TELEPHONE: We got a good first half. TELEPHONE: We got a good first half. Yes, I guess we have. What are we gonna do the second half? Have you ever done an American accent? I used to get a phone call ` 'Tem, go meet the producers, directors.' I'd go, 'Do they want an accent?' And they'd go, 'Yep.' I used to go, 'Send Cliff Curtis.' What is love? I think every girl wants` always dreams of having the beautiful wedding. We don't talk lovey-lovey stuff. We're warriors. James, he's coming to look into Hollywood. Every time I meet someone, they're, 'Are you gonna be an actor?' I always go, 'Nah. I'm shy, you know.' See any apartments you'd like to live in? < Anything happening? I need something. Well, listen, I told you. I think there's resurgence in the next Star Wars movie. And we think it's gotta` you've gotta have the clothes. I mean, it's gotta be in it. # Nobody's calling on the telephone... This is a story about me ` Temuera Morrison, Jake the Muss, Jango Fett from Star Wars, Abin Sur, Green Lantern. I was on every casting agent's speed dial. I had it all ` the cars, the homes, living the Hollywood high life ` and then suddenly, the phone stopped ringing. The recession hit, and now I'm out of work and running out of time. # ...son of a gun. # This is six months in my life as I aim to get my career and life back on track. RAPS: # I'm way too dark like when the sun goes down. # Yeah, I'm shining like when the sun comes up. # Yeah, I'm rhyming. Haters try and bring me down. I keep moving until the... # I heard Australians are big. I heard Australians are big. Oh yeah. Aussies, yeah, I've got a couple. What about us Kiwis? Are we out? I don't know what happened. You're not producing any more. You gotta start producing some more. Well` Well` It's you or Cliff Curtis. I've got Tem Morrison and Cliff Curtis. Cliff's still doing good. The phone` Cliff's still doing good. The phone` He's got a pilot. He's got a pilot. Cliff's still doing good. The phone` He's got a pilot. He's got a pilot. He's got a pilot? Yeah. Yeah. You don't wanna hear that, do you? God, there's a lot I can say about Cliff. I heard Scorcese say on TV, 'I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful talent from NZ ` Cliff Curtis.' He's back again. As soon as he leaves, we bring him right back. This guy's a good actor. I've actually been to an audition or two, and they've said, 'Oh, your cousin just came in ` Cliff Curtis.' I thought, 'Uh, shall I go now, or, uh, shall we have a little chat?' But I'm OK, because I'm better-looking. (LAUGHS) And how's`? How's our Hollywood movies? I need something, anything happening. We'll find something while you're here. It's all good. I think, uh, in Hollywood it's pretty quiet ` for me, anyway. Fortunate that I've got a movie coming out back in NZ ` Mt Zion. So it's kind of good to have that, because that's another way to get noticed again in` in Hollywood is to actually take your movie with you and people start to notice you again. It's about the boy who playing the guitar. (STRUMS CHORD) No violence, no car chase, no swearing. Uh-oh, it's in trouble. (LAUGHS) It won't play here well. (LAUGHS) Yeah. (LAUGHS) Yeah. It won't play here. < No swearing. < No swearing. No werewolves, no vampires? < No swearing. No werewolves, no vampires? < No werewolves. (LAUGHS) # Money talks. # What do you think? > What do you think? > Is it the GDS one? > Yeah. Yeah. Look at that. Yeah. Look at that. He likes that. I think Joe got, like, three or four Porsches. I don't even know. He's got, like, 20 cars anyway. Pick it up on Friday. Pick it up on Friday. Friday? Pick it up on Friday. Friday? Yep. Yeah, it's quite strange that Joe's` Joe's got a 20-car garage full of new Porsches and classic cars, and me and Dad are driving around in the, uh` in the rental Mitsubishi hatchback around Hollywood. Hey, Joe's house is like that. Look at that. Here's Sunset Boulevard down there. Look at the house on this corner. That's not a house. That's a castle. That's not a house. That's a castle. (LAUGHS) That's not a house. That's a castle. (LAUGHS) That's a cah-stle. There was a great period there with all the success. I thought I was Mr Big Shot. And then bam! You're in trouble. I didn't hear Joe talk about meetings. I think I bit off more than I could chew. I spent it. That's where it all went. Money blew in, and then it blew out. You gotta think like this. (SINGS) 'Mingle, mingle, little star. 