A man of many talents, Cliff Curtis is a Hollywood star hailing all the way from Rotorua.
He’s known for his metamorphosis, carving out credits in a mixture of major franchises and more personal productions, and his latest project feels like a blend of both.
Curtis is starring in Jason Momoa’s ‘Chief of War’, which tells a tale of the turn of the 18th century, when the four kingdoms of Hawai’i were at war.
He told Jack Tame he’s very proud and humbled to be a part of this production.
“As a storyteller in the screen industry for the last three decades at least, we’ve managed to tell a variation of stories from our small corner of the world,” Curtis said.
“But you know, this series, when led by the likes of Jason Momoa and his co-creator Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, they can bring scale to the narrative.”
“It's a big deal for us.”
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks at Me.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
From Rotru to the World. Cliff Curtis is a homegrown
Hollywood legend known for his skill of metamorphosis, carfing out credits,
and a mixture of major franchises and more personal productions.
His most recent project feels like a bit of a
blend of both. Let's have a listen to Apple TV
(00:32):
Plus's new series Chief of War.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
This Island, This is your home. This land will hold
you long after I am gone, telling me about the
outside world. This strange the pearls skin honors nor gods
(01:03):
of land becoming soon That is Chief of War.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Cliff Curtis is starring in the series, produced and also starring,
produced by and also starring Jason Mamore. It tells the
tale at the turn of the eighteenth century when the
four kingdoms of Hawaii were at war and Cliff.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Curtis is with us.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Got a good morning total Jack, Hey, congratulations and thank
you for your Thank you for your time with this.
I mean, this is an amazing story and it's remarkable
really because it's a Polynesian story told from an indigenous perspective.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
For a global audience.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
So, given your career, given all the roles you've had
over the years, just how significant is that?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
It's very significant. I mean, it's a it's a you know,
as you know, you've probably followed as a as a
storyteller in the screen industry for the last three decades
at least. You know, we've managed to tell a variation
of stories from our small corner of the world. But
you know, this series, when when led by the likes
(02:11):
of Jason more Moore and his co creator Thomas Parker,
they can bring scale to the narrative, Like they can
really recreate the scale and the majesty and the regal
nature of our ancestry. And they've done an amazing job.
I'm very, very proud and humbled to be a part
of it, to be honest, that's big for us. It's
(02:32):
a big deal for us.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It is a big deal, and it's such a powerful story.
But I think it's a great example of how sharing,
you know, Polynesian stories isn't just the right thing to do, like,
it's seriously entertaining as well, right and and and it
feels like you've really struck that balance.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, exactly, Well, I mean, I don't. I don't. I
don't think as a MILDI storyteller. I do it because
it's the right thing to do as I do it
because I'm passionate about it and I want to do it,
and if I'm compelled to tell these stories because for
my my self ins reasons. But culturally we live in
the context of ancestors and descendants. You know, my own
(03:16):
self is cents just are relatively minor compared to being
of service to our EWI, to our people. Now, we
want we want stories like this that can inspire our
future generations, not because we should, but because it's something
that just as in our as in our lifeblood as
human beings, to want to do so.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
There are elements of the story that that are so
familiar for an audience and ALTI at all. But but
for those of our audience who haven't you seen Chief
of Walk? Can you can you give us a little
bit of background without without giving too much away? Can
you can you kind of set the context for us
a little bit?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Well, I think it's a classical story. I mean, it's true,
it's based on history, and it's a story that I
think we can recognize from many great stories from any
culture which makes it human. You know, there's a there's
a there's a chief of war played by Jason Monmore.
(04:16):
His name is cut Yana, and and they learn of
this this impending doom. There's this prophecy that a great
wave of of of the outside world is coming towards Hawaii.
