On screen, Shortland Street actor Aidan O’Malley keeps busy saving lives as registrar Parker Dawson, but when the cameras stop rolling, his heart is in the quietness of the countryside. Although he’s always had a passion for performing – studying theatre at the University of Otago, graduating from the Auckland Actors’ Program in 2019 and promptly landing a few roles – the twist of Covid fate quickly stopped all rehearsals, leaving him without a job.
“I had to find something else to do,” he says. “A family friend of mine is a builder in Rotorua and took me on. It was funny being a 24-year-old and working with stoic Kiwi men far older than me. It was always fun talking to them, and in some ways, it was like the best acting class ever!”
Aidan continued working as a builder for the next two years, enjoying the outdoors and toiling physically. When he was offered an opportunity to help the construction of an avocado orchard in Mount Maunganui, he jumped at the chance.
“It was a really nice change of scenery, because with building and renovating houses, there’s so much waste involved,” he says. “Being out on an orchard and using recycled materials, I got a real appreciation for soil and organic things, and a strong respect for the environment and learning how to take care of it in a better way.”
While he was settling into a peaceful life of orchard-based work, Aidan admits he “had no pull or drive to go back to the city. I don’t think I was mentally ready to be back in the business of it all. I just needed to get my hands dirty. I was still doing auditions from home, but I was mainly just focusing on working physically and giving my brain a break.”
Despite his down-to-earth nature, the actor says he loves the fast pace on set.
Nevertheless, he was destined to be back in the spotlight, and when he was offered the role of Parker, his life changed in an instant.
“I feel like I’d explode if I thought about the number of people who watch Shortland Street!” he laughs. “Being on set is a good challenge. We work at a nice fast pace and there’s a cool expectation to just nail it with what you have. I like that pressure.”
Aidan’s extroverted personality meant when he told his friends and family he’d bagged the role, they weren’t the slightest bit surprised. “Growing up, I had a Shania Twain live concert VCR tape that
I’d always dance to. I was in love with Shania Twain – and still am! I also did lots of musicals and performing at school, and was always allowed to play as a kid and do dress-ups.”
Aidan lived in Rotorua until he was 12, before moving to a dairy farm in Tirau. Although he’s always had a love of rural life and outdoor adventures, including riding motorbikes and playing rugby, he also has a softer side.
“I’m super sensitive and my way to downplay that is to pretend to be really chill, but I’m affected by everything, and I want to be. As an actor, I want to gather experiences and feelings so I know how to portray them, but that comes at a cost because I also need to mentally look after and be kind to myself.”
Despite their differences, it’s this sensitivity that allows him to connect to Parker, a nanny-raised son of rich-listers.
“The main similarity we share is that he’s cheeky,” says Aidan. “I like being cheeky, and he always tends to speak before he’s finished thinking. Whether or not that’s him always trying to get the first word in, or just not quite filtering everything he’s saying, I’m not sure.”
While Aidan has one foot in Ferndale, the other is still back home in the country. “Who knows what my plans are for staying in Auckland when this is over,” he says.
“I do eventually want to build a plum and tart-cherry orchard, and live on it and create a full-on ecosystem, with sheep and chickens running around. Lifestyle blocks just have a nice feeling. My life is very hectic when it comes to acting, so living somewhere like that feels very peaceful.”
Watch Aidan on Shortland Street weekdays, 7pm, TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
