The Kick
When the All Blacks beat France to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, it eased New Zealand's angst of more than 20 years without a title. It also created an unlikely hero in Stephen 'Beaver' Donald. A run of injuries led to a call-up for the fourth choice first five (he was whitebaiting when contacted). When Aaron Cruden was injured, Beaver came off the reserves bench and kicked a decisive penalty. Danny Mulheron's Moa award-nominated TV movie relives the reject-to-redemption fairytale. David de Lautour (Westside) plays Donald. This excerpt includes the kick itself.
David de Lautour: The 'outrageous' challenge of playing Ted...
David de Lautour has had acting success in both NZ and the United States. He debuted with small roles in Xena: Warrior Princess before moving on to kidult shows Being Eve and The Amazing Extraordinary Friends. Now based in LA, de Lautour has been seen in a number of big US dramas such as NCIS and Once Upon a Time, plus sitcom What I Like about You. He has gone on to star in Outrageous Fortune prequel Westside, as family patriarch Ted West.
The Mighty Pride
Some of the great names of international rugby can be seen both playing and reminiscing in this hour long history of British and Irish Lions tours of New Zealand. 1930 Lion Harry Bowcott is the oldest player here, conceding his side were surprised by the toughness of the New Zealand style of rugby; tough like 1950 All Black captain Ron Elvidge, who came back on to crash through a tackle and score a try, despite a fractured sternum and stitches in his head. The documentary concludes with Gavin Hastings’ 1993 Lions team. It was made as a preview for the 2005 tour.
Danny Mulheron - Funny As Interview
Director, actor and ex-stand-up comedian Danny Mulheron has a take no prisoners approach to comedy — and to interviews. Among other topics, this Funny As conversation sees Mulheron: Doing a foul-mouthed impression of teacher Mr Gormsby — the stand-up character who featured in Mulheron's comedy series Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby Describing finding most of the show's "fantastic" cast of high school students on location in Wainuiomata — "they knew what it was like to be outcast" Recalling how Peter Jackson puppet movie Meet the Feebles was made to be "as grotesque, and stupid and offensive" as possible — and being asked to mock-execute someone, while dressed in his hippo costume Remembering the reaction to pioneering Pasifika TV comedy The Semisis — "We were mobbed in Ōtāhuhu in KFCs, but avoided in Ponsonby" Talking about his dislike of puns, being a "grotesque" actor, and past adventures in Hollywood
Andrew Munro
In 2016 Andrew Munro found himself on top of the world — on-screen at least. He was starring as Everest mountaineer Edmund Hillary in Platinum-funded miniseries Hillary. After working sporadically in the TV and film industries in Wellington, Munro had moved to Auckland in 2005, to pursue an acting career. He went on to act in comedy show Hounds and web series Stand Up Girl, and played Dougie, best friend to All Black saviour Stephen Donald, in 2014 TV movie The Kick. In 2017 Munro was nominated for Best Actor at the NZ Television Awards for playing Hillary. The award was won by his Hillary co-star Dean O’Gorman. Image credit: photo by Dean O'Gorman
David de Lautour
At age 18, Christchurch-born David de Lautour won a scholarship to train at New York's American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Since then De Lautour's globetrotting career has included recurring roles in New Zealand (TV's Being Eve, playing Eve's boyfriend Adam) and the US (sitcom What I Like About You, playing British boyfriend to one of the main characters). Back home, two Kiwi icons are on his resume: likeable career criminal Ted West in Westside,and All Black Stephen Donald in TV movie The Kick. De Lautour also has multiple credits as a director; in 2018 he co-created crime drama Alibi.