RhysDarby
- Actor
- Comedian
Stand-up comedian Rhys Darby played an inept band manager on cult hit Flight of the Conchords. It proved a springboard to wider fame. After acting in movies on both sides of the Atlantic, Darby starred in Kiwi rom com Love Birds, and played multiple roles in NZ series Short Poppies. He went on to act in the 2017 remake of Jumanji, hosted travel show Rhys Darby: Big in Japan and starred in HBO Max show Our Flag Means Death.
Screenography
Biography
Like director Peter Jackson, Rhys Darby's career was partly defined by formative viewings of Monty Python. For Darby the show is "my happy place". With his dad mainly out of the picture early on, Darby felt as if the six male Python actors were his dads. "I really adored each and every one of the Pythons," he said in this extended interview for TV series Funny As. "I was obsessed with every single thing they did."
Awards
2012 New Zealand International Comedy Festival
Fred Dagg Comedy Award
“I've had quite a few emails from people asking me where I'm really from, and complimenting us on inventing such a funny accent. They say it's great that you've made up this paradise place. Perhaps we should refuse to believe in California as payback.”
More information
Official website for Rhys Darby
Interview on TV series Our Flag Means Death, Den of Geek website, March 2022
Rhys Darby on living in Los Angeles, Woman's Day, October 2018
Flight of the Conchords interview, The Sunday Star-Times, February 2009
Flight of the Conchords interview, The AV Club, January 2009