INTERVIEW Tessa Apa
PHOTOGRAPHY David K Shields
FASHION Claudia Li
HAIR Andrew Cobeldick MAKEUP Gee Pikinga
Confidence is about knowing who you are. Confidence is choosing authenticity. And with an impressive eight-year acting career already at the age of 24, confidence is not a problem for Tioreore Ngātai-Melbourne.
TAYLOR tunic. COMME DES GARCONS Archive leather jacket. KEVIN THORNE earring and ring. KIRI NATHAN piupiu. JASON NATHAN mere.
CLAUDIA LI SS22 sequin gown. KEVIN THORNE earrings.
We hear about actors losing themselves in their roles. Going method. Living with a foreign accent long before filming begins. What we don’t hear much about is actors who hold firm to their own sense of self. This is the unique spirit that Tioreore brings to each role. She knows the reason she has been chosen for a role is not just because she is a committed and experienced actor – but because of who she is as a person.
KIRI NATHAN total look. KEVIN THORNE earrings.
CLAUDIA LI FW22 Runway blouse and quilted french tulle coat. VERBENA MADRID earrings.
Working with Lee Tamahori on The Convert was a pivotal experience. The director has been an industry leader for well over 30 years, starting with Once Were Warriors. Tioreore says, “He knows what he wants in each moment. It was clear that he had been thinking about The Convert for years and how it’s going to look. He had a complete vision and made what he wanted very clear.”
UMA WANG top at The Shelter. DRIES VAN NOTEN necklace.
KIRI NATHAN total look. KEVIN THORNE earrings.
Through this experience Tioreore has come to know that being herself is a strength: “I’m not going to hide who I am because then I would suffer, the work would suffer and everyone around me would suffer.”
Tioreore invites others to, “Know where I stand, and to understand the world that I come from.”
Follow the link below to know even more!
Featured in It’s Interval STELLAR – view full story and more from this issue!