Where are the original Shortland Street cast members today?

Few of Michael’s old castmates are shocked he’s become a staple on Shorty. Kieren Hutchison, who starred as Jonathon McKenna during the early days of the soap, tells Woman’s Day, “I learnt a lot from watching Mike. He was already very famous when I met him – so glamorous and fun – but always welcoming and warm to new cast members. Even as a young actor, he had leadership qualities and craft to spare, so it’s no surprise to me that he became the backbone of the show.”

Michael, 60, who is also an award-winning playwright, has passed on his acting genes to his daughter Lily, 19.

He says, “She is very good at it. If that’s what she really wants to do, then of course I’ll support her 1000%.”

He’s not in Guatemala any more, but Tem’s enjoyed international acclaim since his stint on the soap. After getting global attention for his role in Once Were Warriors, he landed parts in Six Days, Seven Nights, Speed 2, several Star Wars films, both Moana movies and Aquaman, in which he played Nicole Kidman’s husband and Jason Momoa’s dad.

A shorty to Hollywood

He has since starred alongside Jason again in the epic Hawaiian series Chief Of War and new film Wrecking Crew. But he hasn’t forgotten his roots, returning to Shorty briefly in 2008, and starring in local films like Mt Zion, Mahana and Ka Whawhai Tonu.

Tem, 65, recently told Woman’s Day he fell in love with showbiz while shooting the 1984 film Other Halves in Rotorua because of the catering table, explaining, “It was the first time I’d seen walnuts in a salad, so I decided to become an actor right then, after lunch.”

After becoming the first core cast member to leave the show, Danielle, 55, went on to appear in Kiwi projects like The Strip and Maddigan’s Quest, before crossing the Ditch to become one of Australia’s most treasured acting talents with roles on shows like Wentworth, Rake and Underbelly.

From Madam to The Twelve

Most recently, she returned to New Zealand to star alongside Martin as a seasoned prostitute in Madam, acted opposite Sir Sam Neill in the third season of legal drama The Twelve and appeared in Return To Paradise.

Of her time on Shorty, Danielle says, “That was the one that was a springboard for me. It was a stigma I tried to lose the minute I left the show because, back then, there was a weird misnomer that being part of a soap would harm your career, but it was the opposite.”

The Aucklander was just 17 when he arrived on set, becoming a teen heart-throb and paving the way for Tinseltown acting dreams he’d had since his first school play at age 10.

Martin, 51, recalls, “I’d never have admitted this to anyone because of the whole tall-poppy thing, but I remember lying in bed after the play, thinking, ‘Acting was fun!’ Of course, as a little kid, your mind instantly goes to Hollywood, just as a boy scoring his first try thinks of the All Blacks.”

From Australia to Hollywood

After a stint in Australia, including a role in Home And Away, Martin moved to LA at 25. He has since starred opposite Jennifer Garner in Miracles From Heaven, kissed Britney Spears in her Toxic music video and played Dr Nathan Riggs on Grey’s Anatomy, where his first day on set gave him Ferndale flashbacks.

“It was surreal being in a hospital again,” he shares.

“I did have a moment where I looked around and went, ‘Wow! It’s the same thing, just thousands of miles away on the other side of the Pacific.’”

Back to Kiwi screens

Martin has returned to Aotearoa for local shows like Madam and My Life Is Murder, in between playing lead Jack Sheridan in the cult Netflix romance Virgin River, which returns for its seventh season next month.