunity to go all around the world and work in different cultures. There are things I’m still learning – things I’m learning as an actor and how cultures do it in a different way.’’