Photos: Andi Crown, Emily Chalk.
Mikey Falesiu, 30, is a busy man. Not only is the talented performer in demand as an actor after playing Samisoni in the hit Kiwi/Tongan movie Red, White & Brass, he’s about to head to Wellington to star in Dawn Raids, Oscar Kightley’s powerful play about the controversial crackdowns on alleged Pacific overstayers in the 1970s.
On top of acting, super-sporty Mikey is also a musician, a Whānau Ora coach at Ormiston Junior College, Auckland, and most importantly of all, devoted husband to wife Nita, and father to Amaris, four, Essynce, three, and Ivy, one.
“I’d known Nita through church. However, we properly met when she was running a high-school fusion arts competition called Gen X Unleashed,” recalls Mikey. “I was helping out as emcee and mentor when I realised Nita was the one for me.”
Mikey smiles when he tells the Weekly how one day he plucked up the courage to ask Nita out. “That’s when I found out she felt the same way about me. Now we have three beautiful kids and another due in April.”
As for the powerhouse woman who caught Mikey’s eye, the gifted dancer and choreographer is currently Dean and head of department of the Performing Arts at McAuley High School in Ōtāhuhu, but Mikey’s quick to explain that it takes a village.
“We are so grateful to my parents, Nita’s mum and stepdad, and my oldest sister Sumi, for all their help. I’ll flick Sumi a text saying, ‘Sis, you busy this day?’ and she’ll help without even blinking.”
As educators, Mikey and Nita feel committed to helping guide transformative change in youth.
“Years seven to 10 is such an important age. It’s a real transition period, where habits and attitudes get cemented before college. A little encouragement goes a long way,” says Mikey. “Now it’s gone full circle and sometimes I see my old teachers, and I’ll apologise for having given them a hard time,” he adds with a grin, thinking back to when he was growing up, the youngest of six in Onehunga.
Mikey is living proof that the right guidance at the right time has the power to change lives.
“In my last year of school, I’d gone back to hand in an art assignment and the careers advisor, Mrs Harvey, asked what I was doing the next year. Even though I loved performing arts, I told her I was going to find a job and she gave me a pamphlet about a thing called PIPA [Pacific Institute of Performing Arts].”
Having seen Mikey’s talent develop through seven years of college, Mrs Harvey knew PIPA could be a good fit, even though Mikey took the pamphlet home and put it in a drawer. “But I found it again and I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t give it a try, so I set up an audition.”
The teachers at PIPA also recognised Mikey’s raw talent and offered him a place, but Mikey admits it still took him a while to find himself.
“For three or four years after graduation, I parked performing arts. However, slowly I became more settled in who I was, when I landed a role in a play called Hearts of Men. Through that I got a really good agent.”
Having been scouted, Mikey felt a greater sense of his destiny. It was around that time, in 2017, that his relationship with Nita blossomed.
Mikey is proving himself to be a versatile actor, able to move from light-hearted comedy to challenging drama.
“There’s a huge contrast between Red, White & Brass and Dawn Raids,” he says. “Red, White & Brass’ fun translated on to screen because we were being ourselves, pulling pranks and enjoying our culture. Everyone knows Tongans go crazy when it comes to celebration. But we still felt blown away by how well it did.”
In contrast, Dawn Raids is much more serious.
He explains, “It’s about a huge moment in New Zealand history. So, to go to that place is mentally and emotionally heavier and the approach is different. Regardless, I’m looking forward to exploring it again.”
As for the future, Mikey and Nita are taking it one step at a time. “My main focus is on my family,” he says. “And for my career, my dream is to one day live fully off acting. That would bring the biggest joy to my heart.”
To buy tickets to Dawn Raids, visit Ticketmaster.co.nz.
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