It’s been 23 years since Shortland Street’s Minnie Crozier swapped Ferndale for life on the farm with her boyfriend Stratford Wilson, played by Antony Starr. But Katrina Devine, who portrayed the troubled teen-turned-receptionist, isn’t convinced Minnie got her rural happy-ever-after.
“She was too prissy for farm life, so I don’t imagine she would’ve lasted long!” laughs Katrina, now 44. “Hopefully she ventured overseas and explored the world – like I did!”
Katrina set out abroad after starring on Shorty and Power Rangers, settling in Ontario, Canada, where her Kiwi ties remain strong – she chats to Woman’s Day about rocking an All Blacks jersey while watching the rugby recently.
Born in Ireland, the actress moved to Aotearoa at age six with mum Geri and dad Tommy. She was just 13 when she landed Shorty.
“I was a baby!” recalls Katrina. “Desperately, I wanted to be an actress. I did one audition and got it, so I thought that was how the world worked. I was nervous and excited, but Robyn Malcolm, who played my mama, took me under her wing.”
Shorty became Katrina’s drama school, teaching her everything from time management to memorising scripts. She also won Best Supporting Actress at the 1998 New Zealand Television Awards and found love with her co-star Blair Strang, who played Rangi Heremaia. They wed in 2001 and split in 2003.
“We got married when I was 21. That marriage was so innocent and young,” says Katrina, who has a younger sister named Colleen and five half-siblings. “We weren’t married long, but Blair was my first relationship.”
Starring on primetime TV and being in a high-profile romance catapulted Katrina into the limelight.
“It’s amazing I didn’t go off the rails because it was a lot to go through as a young person,” she reflects. “There was negativity and judgement, and I was reading things about myself that just weren’t true. People would decide what I was like as a person or call me nasty names based on my character, but you take the good with the bad and I got through it.”
Katrina credits Geri for helping her stay grounded and remembering that fame isn’t the be-all and end-all. Those lessons were key after she left Shorty and faced the “shock” of being unable to land work on other Kiwi TV shows, due to always being so strongly recognised as Minnie.
Although she finally got gigs on Xena: Warrior Princess and Street Legal, it was on Auckland-based US shows where Katrina began landing steady work, like on Power Rangers Ninja Storm and Power Rangers DinoThunder.
Katrina formed great friendships with castmates, some of whom lived in Canada, so that’s where she headed 19 years ago. Going from being well-known in Aotearoa to a “small fish in a big pond” was “humbling”, she admits.
Katrina nabbed roles in short film The Gift and horror movie Left For Dead. However, she eventually pivoted into early-childhood education and now teaches kindergarten kids. “It’s like acting – you’re on stage with little people as your audience!”
Having summers off was a drawcard, especially after she welcomed her son Jason with an ex-partner. However, motherhood proved harder than she imagined.
Katrina smiles, “When they gave me my baby and said, ‘Take this child home and keep it alive,’ I was like, ‘Where’s the instruction manual?’ They’re so little and can’t tell you what they want. I like being good at things, but I didn’t know how and had a lot of anxiety.
“Luckily, Mum came over for three months. She had to make me go to sleep because I would stay up making sure he was breathing. It was six months before I started getting the hang of it.”
Katrina amicably split with Jason’s father. The pair have maintained a strong co-parenting relationship by always putting their son’s interests first.
That healthy bond was key once Katrina found new love with Canadian country musician Brad James, who has a 12-year-old son. The pair first met 15 years ago, but they reconnected only a few years ago at one of his shows, where they bonded over their shared love for acting and music.
Katrina has since inspired Brad’s tunes. She smiles, “He’s got the guitar, singing to me. Well, who wouldn’t fall in love?! He’s smart, funny, and makes me feel safe and good about myself.”
After previously discussing marriage, the pair spontaneously decided they should tie the knot in Las Vegas last December. They did it in the same chapel where Kourtney Kardashian wed Travis Barker, Katrina says.
“My favourite moment was saying ‘I do’ and knowing I’ve finally met The One.”
Her Kiwi family visited Canada in July for a bigger celebration and Katrina then took the whānau on her Nashville honeymoon.
“Brad’s so great to let them come along! Jason thinks his son is amazing, which has helped as the kids adjust to our new family.”
While Jason’s more into soccer and taekwondo than showbiz, he reckons it’s awesome his mum was in Power Rangers, even if peers aren’t convinced.
Katrina grins, “Imagine being a kid going, ‘My mum’s on Power Rangers,’ and his friends are like, ‘Yeah, right – and my dad’s Spider-Man!’”
The star remains awed by the cult following of Power Rangers. She regularly appears at fan conventions, where viewers know everything about her and recite her lines. There, she catches up with fellow Kiwi stars, including Paul Gittins, who played clinic boss Dr Michael McKenna.
She laughs, “He didn’t recognise me at first, but then [fellow Shorty actor] Oliver Driver went, ‘That’s Katrina Devine!’”
Having missed acting while focusing on motherhood, Katrina’s now back on the audition circuit and hopes to land a comedy. She also lights up at the idea of returning to Ferndale for a cameo. “That would be amazing!”
Until then, she’s excited to introduce Brad to Aotearoa over the summer. Jason has been many times. “Initially, he was like, ‘Mummy, why don’t they wear shoes?’ Then he got into it and was all, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to wear shoes either.’
“I’d love to live in New Zealand again. Every time I return, I always feel amazed by the beauty. I took it for granted living there.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
