Ryan O'Kane
The term `New Zealand romantic comedy' isn't one you hear often, but Kiwi actor Ryan O'Kane says he hopes it is something people will start to get used to. He stars in Second-Hand Wedding, which falls into the above genre and opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday.
``It's a bit like The Castle, it's very heart-warming,'' he says.
``The two countries, New Zealand and Australia, are very similar in the sense I know they both seem to enjoy each other's films.
``This is one of New Zealand's first forays into the family romantic comedy and I think people will really enjoy it.
``It was such a fun project to be a part of and there are some really beautiful performances.''
Second-Hand Wedding sees Cheryl (Holly Shanahan) and her boyfriend Stew (O'Kane) tying the knot, but Cheryl's mother Jill (Geraldine Brophy) could ruin the wedding with her insatiable bargain-hunting. O'Kane says the film is filled with a lot of `nice family moments' which is a relief for his relatives who went along to see it.
``I've had some trouble with some of my roles because I did a few television shows in New Zealand and I may have forgot to mention a few explicit scenes to people who were watching it,'' he says.
``My brother was sitting in between my mum and dad watching it and it was very awkward, he had to excuse himself to get a cup of tea and get out of there.''
O'Kane currently has a recurring role in Australian cop drama City Homicide, with his first episode screening on Wednesday, and says it has been fantastic to play `a regular character'.
``I've been shooting with them since March as one of the leads,'' he says.
``It's amazing and has such a strong cast with likes of Shane Bourne and Noni Hazlehurst.
``It's always been a dream since I was a little boy to run around with a gun and badge, kicking doors in.''
O'Kane says he finishes up on City Homicide in November and will then work on several film and TV projects.
``It's exciting because there's so much happening in the Australian film and TV industry at the moment, there's a lot of options.''