'Otherwise no one knows who the hell you are.' So we're here. We're talking to Joe. He's got Cliff a pilot, and I've got a meeting with Tane to take him to baseball. Oh man. When I think of Joe, I think of him more as a family friend than Dad's agent. I know he's Dad's agent, but... Where's your meeting at? No meetings here. I suppose he's still doing his job, trying to get Dad jobs, but I don't know. Still gotta do a little legwork yourself, you know? Even though Joe's there, but I always just do my own work. It just gets you thinking again about where all the magic went, you know? Cos sometimes you're in these Hollywood movies, and everything feels like you're on a magic carpet ride. Hey! Hey! (CHUCKLES) Why aren't they stopping to look at you? And then the carpet goes away, and you're left falling through the sky. Someone said, 'One minute you're famous; next minute you're in the fish and chip shop.' R&B MUSIC Here we are. Here we are. Here we are. We stayed at Jen Sung's house in LA. That's generally where Dad stays. Jen Sung's been Dad's friend as long as I can remember. They worked on a movie together. It's Kung Fu Panda! Jen Sung and Lydia. Oh man. Guess who this guy is. James! James! What's happening? James! What's happening? All right, long time no see. I love those two. I can go there to their house any time. They're always supportive. I love them dearly. They're just very close. Come here, James. Come here, James. Are you doing a hongi? Come here, James. Are you doing a hongi? Oh yeah, hongi. Dad only has a select few really close, you know, proper lifelong friends, and Jen is a` is a really close long-time family friend, and he's` he's a real cool guy. Where's Lydia? Where's Lydia? Lydia have audition tomorrow, so she's studying. You been training? Huh? You been training? Huh? I'm ready. Nah, I haven't been. No? No? He was a while ago, but he's been a bit slack lately. Their backyard's so extravagant. They've got big, like, Egyptian bloody snake sculptures and then a spa in the little temple area, and you don't expect it when you walk out the back and there's this big set-up back there. It's really cool. It is a little bit like The Karate Kid. Jen Sung's a bit like Mr Miyagi. Start sweeping. Sweep the floor. You know the` You know the Kung Fu Kid. They call it Kung Fu Kid. First thing, you've gotta come in every day,... Grandmaster training. Grandmaster training. ...sweep up the leaves, you know, in the nature. Soak up the nature. PSYCHEDELIC ROCK MUSIC # Long long gone. # PHONE RINGS Hey, bubba. Hey, bubba. TELEPHONE: Hey, girl. Hey, bubba. TELEPHONE: Hey, girl. How are you? All good. Got here good. We're in LA. How's LA? How's LA? I'm at Jen and Lydia's house. How's LA? I'm at Jen and Lydia's house. Oh, hi, Jen and Lydia. How are they? Yeah, they're all good. I've popped in to see Joe just to let him know I'm in town. Oh, good. How's Joe? Oh, good. How's Joe? Yeah, he's all good. That's good. That's good. Um, nothing much, yeah, but it seems a little quiet here. I was hoping that he'd be saying, 'Oh, I've got you a couple of meetings,' but... Not even? Not even? ...yet. 'Of course I miss him when he goes away. Do you need air to breathe?' Oh, nice to hear your voice, honey. I miss you. OK, bub, miss you too. I'll keep in touch. OK, bub, miss you too. I'll keep in touch. OK. Talk soon. Talk soon. Talk soon, darling. Love you. Bye. Bye, honey. Bye, honey. See you. See you. Bye, honey. See you. See you. Bye, boo. 'It gets hard, more so`' more because you just want your partner there to have a cuddle or make a cup of tea or... PHONE BEEPS PHONE BEEPS Mm, that was nice. Now I'm sitting here eating my feijoas by myself. Yeah, you never really get used to it. But just find a balance. Otherwise it's 'you'd better bloody get home now!' (LAUGHS) Yeah. Try and follow me to the truck. In Dad's mind, I think he does, in lots of ways, still sees himself as young. He's` Not that he's old, but he's definitely not young any more. Sometimes I need to sharpen up terms of my energy levels, so it's a great place to go. Jen Sung trains a lot, so I have to tag along. So I actually get quite fit. He kind of just tunes me up ` my fighting skills ` for` for TV and the movie business. Yeah, man. Good job. That's 2 miles, man. 