Legendary New Zealand actress and returning June Supa-Star Rena Owen has an extensive film and TV portfolio spanning several decades. She discussed her life and experiences during her panel at Goldnova this year!
“I grew up in rural New Zealand on a dairy farm. My grandma ran it very successfully. I had a vivid imagination from birth. That’s an important aspect of my story because it is important to be what you want to be. Everybody is born to be good at something in this life, and that’s something in your heart,” Owen emphasised.
After becoming a registered nurse, she left New Zealand to pursue her heart’s desires. “I started training in London. Acting is a craft; nobody says, ‘I’m a doctor’ or ‘I’m an engineer’. You must work at it, train and learn, and I was hungry to learn how to be a good actor. I set out to do theatre, TV and ultimately a lead role in a feature film, which I got there with Beth Heke”, she concluded.
Based on the book by Alan Duff, Once Were Warriors is a 1994 New Zealand indie film that left a lasting impression on moviegoers and the box office. Owen starred as Beth Heke, alongside fellow Supa-Star Temuera Morrison, who played her on-screen husband, Jake “The Muss” Heke.
“30 years ago, we filmed Once Were Warriors on celluloid, it was very limited, and we didn’t get multiple takes. It was mostly filmed in one take, over 34 days on a budget of 1.2 million American dollars. Everybody did such a good job, honing my craft helped me pull off Beth Heke. It became a cult classic, won numerous awards, and George Lucas saw it.”
The film’s success launched the careers of Owen and Morrison into hyperspace… to a galaxy, far, far away.
“We ended up in Star Wars: Episode II, which was shot on the 20th Century Fox Studios backlot in Sydney. Originally, they were negotiating for me to play Captain Typho. George Lucas looked at the script, all those scenes with Padmé needed a male, and it did,” she nodded in agreement.” But then he said, ‘There’s this alien, how about this alien?’”
The alien in question is the enigmatic Taun We, an aide to Lama Su, the Prime Minister of Kamino. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace pushed the envelope for emerging digital technologies and techniques. Filmed primarily in Sydney, Australia, Episode II – Attack of the Clones continued this trend.
“A lot of people think of Taun We as just a voice, but it’s not. A computer can’t replicate the spirit of a human being. We call it ‘Wairua’, which means the soul.” Owen continued, “He was very specific about how I played Tuan We. Then he gave me an extreme makeover [in post-production], stretched out my neck and enlarged my head.
“And of course, Temuera was Jango Fett. Here we were filming a scene with Daniel Logan and Ewan McGregor, and the Australian film crew were cracking up, they were like, ‘Oh, Beth and Jake ended up in Star Wars!’”
Rena Owen will play Gramma Tala in the live-action ‘Moana’. Photo by Manfred Baumann
Just like in the Star Wars Universe, there is no such thing as luck or coincidence, as Owen explained, “The Captain Typho role went to Jay Lagia’aia, I knew him since my theatre days in New Zealand. I had a full-circle moment on the Moana live-action set because I play Gramma Tala, and his daughter, Catherine Laga’aia, plays Moana.
“They wanted me originally for Gramma Tala for the animated Moana. But I couldn’t sing sheet music to a piano. It was bad, it was embarrassing,” she laughed! “They came back to me for the live-action, and they said, ‘Look, the director really wants you to read for this role, and they think they have a way for you to work around the singing.’”
Owen exclaimed, “It’s an incredible privilege to be cast as Gramma Tala! What a beautiful role to play, and she was good for me as a person, as she is all about being true to your heart; she’s pure of heart.”
Owen’s vigour and spirit are conspicuous in her performances. Being true to oneself and honing one’s craft can open many doors if you dare to walk through. We look forward to her performance as Gramma Tala in Disney’s Moana, releasing in cinemas in July 2026!
Catch Rena Owen at Supanova in Sydney (21-22 June) and Perth (28-29 June).
Lead image: Rena Owen at Supanova on the Gold Coast. Photo by Dan Lato
