Jamie Irvine is more than happy to play the bad guy. But once the cameras stop rolling, he goes back to being a gentle, loving dad. The actor – who starred in Kiwi box office hit Tinā, where he played the odious deputy principal. With his comedian wife Melissa Lawlor are navigating parenthood with plenty of humour and heart. Their daughter Thora just turned two and they’re expecting a baby in October.
Balancing dad life
While it’s a juggle Jamie’s enjoying – between acting work, teaching drama and developing scripts – there’s one thing he keeps coming back to.
Jamie, 43, says, “Since Thora was born, the overwhelming thing for me has been, ‘Why did we wait?’”
Australian-born Mel, 37, remembers their years of pondering starting a family after they were married in Jamie’s home city of Wellington back in 2015.
She tells, “Both being creatives, we were like, ‘How do you do it financially without grandparents in the same town or any support around you?’ Then you realise you just do it – you get by. It might be busy and crazy, but it all goes by too quickly.”
Jamie adds, “You spend so long trying to get your ducks in a row and getting all the boxes ticked. If I had my time again, I wouldn’t worry about so much. Life happens while you’re busy making plans! “Thora is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Life has changed for the better in almost every way. I just can’t wait to get home every day to see her and all the things I worried about before don’t matter any more.”
Backstage and on-screen
After first meeting as actors in Sydney back in 2009, then living in Los Angeles for five years. Mel and Jamie are now fully ensconced in Auckland, where they’ve bought a home. The couple both appeared on Shortland Street in 2019 and while Jamie’s continued in front of the camera. Mel found herself back on the Shorty set this year – this time, behind the scenes in the casting department.
Since Jamie played the controversial Dr Ben King on the iconic soap, he’s often found himself typecast in the antagonist role. Something he really leaned into when playing the pompous Peter Wadsworth in Tinā.
Embracing his inner villain
“I enjoy playing bad guys – and I play a lot of bad guys!” he says.
“I’ve learned over time that it’s really important to go there because the storyteller needs that oppositional force for the story. The challenge is to do that in a way that’s entertaining or can be relatable. “Initially, I was in that every- man space, like playing cops [such as DC Ben Charlton in Underbelly NZ]. My Shorty character was a bit of a baddie in the end and that helped people put me in that box. But I like to play around in that area and I’ll enjoy it while I can.”
This year, Jamie has reprised his recurring guest role as bumbling schemer Johnny Oades in The Brokenwood Mysteries. Johnny, cousin to hapless but charming Brokenwood local Frodo Oades (played
by Karl Willetts), returns in the final episode of season 11. Where a man dressed as Santa is found dead.
“As usual with the Oadeses, it involves a scam, a get-rich- quick plan and a series of unfortunate events,” says Jamie.
“Every time you go to fix a problem, you end up making a bigger one for yourself. And when there’s five of you doing that, it gets worse and worse. It’s completely ridiculous and a hell of a lot of fun.”
In fact, Jamie reckons playing Johnny’s the most fun he’s ever had on a TV series.
Jamie finds his groove
“I started playing this guy in 2018 and it’s been the best part of my year for a few years now,” he says.
“You build up really good friendships with the cast. When you land on set, it’s a soft landing – people are really pleased to see you.”
Mel is now having fun following her passion for stand-up comedy. After starting out performing in LA, she headlined in The Sassy Sexy Gorgeous Hilarious Comedy Show at last year’s NZ International Comedy Festival, then took a solo show on tour. And she has no shortage of new material.
“Now I’m pregnant again, there’s all this new stuff to write about,” says Mel.
“There’s something about comedy that’s made under pressure.”
Parenting passion
Jamie doesn’t mind being his wife’s go-to gag muse.
“She’s so funny,” he shares.
“She tells jokes about what she’s going to do when I die and where she’s going to spend all my super money!”
And while their industry can be tough, the couple would never dissuade their kids from following in their footsteps. Jamie admits it was hard pursuing an acting career in Lower Hutt, “growing up in
an environment where no one does this sort of thing”.
He adds, “It takes a bit of courage, so it would be nice to provide a platform where our kids can feel safe and confident to say what they want to do.”
Mel agrees, “If we can help them fall in love with as many things as possible as they grow up, they’ll have so many things they want to do.”