'In the past, I've found Los Angeles quite a lucky place. But I think Los Angeles has changed a lot. 'Not so much work, uh, as there used to be, like, 15, 20 years ago,' so things have really tightened up, I've found. I might as well use this opportunity. (SPEAKS MAORI) You know, I gotta make the most of every opportunity, so, uh, that's where I'm at at the moment. ORIENTAL RIFF PLAYS You know it's 180 with me. (GRUNTS) 'I met Tem on the beach of, uh, Hawaii doing a Harrison Ford film called Six Days Seven Nights.' He was walking with Cliff Curtis. I had never seen the film, uh, Once Were Warriors. Therefore I don't` I didn't know who he was. So I went over to introduce myself, and then, uh, we just hang out, and, um` and we got really close, and we kept in contact. (GRUNTS) Beautiful. All right, good. Thank you. That was good. That was good. (SIGHS) RAPS: # I feel like causing trouble. Maybe I'll start a fight. # They say what I would lose. They call us parasites. # Not much happening in Los Angeles at the moment. Joe's not bombarding me with phone calls, so it's a good chance to just get a little closer to my son and show him some of the iconic places ` places like Venice Beach, where Arnold and all those guys used to train. It's kind of colourful. Whole lot of interesting people down here, put it that way. (PLAYS JAZZY TUNE) Venice Beach is crazy. It was like a third hippies, a third homeless people and a third... crazy people. It was` It was fun, though. I enjoyed it. It was quite cool. Medical marijuana. Get legal, get licensed. Some guy's trying to sell me a marijuana prescription ` AMERICAN ACCENT: 'Yeah, man. Yeah, man. Come and see the doctor, man.' ZOLTAR: Remember, it is much better to say little than to say too much and regret it later. Thank you. Thank you very much. You know, he's saying... He's saying, 'Better to be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.' Venice Beach psychic. I'm gonna check the tarot reading. Wait here. Dad's a kind of, you know, spiritual person. Let's ask this lady if she'll read my cards. I wouldn't say I'm not spiritual at all, but I'm not, you know, so much as him. Hey, would you mind reading my cards? Is that all good? Hey, would you mind reading my cards? Is that all good? Have a seat. It's good just to get another opinion, you know? So, you know, I get my tarot cards read every now and then. What is your name? What is your name? My name is Temuera Morrison. Pleasure to meet you. Pleasure to meet you. I'm from NZ. I am in the movie business. I am in the movie business. I know. You have a familiar face. Um, first question? What would be your first question? What would be your first question? Well, my family. I got two kids. It seems like you were actually supposed to be a father of three. It seems like you were actually supposed to be a father of three. Father of three? Yes. Two boys, one girl. Freaks you out a bit, what they read ` three kids, ooh. Is Hollywood still a viable place for me? Yeah. In the past it's been very lucky, so... You're not done with Hollywood. Far from it. You're not done with Hollywood. Far from it. Oh, OK. But there is some changes, and you're gonna have to go into different angles, it shows me. It may feel unfamiliar to you, but it is change that needs to be made for your opportunities to come in. So be open-minded, it says. Open-minded. Open-minded. Cos it seems like you are, uh` The nicest way I can put it` I'm not gonna sugar-coat it, but` Don't sugar-coat nothing. It's all good. It` It seems like when you have your mind fixated on something, you like to stay that way. So you'll have to be open-minded with this, because you will reap very positive benefits along the way. I might have to play gay roles now? No, I did not say that. No, I did not say that. Oh. That was a joke, by the way. Sorry. I know, I got it. I know, I got it. (LAUGHS) 'I think I was being too funny. She was cool, though, the lady.' Some of the things kind of just, uh` she was touching on was` she was very right. Before I feel like you were too much head strength, and now I feel like you're becoming more instinct. When you turn your instinct back on, and you turn the fire back on, things are great for you. Stick to what you know, not always what people tell you to do. 