Robert Trathen.
Kiwi actress and former Shortland Street star Te Ao o Hinepehinga is going global after landing a lead role in the Apple TV+ miniseries Chief Of War. She’s also the envy of many around the world when they learn who her co-star is.
Stream Chief of War now on Apple TV+ with a 7 day FREE trial. Subscribe here.
Te Ao’s big break
Te Ao plays Kupuohi, the wife of Hollywood heavyweight Jason Momoa’s character in the epic $570m production. The role saw her attend the blockbuster’s red-carpet premiere in Hawai’i just two weeks after she celebrated her 30th birthday.
“It’s such an honour to be one of the few non-Hawaiians on this project, along with legends like Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis,” she explains.
This is the first series of this size to be directed, produced and starring native Hawaiians for the international stage. Told from an indigenous perspective, Chief Of War is the story of a powerful warrior. Played by Jason, who seeks to unite the warring Hawaiian islands to save them from colonisation.
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It’s a giant leap for Te Ao, whose first big break was in the Kiwi TV show Head High. Followed with a pivotal role on Shortland Street, playing nurse Waimarama Glover.
“I’ll probably never do a show this big again,” Te Ao says of the plum role that took her to Hawai’i for filming, then to locations across Aotearoa.
Thrown into the deep end
It was full-on from the moment she stepped on set.
“As soon as I touched down in Hawai’i, I met some of the cast, then I was flown to Maui to film my first scene beneath a beautiful waterfall,” reveals Te Ao.
“It was an intimate moment between husband and wife – which is how I first met Jason!”
Working with intimacy coordinators, including New Zealand acting legend Jennifer Ward-Lealand, the Gisborne-born star took it all in her stride.
“We were technically nude, so it was a weird way to get to know my co-star, on top of him being Jason flipping Momoa!” she laughs.
“But J [Jason] was so respectful as my boobs were taped. The bandeau I was meant to wear wouldn’t stay on in the water. “I was lucky to be able to wear scuba pants because J was just in a dancer’s belt [a thong support garment used by male dancers], as he needed to appear nude from behind. Of course, his beautiful Polynesian booty is a big part of the show!”
Behind the scenes
With Jason and Te Ao spending the better part of her first day under the crystal-clear waterfall, he also showed her his tender side.
“After about five hours, my lips started to turn blue and J kept checking I was OK,” Te Ao recalls.
“Not that he’s my type, but Lord knows lots of my cousins were jealous!” Sadly, for fans eager to see this steamy scene, it didn’t make the final cut – but it still makes for a great story from filming. As for Te Ao’s type when it comes to a real-life love interest? That honour goes to French-born Theo, an East Coast-raised high-performance specialist. “Theo and I met in Gisborne 10 years ago and we have been together seven years,” she says, before going on to talk about how blessed she feels to have a man like Theo because he’s endlessly supportive of her career.
“We know we want to spend the rest of our lives together,” says Te Ao.
“He takes such good care of me when I’m working myself to the bone.”
Fighting for her spot
Theo was with her every step of the way. As she jumped through hoops to land the coveted Chief Of War role.
“My first two auditions were self-tapes, then we went back and forth about eight times,” she explains.
“There were Zooms with the casting director and the creative team.”
Te Ao later learnt that due to it being a native story, they wanted an all-Kanaka Maoli crew. From actors and writers, to producers and directors, Jason was understandably determined that the cast be indigenous.
“But when they couldn’t find exactly who they wanted for some of the roles, they extended the call to wider Polynesia and after about five months, l was finally offered the part,” Te Ao tells.
From Hawai’i to home soil
Then it was all hands-on deck with Te Ao in Hawai’i for close to two months at the end of 2022. Before returning to film around Aotearoa through much of 2023.
“The month in O‘ahu Island in Hawai’i was incredible,” she enthuses.
“Double-hulled waka were built in the traditional way especially for the ocean scenes and we sailed in crystal-blue open water off Ma¯kaha Beach on the island’s west side. “Ma¯kaha is also home
to dolphins. Every morning, I’d get my makeup done as quickly as I could, then run to the water a couple of metres from my trailer, where I’d sit on the beach and watch dolphins leaping through the air.”
After a month on O‘ahu, they moved to the Big lsland.
“For three weeks, we shot at night, filming massive battle scenes on these magnificent black lava fields,” Te Ao says of the ambitious project.
“When you see the lava fields from the plane, they go on for what feels like forever. They also set like glass. So much work went into making everything safe for us, with experts cordoning off different areas where we could work each day.”
Her most demanding role yet
Without a doubt, playing the wife of Jason’s chief Karana has been the most demanding role Te Ao has ever tackled. As well as doing all her own stunts, she had to work to contain her emotions.
“At the start of filming, J pulled me aside to tell me about his vision,” she shares.
“How the story would unfold and how my character Kupuohi fitted into it all. How she was this staunch wahine, the rock of her family who never falters. Always strong, she holds the fort and never breaks – until a very specific moment.
“So you don’t see me just fighting literally, I also had to fight my natural instinct to show my feelings. I come from a family of strong Māori women and we don’t hide our emotions, so suppressing my feelings was pretty tough.”
Looking ahead, Te Ao can also be seen in a lead role in upcoming local series Te Rapunga. Which will screen on Whakaata Māori later this year.
What’s next for Te Ao
“In that show, I play a flight attendant and influencer extraordinaire called Ata Liang,” she tells.
“I reunited with some of my Head High cohorts for that, like Jayden Daniels and Brooklyn Nathan, and we got up to all sorts of mischief filming in the bush at Bethells Beach!”
Beyond that, Te Ao says she’ll be happy to bask in the afterglow of the glittering Chief Of War premiere and simply see where life might lead her.
“I never expected to get this far in my career, which is why I’m not making plans,” she says.
“Instead I just trust my instincts and go with the flow because I believe my fate is in the hands of the atua [gods]. All I need to do is stay open to the opportunities that come my way.”
Stream Chief of War now on Apple TV+ with a 7 day FREE trial. Subscribe here.
