She plays Kiwi cougar Cara, a 39-year-old mum who falls for 25-year-old Dave, on the hit TV2 comedy Step Dave. But last week, Sia Trokenheim and co-star Jono Kenyon came face-to-face with a host of wild animals when they played zoo keepers for a day at Auckland Zoo. Helping clean enclosures and feed the animals, the duo also got a chance to be hands on, petting Galápagos tortoises and cheetahs.
For Sia, the highlight of the day came as a surprise – giving a tortoise a massage! “I’ve never seen the fascination, but getting up close and being able to touch one was incredible,” she says. “I gave him a little scrub on his back and you could see he really enjoyed it!”
With filming now wrapped for the first series, the duo are eagerly awaiting news as to whether a second season will be made. But in the meantime, Sia is looking forward to some downtime with her 20-month-old son.
“Trying to balance work and home life has been very stressful at times. I feel like I’ve missed out on five months of my son’s development!”
Photographs by: Stephanie Creagh
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
Sia Trokenheim and Step Dave co-star Jono Kenyon played zoo keepers for a day at Auckland Zoo.
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
Sia and Jono meet the ring-tailed lemurs.
G_lemur
Jono says they got to hand feed them grapes.
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
The lemurs reminded Sia of George, who plays Logan on the show.
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
Getting up close to the exotic animals was humbling, says Sia.
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
With the cotton-top tamarins.
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
Up close with the zoo insects.
Sia and Jono from Step Dave at zoo
Jono fed carrots to 45-year-old Smiley the tortoise, gave him a massage, and then took a selfie.
Jono and Smiley’s selfie
Give us your best smiley!