'The ego takes over, I think. We start becoming what we not really are.' It needs to be different. 'I think I had a lot of hate in me.' Spiritually, I just feel like you need a boost. OK, thank you very much. 'I think we live, 'quite wrongly, in between fear and hope ` 'fear I'm not gonna get another movie; hope I get another movie; fear I can't pay the mortgage. 'I'm just gonna dig a little deeper, you know. Don't give up, and just keep trying. 'It's about having that tenaciousness, I guess.' If you just keep trying` If you just keep trying, keep knocking at the door, you never know. But don't give up. Keep on trying. RAPS: # Round one. The bell rings. Open up. Ding-a-ling. # I'm a star ` Ringo. She looking at me like a mandingo. # I'm full of chips ` Pringles. Make a... # Please sit down. I'm famous in NZ. I do a few movies, television. I was a soap star. But now I'm nobody, and I'm starting all over again. 'Yes, I've found lately, um, the way to do it in Hollywood is, uh, 'to go to Joe's house and for Joe to put on a big feed' and then for him to invite a` a number of friends, like casting agents. And in the past, he has had a couple there, which has been good for me. So I can spend a couple hours with the casting agents, have a good chat, sing them a song or two. So I` It's a lot better, and it's a lot more effective, and then they get to know me better as well. So, uh, that's what we try and do now. Whakapai te kai- hei pai- hei oranga mo o matou tinana, ko Ihu Karaiti hoki to matou ariki. Mai e, mai e te tipua, mai e te tawhito, mai e te kahui o nga ariki. Mai e ki nga taketake o Rongomai, a Tane. 'Tem Morrison. He's a bro for 16 years ` a good bro.' I got married at his house. My children have been to his home. He invited me, my family to his marae. My little boy's name's Tane Mahuta. Koutou ra kua huihui mai nei i raro... We've had some good times too. He's become a` a very, very, very good friend. 'He's a` a spiritual leader for us all.' Manaakitia mai ra... Amene. 'He's got some good things to say. The guy doesn't stress anything, ups and downs.' He puts a lot of good energy out in the world, and that's why it always comes back to him. Please feel free to eat. Not only did we prepare the food and cook it, I'm also going to play the dinner music. I'm also going to play the dinner music. LAUGHTER Feel free to tip me on your way out. Feel free to tip me on your way out. LAUGHTER 'Uh, a mate of mine calls me one day` calls me at the office and says, uh, '"I'm shooting this guy from a movie called Once Were Warriors. You should meet him."' I go, 'Where are you?' He goes, 'I'm in NZ.' I go, 'Where's that?' PLAYS THOUGHTFUL CHORDS About two months later, a guy at New Line Cinema gave me a copy of Once Were Warriors. This was about two months before Sundance. So I, uh` I watched the movie and was blown away. So I just called him. I said, 'Hey, man.' I said, 'There's this thing called the Sundance Film Festival. You wanna come?' Never met the guy in my life. And he said yeah. He just` That's Tem. Never knew each other. Guy got on an airplane, I picked him up at the airport, and we flew, that night, to Sundance. Did not know the fella. I just knew that he beat the heck out of somebody in a movie. Come and sing a song. Come and sing a song. We had a good run. We had fun. We did some cool films, met some great people. The guy hung out with Marlon Brando ` one of the few people ever to be invited to the guy's house. I believe as an actor ages, there's` there's around three always. They get one more shot. There's a role there that I don't know what it is yet, but I guarantee he'll get it. Most of my actors do. # ...and french fries they sell. # 'In the past, we've had a couple of real players there in terms of casting agents, 'but, uh,... (SIGHS) this time round, it just ended up being a bit of a sing-song 'and, uh, me and my unemployed actor buddies. 