Opinion: And the final credits roll... after 21 years of the BEST JOB EVER. I get told that a lot. "Kate Rodger," they say: "You have the best job ever!"
I nod and say: "You know what? I bloody well do."
Two divine decades covering all things entertainment for 3 News / Newshub with an increasingly clear crash-zoom focus on all things movies.
Every Saturday night, my Film3 reviews would be broadcast across the motu to Kiwi film fans everywhere. They became appointment viewing for many and, in some cases, they were a drinking game in student flats guessing what star rating I'd dish out.
What a ride; a ride traversing the globe for interviews, red carpet premieres, awards nights and movie set visits. Highlights included: Tokyo, Cairo/Giza Egypt, Wellington, San Francisco, London, Paris, Cannes, Sydney, Melbourne, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Taipei, Hong Kong, NYC, Hollywood, LA, Utah, Chicago, San Diego, Toronto, Hawaii, Disneyland, Cancun, Queensland, Bristol, Singapore.
My main man Daniel Rutledge, longtime Newshub colleague, fellow filmhead, digital entertainment guru, had this one last request. Kate, my friend, he said. Can you please whip me up a piece for the last week of Newshub.co.nz listing the top ten interviews of your career? Dan my friend, I replied, ARE YOU INSANE? Just ten???
Where would I even begin?
Perhaps the intense emotional rollercoaster of laughing so hard I cried with Robin Williams, before crying hard as my heart ached three years later as we lost him too young.
Or Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Amy Schumer, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Connelly - comedy LEGENDS.
John Wick/Johnny Utah, Maverick/Ethan Hunt, Indiana Jones/Han Solo, Scorpion King/Black Adam, Aquaman/Khal Drogo, Jackie Chan - action LEGENDS.
Waititi to Curtis to Caro, Murphy to Preston to Donaldson, Jackson to Boyens to Walsh, Neill to Lynskey, Castle-Hughes to Rena, Liang to Ward, Toa to Tamahori, Tem to Thomasin - Kiwi LEGENDS.
Wonder Women the world over: Gal Gadot and Scarlett Johansson, Dames Helen Mirren and Emma Thompson, teams Jolie and Aniston, Queens Fonda, Streep and Swift, Gerwig, Gaga and Stone.
Superwomen and superheroes: Thor, Wolverine, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Professor X, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Falcon and Winter Soldier, Star-Lord, Drax and Thanos.
From Forrest Gump to Tyler Durden, Thelma to Louise, Bond to Bourne, Potter to Pretty Woman, Aragorn to Legolas, Gandalf to Gollum, Arwen to Tauriel, Boy to Beth to Jake the Muss, Spock to Captain Kirk.
Tarantino to Spielberg, Nolan to Cameron, Jenkins to Mann.
From the Galaxy Far, Far Away the Force pulled me to The Last Jedi, the only Jedi, the one Skywalker to rule them all: Mark Hamill. Through the ages I sat down with Han Solo, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, C-3PO, R2-D2, Kylo Ren, Rey, Finn, Cassian Andor and the grandaddy himself: George Lucas. I would roam freely in the grounds of the legendary Skywalker Ranch and Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge before it opened its doors to the masses. I'd meet the fans at the Star Wars 30th Celebrations in Los Angeles, meeting them again and again at Star Wars red carpet premieres in Tokyo, Hollywood, Auckland and Sydney.
And along with the Star Wars fans were the Potter fans, Pirates fans, Twilight fans, Hobbit fans, Marvel fans - united in their passion for movies.
And gluing my globe together was Aotearoa. Our world-class storytellers telling our stories to us and to the world, pausing briefly to offer me precious moments to help share their mahi with the audiences who crave them. Wandering with the Wilderpeople, hob-nobbing with the Hobbitses, JoJo Rabbit, The Dark Horse, The Power of the Dog, Dead Lands. The creative Kiwi horde who, time and time again, become a formidable filmmaker whānau to breathe life into our past, our present and our future.
So yeah, 20 years are drawing to a close this week. Most of these interviews feel like they happened yesterday, but also decades ago at the same time.
This may read like a celebrity wank-fest of the highest order and indeed it should. It's an A-List rollcall for the ages and the phenomenal sense of privilege I feel looking back on it will never ever be taken for granted.
So there you have it, my longtime film-loving colleague Dan, this one final task, to list my definitive top ten? It's an epic fail. The best I can is this: A list of every person I've done, many of them more than once, in no particular order. My final credits, if you will.
To infinity and beyond!
