Veteran Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis is set to return to the big screen this week in the new Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw spin-off blockbuster, starring Hollywood favourite and former Auckland resident Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as the titular character, Luke Hobbs.
Cliff Curtis, who cut his teeth as a respected actor in the 1994 Kiwi classic Once Were Warriors, stars as a Hobbs brother - the brains of the family to compliment the brawn - alongside wrestler-turned-actor Roman Reigns.
- 'So gratifying': Dwayne Johnson talks bringing Samoan culture to Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw
- Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson wanted Jason Momoa to play his brother in Fast & Furious spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw
- Kiwi actors Vinnie Bennett and Anna Sawai cast in Fast and Furious 9
The Rock has reprised his role as Hobbs, bringing the final act of this new Fast & Furious franchise instalment home to Samoa.
There's clearly on-screen beef between the two brothers. However, it's a very different story on set.
"Dwayne is fantastic at not taking himself too seriously, and he's very, very generous," Curtis told Newshub.
"Movie stars can be prickly characters at times... they might not want to be second best in a situation. But he's very very generous, he's up for making fun of himself and making fun of his character. That's what makes him so endearing to audiences, and so professional."
"Really it was all love," Reigns says,
"Those guys remember love and respect, check the egos and put the project first, put the story first. It speaks for itself, there's no game-playing on set."
Curtis isn't the only Kiwi Hobbs brother. John Tui, who starred in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and Sione's Wedding, also joins the fray.
All the boys, The Rock included, are united in the thrill of bringing their Polynesian culture to the big screen.
"We had our big Hollywood premiere for Hobbs & Shaw... I welcome everybody, it's a celebration and I thank everybody for their hard work," The Rock told Newshub.
"I say, you know, this is the very first time we are showcasing Samoan culture and that room erupted with the Polynesians who were in the house. I mean, they were going crazy!
"And it was just so beautiful."
Hobbs & Shaw is set to premiere in New Zealand on August 1.
Newshub.
