Erana James
Actor [Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei]
Erana James was still in high school when she landed her first big screen role – as Laura Chant, a teenager with untapped powers in 2017 fantasy The Changeover. The movie was co-directed by screen stalwarts Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie (James had previously worked with Harcourt on web series Lucy Lewis Can’t Lose, after joining her acting programme at age 13). James has also acted in 2019 sitcom Golden Boy (as the main character's smart ass younger sister) and in 2020 short film Hot Mother, which screened at the Berlin Film Festival. In 2019 she was cast as tomboy Toni in Amazon Prime survival drama The Wilds.
I share a lot of qualities with her so it was quite nice. It was quite exciting to be able to take elements of my personality and turn them up or turn them down or adjust them. Erana James on her The Changeover character Laura Chant, Stuff, 26 August 2017