- Keanu Reeves
- Brad Pitt
- Jane Fonda
- Dame Helen Mirren
- Scarlett Johansson
- Taylor Swift
- Jason Momoa
- Pedro Pascal
- Tom Hanks
- Timothée Chalamet
- Angelina Jolie
- Jennifer Aniston
- Tom Cruise
- Bradley Cooper
- Mark Hamill
- Halle Berry
- Gal Gadot
- Ryan Gosling
- Emma Stone
- Margot Robbie
- Greta Gerwig
- Josh Gad
- Celine Song
- Melanie Lynskey
- America Ferrera
- Robin Williams
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
- Channing Tatum
- Tom Holland
- Tiffany Haddish
- Issa Rae
- Johnny Depp
- James Cameron
- Anya Taylor-Joy
- Meryl Streep
- Harrison Ford
- Adam Driver
- Felicity Jones
- Sir Peter Jackson
- Steven Spielberg
- Matt Damon
- Will Smith
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Lee Tamahori
- Nicole Kidman
- Quentin Tarantino
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Ed Sheeran
- Sting
- Sir Ian McKellen
- Austin Butler
- Michael Kelly
- Gerard Butler
- Baz Luhrman
- Keegan-Michael Key
- Sir Patrick Stewart
- Laurence Fishburne
- Hugh Jackman
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Mel Gibson
- Stephen Fry
- Geoff Murphy
- Matthew McConaughey
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- John Malkovich
- Keala Settle
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge
- Denis Villeneuve
- Doug Liman
- Zendaya
- David Michod
- Susan Sarandon
- Nicola Coughlan
- Hugh Grant
- George Lucas
- Justice Smith
- Rege Jean-Page
- Christian Bale
- Andrew Scott
- Paul Mescal
- Florence Pugh
- John Woo
- Julian Dennison
- Liam Neeson
- Kathleen Kennedy
- Robert Patrick
- Mark Wahlberg
- Donald Sutherland
- Danny Boyle
- Gary Oldman
- Chris Pratt
- Ben Affleck
- Taron Egerton
- Drew Barrymore
- Toni Collete
- Josh O'Connor
- Mike Feist
- Danny DeVito
- Rose McIver
- Danny Ramirez
- Danny Huston
- Jay Ellis
- Greg Tarzan Davis
- Diego Luna
- Rachel Griffiths
- Julia Ormond
- Billy Connolly
- Finn Little
- Seth Rogen
- Dominic Cooper
- Nicholas Cage
- Sam Rockwell
- Jason Bateman
- Sam Neill
- Kenneth Branagh
- Lady Gaga
- Julia Roberts
- Jodie Foster
- Russell Crowe
- Tony Gilroy
- Dustin Hoffman
- Jack Black
- Patty Jenkins
- Elizabeth McGovern
- Christopher Nolan
- Cindy Crawford
- Sir Richard Branson
- John Cleese
- Robyn Malcolm
- Jamie Dornan
- Renée Zellweger
- Justin Timberlake
- Jason Statham
- Javier Bardem
- Chris Hemsworth
- Liam Hemsworth
- Kelvin Harrison Jr
- Neil Finn
- Coldplay
- Henry Cavill
- Penélope Cruz
- Keira Knightley
- Dev Patel
- Emily Blunt
- Benicio del Toro
- Josh Brolin
- Julianne Moore
- Ben Platt
- Glen Powell
- Sydney Sweeney
- Guillermo del Toro
- Jason Clarke
- Hayley Atwell
- Molly Manning Walker
- Rachel McAdams
- Andrew Garfield
- Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Jennifer Connelly
- Shailene Woodley
- Jarod Rawiri
- Tessa Thompson
- Ryan Coogler
- Alan Ritchson
- Alana Haim
- M. Night Shayamalan
- Morgana O'Reilly
- Caitroona Balfe
- Jude Hill
- Kate Mara
- Miles Teller
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Bryan Cranston
- Emily Browning
- Ciaran Hinds
- Patricia Clarkson
- Katee Sackhoff
- Michael Sheen
- Vanessa Hudgens
- Eva Mendes
- Zoe Kazan
- Amber Heard
- Zachary Levi
- Luke Evans
- Christine Baranski
- Michelle Monaghan
- Dean O'Gorman
- Jed Brophy
- Ian McShane
- Lance Reddick
- Asia Kate Dillon
- Chad Stahelski
- Michelle Yeoh
- Lee Pace
- Manu Bennett
- Alice Eve
- Sasha Blane
- Dr George Miller
- Chloe Grace Moretz
- Chris Pine
- Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
- Rose Byrne
- Matt Bomer
- Alexander Skarsgård
- Marion Cotillard
- Carla Gugino
- Carrie-Anne Moss
- Kirsten Dunst
- Orlando Bloom
- Robert De Niro
- Megan Fox
- Michael Bay
