Pictures: Lucinda Tarrant
It’s been a “topsy-turvy” year for Kiwi actor Alex Tarrant. One minute, the former Shortland Street star was lapping up island life with a lead role on NCIS: Hawai’i. The next, the show was cancelled, prompting the difficult decision of whether to return to Aotearoa with his actress wife Lucinda and their six-year-old son Beau or to ride out the challenge abroad.
It’s only seven months on that the 33-year-old’s finally processing the end of a life-changing professional chapter, yet he’s smiling, hopeful and optimistic.
“I’m always trying to find the silver linings,” he grins, chatting to Woman’s Day from his home in Hawai’i.
It’s the same attitude that carried Alex through his Raglan childhood, where he dived through rough surf for seafood to help feed his whānau. Struggling to fit in at school, it wasn’t until he joined a production of High School Musical that he found his people and love for acting.
Thanks to support from his English teacher, Alex travelled to London to attend workshops at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, studied at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, then landed roles in shows like 800 Words, Filthy Rich, Shortland Street (where he played disgraced doctor Lincoln Kimiora), The Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power and NCIS: Hawai’i.
The tightknit cast of NCIS, which included Vanessa Lachey and LL Cool J, had just wrapped season three when Alex headed to Queenstown to film TVNZ’s A Remarkable Place To Die with Chelsie Preston Crayford and Rebecca Gibney.
“I was on set and my agent called saying to brace myself for an article coming out,” he tells. “I remember knuckling down and getting on with the job to distract myself from the cancellation news.
“That feeling kept me going until recently, when I saw the cast for the first time since then in LA. We went to a café and all said hi, but it was time to say goodbye. That’s when everything sunk in that it was the end of a chapter. Then, I allowed myself to feel the loss.”
However, the show’s “amazing” fans continue fighting for its revival. Working on a primetime US series has given Alex confidence in his abilities. Since successfully applying for a US Green Card, he has recently filmed the pilot for a comedy called DMV, about the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In the meantime, fans can catch Alex as Valandil in the Prime Video series Rings Of Power, in which he felt honoured to “represent my culture inside a fantasy world”, and in A Remarkable Place To Die, where he plays medical examiner Ihaka.
While she didn’t share any scenes with her husband, Luci, 38, also stars in the series as helicopter company employee Lynda. The couple put Beau in a Kiwi school during their Queenstown stint. They say the youngster took the change in scenery in his stride.
“Beau’s a testament to Alex’s mindset,” says Luci. She has appeared in Mean Mums, Auckward Love and Ash Vs Evil Dead. “He can handle things many six-year-olds can’t because he has Alex as his dad. They’re a great team. We keep our stresses away from him and have made it into an adventure for him. He’s always happy to go on an airplane.”
Alex adds, “He sees everything as an adventure, goes with the flow and adjusts well.”
Alex is getting Beau into golf, and plans to instil more of his Māori, Samoan and Niuean heritage into him. The two are learning te reo together. It’s a gift Alex would like Beau to have since his parents were encouraged to conform to English-speaking culture.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been disconnected from my culture,” he says. “There’s an upcoming documentary opportunity that will help me learn more and Beau will be part of that. As I’m learning, he’ll be learning, which is exciting.”
The cultural melting pot of Hawai’i has been inspiring for the family. They’ve formed strong community ties working with the International Cultural Arts Network, helping upskill local actors.
Luci says they’d love to stay there but will “see where the wind blows us”. As long as they’re together, they’ll ride out the “topsy-turvy” patches – as they have for the 15 years they’ve been together.
Luci believes being each other’s best friend has been key, while Alex adds overcoming obstacles has made them stronger.
“A healthy relationship isn’t all rainbows and butterflies,” he says. “Luci holds up the mirror to me and I do the same for her. We’re constantly finding ways to improve – for ourselves and each other.”
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