Stream free On Demand
Swift Street
series • drama
M
series • drama
M
Despite his prolific successes, Māori superstar actor and producer Cliff Curtis remains a jovially low-key guy with a cheeky sense of humour. He doesn’t let his appearances in US-backed, but Aotearoa-shot blockbusters like Avatar: The Way of the Water, in which he depicts a blue alien in James Cameron’s interstellar epic, or The Meg, where he battled a titanic-sized prehistoric shark alongside Jason Statham, get to his head. Nor his leading roles in homegrown stories like Once Were Warriors and Whale Rider, hugely beloved worldwide.
“I’m pretty relaxed, as I’ve matured,” Curtis says with a warm grin stretched across his face, illuminating the twinkle in his eyes. “There are lots of ups and downs in this career and in this life, and I’ve had my fair share of those things, so I’m just grateful I get to play on a big canvas where I can kind of pick and choose my projects, from arthouse to commercial stuff, and mix it all while still living the dad life in my hometown in New Zealand. Trying to organise the garage is a never-ending task.”
Cliff Curtis and Tanzyn Crawford in 'Swift Street'. Credit: Jane Zhang / Magpie Pictures
He tackles a very different sort of dad life in new SBS miniseries , in which he plays, “For want of better words, an absolute loser,” Robert to emerging actor and in the Melbourne-set crime caper about a father-daughter hard knocks duo trying to scrabble their way out from under a crushing debt owed to menacing crime lord The Mechanic (Eliza Matengu) by any dubious means necessary.
Enjoying its world premiere in competition at the Cannes International Television Series Festival, CANNESERIES, earlier this month, the sharp-as-tacks dramedy debuts on SBS on April 24. It’s only the second time Curtis has shot a project in Australia, after sailing biopic True Spirit, starring Teagan Croft as Jessica Watson, a teenage sailor attempting to circumnavigate the globe solo.
Curtis was drawn to the hapless role of Robert thanks to first-time showrunner Tig Terera’s striking script – with co-writers including – and an eye-popping first scene we won’t spoil here, but which certainly leaves you hanging for more.
Director Tig Terera with Cliff Curtis during filming. Credit: Jane Zhang / Magpie Pictures
“It honestly made me laugh,” Curtis recalls reading the screenplay. “It’s about a very serious matter I don’t take lightly, but I thought It set up a great conflict in the relationship between Robert and Elsie.”
As a co-owner of production outfit Whenua Films with his cousin Ainsley Gardiner, Curtis is invested in supporting new talent like Zimbabwe-born, Melbourne-raised Terera, whether that’s under the auspices of Whenua or by appearing on screen, as he does in Swift Street.
“You wouldn’t really think of Australia as the sort of place to discover a Zimbabwean man who was pretty much out on his own at 17, looking for somewhere to live and trying to figure out how to feed himself,” Curtis says of the young writer/director. “He’s such a sensitive, intelligent and aware human being, and he’s got a deep gratitude and affection for both where he’s come from and where he’s found his home.”
Elsie (Tanzyn Crawford) and Robert (Cliff Curtis). Credit: Jane Zhang / Magpie Pictures
As Curtis sees it, Robert may be a loser, but his daughter is his saving grace. “Elise is the one good thing he somehow managed to miraculously create in this world, and I don’t think he can take much credit, but it’s something in a world where masculinity seems like such a big overblown pile of nonsense. It’s almost inhumane what we think a man is and should be, so I was interested in the journey of a guy who’s at the bottom of the barrel, rolling around in the muck, trying to figure out how to stay alive as a desperate sort of human being. That’s a good challenge, trying to make him relatable.”
Crawford is the perfect foil. “It’s her show,” he says of her incredible performance as the smart-thinking Elise, who has to save her dad, including from himself, with a little help from folks, including triple threat Keiynan Lonsdale’s homeless boxer Tom.
Keiynan Lonsdale (Tom) in 'Swift Street'. Credit: Jane Zhang / Magpie Pictures
“This show’s beautiful young cast is just stunning,” he says of Swift Street’s gloriously diverse ensemble. “It’s great to see them get to express themselves on screen in Australia, where Tanzyn and Keiynan are from, rather than having to head over to America because they have African heritage.”
Curtis is grateful he gets to work in Aotearoa/New Zealand as often as he does. That includes working with then-emerging filmmaker Taika Waititi as a producer on his first feature, Boy, and an actor on his early short, Heinous Crime. “He was like this geeky, kind of quirky stand-up comedian slash part-time actor, slash-painter, and just a phenomenal talent. I believed in him and thought he was incredible, and so he inspired me to get the confidence to produce, alongside a lot of great mentors. To step out from my insecurities and take a broader look at what was possible.”
A storytelling life is the one for Curtis. “It keeps you honest.”
Unlike Robert. “He’s not someone I personally relate to, but I just go along for the ride,” Curtis says of his Swift Street role.
Swift Street premieres Wednesday 24 April on SBS and SBS On Demand. All 8 episodes of Swift Street will be available to stream free from Wednesday 24 April, with subtitles in five languages: Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese and Korean. Double episodes will also screen on SBS each Wednesday at 8.30pm. Watch the trailer now:
You can also catch Cliff Curtis at SBS On Demand in dramas including , (expires 26 April) and Whale Rider.
Stream free On Demand
Whale Rider
children • drama • 2002
children • drama • 2002
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