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Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours,” ran the theme song to the long-running Aussie soap. And it’s a concept actors and best mates Dominic Ona-Ariki and Scotty Cotter have taken to heart.
Dominic, who stars in the third series of TVNZ crime drama One Lane Bridge, and Scotty, who is currently directing Shortland Street, have ended up living next door to each other in the Auckland suburb of Kingsland.
“I was living around the corner when an apartment came up for rent next door to Scotty,” says Dominic. He and his florist partner Annie Sainsbury-Canham were keen on a “fresh start” after lockdown, so they nabbed it.
Luckily, Dom’s girlfriend Annie gets on with his best mate.
Dominic and Scotty had previously bonded while playing cousins on Shorty, and say they love being neighbours.
“If one of us is bored, we’ll text the other to go for a coffee,” tells Dominic.
“Or a drink – and before we know it, it’s 10pm,” jokes Scotty, who lives on his own in the two-storey block.
The two apartments share a wall and Dominic says he can often hear Scotty singing. “And I can hear when he puts on music, but it’s not loud!”
While they haven’t yet knocked on each other’s doors for a cup of sugar, Scotty admits he often asks Annie for her green-fingered advice.
“I got a lot of plants during lockdown, but they keep dying on me. I’m always hitting up Annie about how to keep them alive. So far, two plants have survived!”
Dom (left) and Scotty’s friendship is locked in!
The friends first met in 2006 during auditions for a theatre production about six young men finding their place in the world – ironically about the same time they were doing just that.
“I was 20 and Dom was 15,” recalls Scotty. “He was shy and quiet, and didn’t say much. But he eventually came out of his shell and now he talks too much!”
For Dom, it was a case of finding not just a friend, but a mentor.
“I remember seeing Scotty doing this really physical audition and thinking, ‘Who is that guy? I may as well go home right now because I don’t stand a chance, he’s so good.’ Scotty has such a big personality and I was so shy that even though we caught the same train home, I’d try to avoid him because I didn’t know what to say to him.”
The pair’s bond strengthened while touring the show around New Zealand and the UK, and in 2007, both were cast as Dr TK Samuels’ cousins on Shortland Street.
“We were on Shorty for two years on and off, and had so much fun,” says Dom. “Scotty really took me under his wing. We had the same dressing room and spent a lot of time together.”
Scotty adds, “And because you didn’t have a licence then, I had to pick you up and drop you off each day!”
“It’s always so good to catch up with my cuzzies!” says Shorty’s ben Mitchell (left), pictured in 2007.
Dom spent three years completing a marketing and advertising degree before realising he missed performing. Since then, he’s starred as Detective Ariki Davis in One Lane Bridge, which is set in Queenstown.
“I’m down there filming three months at a time, which I love,” he enthuses. “It’s the first time I’ve been able to survive financially as an actor without having to do odd jobs.”
Having a best mate in the same industry helps them keep the creative faith. As does the fact that Scotty’s production company creates roles for them both.
“Last year, Dom starred in Neke, a play I produced in Wellington, and he killed it!”
Scotty – who was recently nominated as Best Supporting Actor in the NZ Television Awards for his role in the highly acclaimed comedy series Kura – admits he’s got lots of fingers in lots of pies. Along with Kura and Shorty, he’s working on another TVNZ Anthology series, which explores the supernatural stories of Māori, Pasifika and Filipino New Zealanders.
He’s also been busy teasing Shorty fans about a possible return to the soap.
“Dom recently visited me on set and jokingly posted a picture to Instagram, hinting at a comeback,” explains Scotty. “People were like, ‘When are you guys coming back?’ I reckon we could return as the hospital CEOs!”
They probably won’t be neighbours forever, with both saying they’d eventually like to move somewhere with a garden. But they’ll always be friends.
“The most awesome thing about Dom is seeing him grow into an amazing actor. I’m so proud of him both as his friend and as a fellow practitioner.”
Dom is equally as generous about Scotty, admitting he sees the best in everyone. “Scotty is one of life’s connectors, who has the biggest heart and brings people together. I love the way he views the world, which has influenced how I look at it – through a Scotty lens.”
