Former Shortland Street star Ryan O’Kane is moving across the ditch to Sydney – albeit for a six-week film shoot. When the actor and his wife, hairstylist and actress Jazmyne van Gosliga, sit down to chat with Woman’s Day, they’re trying to figure out how to tell the kids.
“Six weeks is a long time to be away from two little girls,” says Ryan, 42, adding that it’s the longest that Saachi, four, and Arden, three, will have spent without dad so far.
He and Jazmyne, 30, have a village primed to take over childcare while Ryan’s filming the movie Scoby in Oz with 800 Words actresses Emma Leonard and Michelle Langstone. Luckily, owning her own salon, Jazmyne dictates her work hours. “Ask me three weeks into it if I still feel the same, but I think it’s going to be fine,” she smiles.
They might show the kids an episode of Bluey where the cartoon canine’s father spends six weeks away. “If Bluey’s dad can do it, then I reckon I can do it too,” jokes Ryan, who played twins Dylan and Daniel Reinhart on Shortland Street, as well as starring in the TV movie Tangiwai: A Love Story and playing surgeon Riley Hawkins on Home And Away.
The kids are still at an age where they can’t quite grasp that Ryan and Jazmyne play pretend for a living. Jazmyne, who’s appeared in Kid Sister and The Brokenwood Mysteries, took Saachi to a film in which she played a mother, thinking she’d love it. “She was like, ‘I don’t want you to be her mummy – I want you to be my mummy!’”
Ryan stars as Principal Wilson in Three’s new comedy series n00b. The story follows five Kiwi teenagers coming of age in Gore back in 2005, at the advent of internet culture.
“It’s funny, it’s in your face and it’s confrontational,” says Ryan, who is one of only a handful of established actors amid a cast of young talent. “I feel like the oldest person in the entire show!”
He hopes that the series will be compared to similarly teen-focused shows like Derry Girls or The Inbetweeners. “At that age, everything was just about sex, experimentation and awakening,” he tells.
Ryan grew up in Dunedin and has an early memory of watching his dad build a set for a theatre show, which might be where his love of acting began. He and his family now live in Auckland’s Beach Haven, where they’ve invited us for this photoshoot.
“We’re still making smaller alterations to this place, but we’re very much in love with it,” explains Ryan. “It’s situated amongst the native bush and there’s so much birdlife. We’re so very lucky.”
He’s an introvert, while Nelson-born Jazmyne is an extrovert. They complement each other, says Ryan, “which is why this works”.
Jazmyne nods, “I like new adventures, I like hobbies, I go to pottery classes and I do art classes. I’m the kind of person where I’m open to anything and everything.
Ryan adds, “Whereas I’m into Star Trek and painting figurines, and that’s it! My ultimate acting dream would be to be on Star Trek.”
Despite their own hectic schedules, they have some non-negotiables, such as regular food-focused date nights, which often end in watching gritty crime thrillers on TV, and also having their neighbours over for a meal once a week.
“It’s also really important for us to be able to take the girls to school together,” says Jazmyne. “And we’re both either at home for dinner or putting them to bed. We’re seeing them at the start or the end of the day.”
The girls love ballet, and playing firefighters and doctors, often putting on shows for their folks. Ryan has a role in a play next year that he hopes Saachi will be old enough to see. He muses that watching her dad perform could “maybe kindle” an interest in acting.
“Or maybe not,” he adds. “Both mine and Jazmyne’s parents are very supportive of us being actors, but it can be quite trying for them. My mum only relaxes when I have a job.”
Laughing, Jazmyne jokes, “No, our kids are not allowed to be actors – it’s too hard! It’s definitely a difficult industry and it’s amazing when you’ve got work, but that in-between can be really tough.”
n00b screens 8.30pm Thursdays on Three, with the entire series on ThreeNow.