James Rolleston, the acclaimed young actor from Boy and The Dark Horse, was transferred to Waikato Hospital on Wednesday afternoon and is now in a stable condition in the intensive care unit, according to reports.
The 19-year-old Kiwi star was airlifted to Tauranga Hospital after the car he was in hit a bridge near his hometown of Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty at about 10.30pm on Tuesday.
Watch James in his debut performance as ‘Boy’ in the video below – story continues.
Shortly after the news broke, James’ agent Tim Gordon told the New Zealand Herald that the actor was “in a holding pattern”.
“He’s alright. They are making him comfortable and he is responding to all the things he needs to respond to,” he said.
James has since received an outpouring of support from the New Zealand community and abroad, with many taking to Twitter to share their get well messages.
The producer behind James’ most recent film The Rehearsal, which recently had its premiere at the New Zealand International Film Festival, said the cast and crew had been deeply affected by the news.
“All of us who worked so closely with James on The Rehearsal (and who saw him on Saturday night at the premiere) are devastated by the news of his car accident. We send our love to James and his family,” he told Newshub.
In a statement released by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, James’ family thanked New Zealand for their support.
“The family would like to thank all the well wishers who have sent so many messages of love and support, they are finding this a huge comfort at this time.”
Watch: James talks about his hometown of Opotiki.