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Pamela Anderson
- Eddie Redmayne
- Katherine Waterston
- Colin Farrell
- Robbie Sheehan
- Christian Rivers
- Rebecca Ferguson
- Lakeith Stanfield
- Geena Davis
- Daniel Kaluuya
- Sylvia Hoeks
- Chris McQuarrie
- Ridley Scott
- Claire Foy
- Awkwafina
- Kevin Kwan
- Constance Wu
- Henry Golding
- Daisy Edgar Jones
- Hannah Waddingham
- Daisy Ridley
- Gemma Chan
- Winston Duke
- Colin Firth
- Kevin Spacey
- Cara Delevingne
- Monica Bellucci
- Viggo Mortensen
- Sandra Bullock
- Vera Farmiga
- Elizabeth Olsen
- Jeremy Renner
- Hailee Steinfeld
- Jackie Chan
- Jackie van Beek
- Madeleine Sami
- Rose Matafeo
- Matthew Lewis
- Josh Gad
- Adam Sandler
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Will Arnett
- Hugo Weaving
- Anne Hathaway
- Tilda Swinton
- Dave Bautista
- Thomasin McKenzie
- Debra Granik
- Sam Claflin
- Jonah Hill
- Léa Seydoux
- Emily Watson
- Sebastian Stan
- Jessica Biel
- Jason Isaacs
- Dave Franco
- Oscar Isaac
- David Strathain
- Taylor John Smith
- Woody Harrelson
- Daniel Craig
- Olga Kurylenko
- Laura Dern
- Animal from The Muppets
- Ezra Miller
- Neil Patrick Harris
- Richard Armitage
- Shia LaBeouf
- Saoirse Ronan
- Selena Gomez
- Will Ferrell
- Sam Worthington
- Mia Wasikowska
- Richard Madden
- Renee Zellweger
- James Gunn
- Josh Hartnett
- Sean Astin
- Noomi Rapace
- Naomie Harris
- Jena Malone
- Hayden Christensen
- John Hawkes
- Jessica Alba
- Karen Gillan
- Ethan Hawke
- Steve Carell
- Pom Klementieff
- Rebecca Hall
- Salma Hayek
- John Cusack
- John Cena
- Amy Schumer
- Oscar Isaac
- Carey Mulligan
- Michael Douglas
- Kit Harington
- Armie Hammer
- Joe Manganiello
- Rupert Grint
- Taylor Lautner
- Kevin Smith
- John Hamm
- Matt Reeves
- Karl Urban
- Simon Pegg
- Ben Stiller
- Chris Rock
- Jason Sudeikis
- James Marsden
- Charles Parnell
- Jack O'Connell
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Juliette Lewis
- Michael Biehn
- Josh Hutcherson
- Peter Dinklage
- Andy Garcia
- Maria Bello
- Josh Duhamel
- Jesse Eisenberg
- Patrick Wilson
- Andy Samberg
- Rhys Darby
- Keri Russell
- Jamie Chung
- Nick Frost
- Edgar Wright
- Patrick Dempsey
- Lucy Lawless
- Bruce Campbell
- Amy Poehler
- Aaron Eckhart
- Billy Crudup
- Jason Segel
- WALL-E
- Kermit the Frog
- Queen Latifah
- Ben Barnes
- Jada Pinkett Smith
- Liev Schreiber
- Rachel Bilson
- Niki Caro
- Keisha Castle-Hughes
- Melanie Lynskey
- Paz Vega
- Jeremy Irons
- Mike Vogel
- Mark Strong
- Sir Ben Kingsley
- Jamie Foxx
- Amy Ryan
- Kim Cattrall
- Zachary Quinto
- John Cho
- Jay Baruchel
- Andy Serkis
- Richie McCaw
- Sir Clive Woodward
- Brian O'Driscoll
- Edward Norton
- Toa Fraser
- Lauren Taylor
- Elizabeth Hawthorne
- James Rolleston
- Kingsley Ben-Adir
- Sam Taylor-Johnson
- Marisa Abela
- Jess Hong
- Bill Hader
- Bill Nighy
- Donnie Yen
- Mindy Kaling
- Robin Wright
- Sia
- Pete Docter
- Auli'i Cravalho
- Rachel House
- Temuera Morrison
- Roger Donaldson
- Sandra Hueller
- Ron Clements
- John Musker
- The Pussycat Dolls
- Joe Letteri
- Joe Russo
- Ty Simpkins
- Nick Robinson
- Beulah Koale
- BD Wong
- Colin Trevorrow
- Gareth Edwards
- Ken Watanabe
- Jamie Bell
- Christoph Waltz
- Jemaine Clement
- Yoson An
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Ansel Elgort
- Philippa Boyens
- U2
- Kristen Stewart
- Zac Efron
- Emma Watson
- Emma Thompson
- Rosamund Pike
- Bryce Dallas Howard
- Chris Evans
- Frankie Adams
- Anthony Mackie
- Anna Kendrick
- Robert Pattinson
- Alicia Vikander
- Jessica Chastain
- James Franco
- Frank Langella
- Richard Jenkins
- Kevin James
- Russell Brand
- Thomas Haden Church
- Fergie
- Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
- Lily Allen
- Stephen Frears
- Oliver Stone
