Pictures: Jille Cristobal, Reina Jille Photography.
After crushing on his sister’s actress pal Charisse Uy all summer long, Chris Groen finally shared his feelings for the former Shortland Street star over a text message. But the teacher wasn’t sure what to make of Charisse’s simple response – liking the message with a thumbs-up.
“I’d wanted to tell her how I felt that night, but there were too many people around, so I messaged after, saying, ‘Hey, I kind of like you,’” Chris, 34, tells Woman’s Day as the pair get ready for a sunset engagement shoot in Auckland. “She thumbs-upped the message, then left it.”
“The thumbs-up meant, ‘I like you too, but I need to talk to your sister!’” pipes in Charisse, 28. “I wasn’t going to ruin a good friendship by trying something without talking to her first.”
However, Chris’ sister Natalie wasn’t fazed by her brother and bestie having the hots for each other, and with her blessing, they were coupled up by the end of summer.
Shortly after their first date at a driving range, Aotearoa entered a Covid lockdown, so they continued getting to know each other through Zoom workouts, quiz nights, video games and film viewings.
As Charisse’s career gained momentum with roles on Shorty and Raised By Refugees, Chris’ support proved unwavering. He encourages her to go “all-in” with roles, even if it means temporarily having less of her time or attention. And most importantly, he continues learning how best to support Charisse through showbiz lows like rejection.
“There are moments where I’m so happy for my friend getting a role but also gutted I didn’t get it,” says Charisse. “And as an actor, you have such little control over decisions, which sometimes makes me anxious. There’s definitely been times I’ve struggled with feelings of purposelessness.”
Adds Chris, “There are very complicated emotions that come with her job. When she’s facing rejection, my default is to go into problem-solving mode when all she needs is empathy – and hugs.”
While the two had discussed marriage, Charisse didn’t suspect a proposal when Chris suggested a spontaneous dessert outing one night.
With Charisse’s mum Tina and her partner Michael’s blessing, Chris took his sweetheart to Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour, where they drank affogatos.
“Afterwards, we took a stroll, found a nice spot overlooking the Harbour Bridge and had a cuddle,” says Charisse. “Chris asked, ‘Would you like one more surprise?’ I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, are we gonna get Oreo McFlurrys on the way home? Drive-through? Yes!’
“Then he took out a little box and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ I was so shocked, I asked, ‘Are you sure?’ three times. Travel and adventure’s been a big part of our relationship, so I didn’t expect it to happen on a random Thursday in Auckland, but it was beautiful because I was genuinely surprised. Then I asked him if my parents knew before I said yes!”
With a beautiful outdoor venue locked in for the spring, the couple plans to have Filipino food to honour Charisse’s heritage. She was eight when she moved from the Philippines with her grandparents Ruth and Ben, who had adopted and helped raise her while Tina was busy working. Eventually Tina and Charisse’s three siblings joined the clan in New Zealand.
Finding a wedding venue accessible to her grandparents was of utmost important to Charisse. She’s also excited to revisit her passion for music by performing with wedding band Nasha, whose members include Chris’ brother Jaime and sister-in-law Cindy!
As a young girl, Charisse loved music and dance. She wrote songs and performed in bands before pursuing acting – after a chat with Tina, which she was nervous about given many Asian parents favour academic careers over the arts.
However, Tina was supportive as her daughter studied screen production and psychology, then pursued acting.
She eventually landed a part on Shorty as nurse Lovely Rivera, a role which led to friendships with co-stars Scott Smart (who plays Marty Walker), Becky McEwan (Tess Hutchinson) and husband Jay Kiriona (Prince Kimiora), along with fellow Filipina Marianne Infante (Madonna Diaz).
Since leaving Ferndale, Charisse has been producing short movie Close, filming a Mortal Kombat featurette, starring in YouTube series Dev and honing her writing skills.
She stars alongside Nicola Kāwana and Shavaughn Ruakere in upcoming series Tangata Pai, and has also worked on NZ-filmed US productions, such as Cowboy Bebop and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power.
Charisse’ ultimate dream is to successfully juggle a rewarding, impactful career with family life – which starts with marriage.
“I never actually met my own biological father, so I’ve always wanted my kids to have a father who’s present for them and parents who they can learn to love from,” she shares.
“To have a partner who loves me, respects me and who is willing to build a fruitful life with. Marriage is one way to honour our relationship, merge and start building that life together.”
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