Hori Ahipene: Queen of the screen...

Interview – 2009

Hori Ahipene could perhaps be described as one of New Zealand’s more diverse actors, having played both male and female characters in TV comedies and dramas. In the 1990s Ahipene gained a loyal fan base by appearing in sketch shows Away Laughing, Skitz and Telly Laughs. Ahipene’s best-known gender-swapping roles were Mrs Semisi in Skitz and The Semisis, and Beverley Best in Māori Television sitcom/chat show B&B.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Ahipene talks about:

His love of Skitz and the chance it gave him to become a director
Why hosting the 1998 Hero Parade terrified him
Dedicating his role in Jubilee to the memory of his father
The satisfaction of working with Māori crew on TV series Mataku
Working with Te Radar on the sitcom/chat show B&B
Learning acrobatic skills on the set of fantasy Maddigan’s Quest
Playing transgender prostitute Angel in Outrageous Fortune

This video was first uploaded on 3 November 2009, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview, Camera and Editing - Andrew Whiteside

...I think that people just went with the character. You know, if your character is strong enough and if there's truth in there, and you come from a good place . . . I don't think people looked at Beverlye and said 'That's a man playing a woman'. I think they went 'Oh that's Aunty Beverley', and that's kind of what I strive for.

– Hori Ahipene on playing a mddle-aged woman in TV show B&B

Hori's Full Profile