Matt Klitscher.
When Vinnie Bennett was in kindy, he’d spend his days honing his acting abilities by impersonating other kids.
Little did he realise those skills would come in handy for a superstar game of charades decades later.
Chatting to Woman’s Day about a recent party at Kate Beckinsale’s LA home – where he was playing the party game with Jamie Foxx, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Evans – the Christchurch-born star, 33, recalls, “I got given the film Aladdin, then I realised I had to go up and act in front of an Oscar winner like Jamie! I was overwhelmed, but eventually I acted out a magic carpet and, thankfully, Kate got it. It was an intense moment!”
Impostor syndrome
While portraying a Disney character in front of Hollywood heavyweights felt “crazy”, Vinnie was determined not to feel impostor syndrome. He explains, “In order to not freak out, I had to convince myself these were my peers and I deserved to be here.”
After carving out a career in local shows Filthy Rich, The Shannara Chronicles and The Gulf, Vinnie earned his place in Tinseltown showbiz circles by playing a teen version of Vin Diesel’s character in
2021’s Fast & Furious 9, alongside Charlize Theron, an experience he describes as “surprisingly natural”.
He shares, “I expected to be overwhelmed and lost in such a big production, but once I got there, I was like, ‘It’s just a set – same as back in New Zealand, except everything is bigger.’”
With F9’s release delayed due to COVID, he almost missed the big Hollywood premiere due to pandemic travel requirements. Still hungover from a Kiwi preview the night before, he headed to the airport thinking he could do a rapid test to show he was virus-free, only to be told he needed a doctor’s letter.
Moving during Covid
As his agents scrambled to find contacts at the Ministry of Health – even contacting Clarke Gayford to ask if he could pull a favour with his wife, then-PM Dame Jacinda Ardern – Vinnie suddenly received an all-clear to fly.
“I was close to breaking down in the terminal,” he recalls. “It would have sucked to miss it because it had been a long time waiting for that film to come out. I was stoked to see it in New Zealand, but LA was the big premiere. Hollywood had been shut down and it was one of the first films to bring people back into cinemas.”
Reflecting on how the blockbuster changed his life, Vinnie says the biggest impact has been helping him to land roles back home.
“It’s almost like we only champion our own once we’re recognised or get the attention elsewhere.”
Post-F9 career
Since F9, he’s enjoyed a steady stream of work, including shows like Friends Like Her, Kura, Good Grief, Vince and new World War II movie Sgt Haane. But he says his proudest role to date is playing Dame Whina Cooper’s husband William in the biopic Whina.
“It was such an honour to be part of an important story about New Zealand history.”
Like his CTI buddy Harrison Keefe, Vinnie has struggled with the fallout that comes from being well known in Aotearoa.
Managing tall-poppy syndrome
He says, “It’s a strange thing, the way we see fame. Before I’d established myself, it was like, ‘Oh, you’re trying to be an actor,’ even though I was already a qualified actor. Then when I did establish myself, tall-poppy syndrome kicked in.
“It felt like there was no safe place, nowhere I wasn’t up for judgement or critique. It can be isolating because it’s hard for other people to relate, so when I do find others in a similar boat, I cling to that.”
While such friendships were a highlight of CTI, Vinnie admits he wasn’t that keen to join the show – until his mum and grandma convinced him that, as an introvert, throwing himself into a competition full of extroverted personalities would be a good challenge and a chance to show off a different side of himself.
“The roles I’ve played are quite serious, so it’s an opportunity to show a lighter side,” says Vinnie, adding that he also saw CTI as a way to make a “positive difference” to his chosen charity, Big Buddy, which matches boys aged seven to 17 with strong male role models.
“I didn’t grow up with a father, so as a teenager, I would look for role models, and sometimes I’d look in the wrong places, hang out with the wrong crowd and get into trouble. Thankfully, I was able to have some positive role models in my life, like my drama director. He showed me I was talented in other areas – not just in getting up to mischief!”
Celebrity Treasure Island screens 7.30pm Monday – Wednesday on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+.
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