'There's no scripts here at the moment, but Joe's talking to the lady from Fox.' At least my name was mentioned. She never turned up. I would have liked her to be here, but... that's Hollywood. BLUESY CHORD # Woke up early this morning ` # early now. # I got out my bed early this morning, before the rooster crowed today. # I'm done with this acting. Waiting for Joe to send me out a script and send me to a meeting to... I was coming here getting two, three meetings in a fortnight; now, nothing. Cos he's` he's carrying, like, what? 30 people's torches ` his clients'. You're only carrying your own, right? So carry it. Carry the torch. > Carry the torch. > Carry your own torch, man. Be your own cheerleader, man. 'Lydia, she's a great sounding board for me, because it's` hey, it's hard for any actor being in Los Angeles.' We're all here chasing this what? Well, what are we coming here for? The dream or something. Tem's a man who's treading two sensibilities. He's thrust out into the whole international Hollywood, you know, moviemaking, you know, kind of a world. And then the other part of Tem that only the people who are around him are lucky enough to see is he's really a man of virtue. There's so many good actors here, and they're all good. Like, there's` There's so many good actors here, and they're all good. Like, there's` The best of the best come to LA. You say that you're gonna give up acting ` like, not giving up, like, retiring. I don't think so. You're the captain. You're the chief. Everybody loves working with you. I think that Tem has to, uh,... move here and base in Hollywood for a little while. I'm not saying that permanently, you know. I say maybe, perhaps, um, four to six months at a time. So he can really` To go the rounds, going round to see all these producers and directors and say, 'Hey, I'm available. I'm here.' REFLECTIVE MUSIC I think sometimes we live and then pretend certain things aren't happening. Now that I've hit my 50s, you know, I've weathered a bit, taken a few knocks. I've always sort of sat on my laurels and just thought I'd just act and act, and then when you're an actor and you're not acting, it's kind of hard to keep` keep everything moving and running along smoothly, you know? And I guess my biggest fear is probably being a loser. Do we all have to be successful? Do we all have to be famous? And what is success at the end of the day? My sister Taini proved that. We buried her. We had her tupapaku. 10,000 people turned up to pay tribute to her. She was unfamous. That's significant. Eh? More so than success, I think. GRITTY CLUB MUSIC PHONE CHIMES PHONE CHIMES I think it's for me. Yeah, kia ora? Temuera. TELEPHONE: Tem. Oh, Tem. Hey, um... There I was, just sitting at Jen Sung's, finished training. The phone rings. I don't know how he got my number, but here's a Maori in Las Vegas. How do I spell your surname? You said, uh, what? Well, so, what's your business? Oh, you got a movie script? Well, I'll tell you what. We've got the day` We've got a day off, so we might just take a trip up there. We don't mind driving. We'll see a bit of the desert. We'll make it a nice, scenic drive, and then maybe we'll hook up, uh, when we get there. OK, mate. I'll call you soon. Thanks, bro. This guy's got, uh, so much going on, I was, uh` I was, um, wondering if this Maori guy's full of stories. He sounds like one of the boys. He sounds like one of the boys. Right. But hey, you know, when it comes to this business, even I give them the benefit of the doubt. I think that's the way I treat it. You know, you never know. It's easy to talk about stuff. I could call someone and say, 'I've got a 300-page script.' If it all turns to kaka, we'll come back after we're finished on Friday. It just kind of felt a bit too good to be true, but looks like we're off to Vegas. Oh, here we go. BLUESY MUSIC OK, son. Could be our lucky break. This could be our producer we're looking for. (CHUCKLES) Welcome to Vegas, bro. Where are we going? We're leaving it. Man, I didn't want to go in the desert. I'll check the back for a spade. There's another camera. Are these your guys? This is a bit weird. Who's shooting who here? Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013