Trivia / Once Were Warriors

• …But I Play One on TV: Temuera Morrison would get challenged to fight all the time by local thugs after seeing him play Jake Heke.
• Dyeing for Your Art: There were concerns that Temuera Morrison was too small for Jake the Muss. He spent weeks in the gym training under the supervision of fight coordinator Robert Bruce, and he consumed whole chickens in order to beef up for the role.
• Enforced Method Acting: Temuera Morrison, who had trouble getting into character, told Rena Owen to yell at him before takes in order to get him in the right mood. It worked.
• Playing Against Type: Temuera Morrison was used to playing calm characters and good guys.
• Star-Making Role: For Temuera Morrison, who was already a star in New Zealand but virtually unknown internationally.
• What Could Have Been: Alan Duff wrote the first draft of the script, which was a more direct adaptation of the book and kept the original ending.

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