When rising stars Suivai Pilisipi Autagavaia and Anna-Maree Thomas come together for their Woman’s Day photo shoot, it’s hard to believe that a year ago they were total strangers.
As the pair dissolve into a fit of laughter in front of the camera, it’s clear the fictional friendship they portray in their new film Hibiscus & Ruthless has become very real.
“We’re like sisters,” grins Samoan beauty Suivai as she throws an arm around her co-star.
“We’re bonded for life now.”
Suivai plays Hibiscus, a Samoan student trying to avoid dating, while Anna-Maree stars as her feisty best bud Ruth.
When Suivai first learnt about the role of Hibiscus – an obedient Samoan student trying to stay on the straight and narrow under the beady eye of her mother – she knew immediately this was the perfect part for her.
“My first reaction was, ‘This is the story of my life!'” laughs the 28-year-old.
“Finally it’s something that myself and my generation can relate to. It was like going back in time and telling my own story.”
Growing up, Suivai’s folks didn’t speak English, so she used only Samoan at home and her parents had dreams of their daughter one day becoming a doctor or a lawyer.
“It was hard for them to accept that I was part of the performing arts,” she tells.
“They struggled with that at the beginning, but eventually they came through.”
While Suivai’s father sadly passed away a few years ago, her mother has become her biggest supporter.
“She’s really shy and doesn’t usually like showing how proud she is, but two days after the premiere, we were crying together and she was saying how much she supported me.”
In contrast, Anna-Maree, 21, who grew up on a farm outside Christchurch, fell in love with the script but struggled to relate to her character Ruth, the bold and feisty best friend of Hibiscus.
“I’m very different to Ruth – I’m very shy, but I worked so hard practising for the role,” smiles Anna-Maree, who was a huge fan of director Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa’s critically acclaimed film Three Wise Cousins.
“I wore a lavalava to my audition and I gave it everything I had.
“I knew next to nothing about Samoan culture before this film, but Suivai taught me so much. I spent a lot of time at her house, her mum cooked dinner and I would sleep over – it’s like we were living together!”
Suivai laughs, “She’s an honorary Samoan now!”
It’s the girls’ first major film and a dream come true for both – especially Anna-Maree, who moved to Auckland four years ago to study drama, leaving behind her parents and eight siblings.
“Driving home to an empty flat and cooking a meal for one was hard to get used to,” she tells.
“It was a lonely period. But going through that made me work harder and want to crack into acting even more because of how much I’d given up.”
While the film focuses on the two friends and their struggles with growing up and dating, family is also a strong theme. It’s clear this was a drawcard for both girls, who are close to their whanau.
Anna-Maree tells, “The best moment from the past year of my life was telling my mum that I got this role. She was over the moon – probably a bigger reaction than me! She’s been a constant support.”
For Suivai, the journey has been more difficult, having to juggle her career with being a mum to her four-year-old son Braxton.
“It’s a big challenge for me every year, but I want to provide for my family while also doing something I love,” she explains.
“It’s important for me to show that to my son, so he can grow up seeing how Mummy chased her dreams.”
The film is now in cinemas across New Zealand and has gained global attention, with plans to screen it in Australia, the Pacific Islands and the US.
But Suivai insists, “This is a Kiwi film, not just a Polynesian film. It’s a story that everyone will relate to. Everyone is going to get the humour and the messages. We are a unique country and this movie really captures that.”