And he has to leave the islands and go out
to see what's happening in the world. And he returns
with technology and stories and and he he wants to
(04:36):
change the way that Hawaii is. And he campaigns within
the kings of each island to unify the islands. And
this gives rise to the Kingdom of Kamehameha. But they've
got to go through a brutal series of battles and wars,
and Hawaii is divided amongst eight islands, and on these islands,
(04:58):
on each corner of each island are different kingdoms. It's
it's not this little known how vast and how complex
and how rich and powerful these nations were. Tim Weider
plays King Kahi Kili, which is the island of Maui.
I play a character called King Gaolwa from the island
(05:18):
of Hawaii, and my cousin is king Camehameha, and we
are all battling to decide which king should lead Hawaii
and prepare for the incoming world that is going to
change the life in Hawaii forever.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
The relationship between Kanaka Maaali, so the indigenous peoples of
Hawaii and Maui and other Polynesian peoples obviously runs incredibly deep.
But from your perspective, what did you learn about Kanaka
Maali during this production?
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, I mean, I guess it's just a scale. I mean,
we you know, we have often seen on screen ourselves represented,
but the scale of the storytelling is very intimate, and
we just don't really realize that we are a million
Hawaiians living in Hawaii pre contact. Yeah, you know, and
that when they went to war, when they went to battle,
there wasn't like a few hundred or a few thousands.
(06:15):
There was one hundred thousand strong in each army, and
there might be two or three armies that battle all
at once. Uh. That when they were taken armada of
their ships from one island to the next, it was
in the thousands. So I think that's the thing that
really is striking, and that that hasn't been understood, and
(06:36):
it's really really inspiring to sort of see the might
of these nations and the vulnerability of them to to
to history and that and that empires come and they go,
they rise, and they fall, but we're still here and
uh And there's a beautiful connection between Maudi and and
and karnak Mauli of Hawaii, Tahiti, tongas more with Apa Nui,
(07:00):
and that we have a shared language, we have a
shared genealogy, we have a shared experience. That our continent
is not a continent of a mass of land like
the Americas or Europe, per Se or Asia. Ours is
a continent of ocean to Wana New Yaquiwa. And it
is not the seed that divides us. It is a
seed sea the ocean that connects us and unifies us
(07:24):
as Polynesia one of the main and it also connects
us to both sides of the Pacific. It connects us
through Taiwan into all of Asia, Southeast Asia, into China.
It connects us up to Mongolia and round from the
Mongolia across the Strait and down through the Americas. They're
native Americans of what we call now call Canada, the
Cree nation. They're coming tomorrow. We've got all of these
(07:47):
nations of Native America that go all the way down
to South America and it crosses back over into Upper
North Easter Island. So at the catchment of our indigenous
cultures are vast. It is a vast and un unheralded
population of indigenous culture. We're made to think through the
the historical western lens that we're little pockets of these
(08:10):
cute little natives that like to sing songs to one another,
but which we did do that too. We can also
be cute and very lovely and warm, but that we
were a vast population and still are. It's just that
it's been forgotten. And through the series we can revigorate this.
Because the character that Jason goes out to see the world,
(08:32):
he don't go to Europe. He goes to Asia. He
sees the might of southern Southeast asiaan all of China,
and he comes about with gunpowder and all the technologies
of Asia to prepare for the for the what will
be the onslaught of the western migration migrants as we
as we as we as we don't want to call
ourselves there, but the incoming migrants from this foreign place.
(08:56):
You know and wanting to colonize.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
How at you Yeah, It's amazing in the production, the
prominence with which the Hawaiian language is given, I mean,
is remarkable seeing all of these actors we know and
love speaking in the Hawaiian language. How did you and
the cast find that experience?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I was beautiful? What a privilege? What a We have
the basis of our own real maori. So you know
ki vaka aloha, you know tohuna uh you know, we
have all of these connections farah. So we had the
(09:37):
basis of our own language. Was beautiful to hear it
resonate in the dialect which is Hawaii, which is our
connected language. And then we had Salman's and our cast
Torments and the cast Tahitians in the cast, and we
all connected through the vision of well more more and
they consciously wanted to reunite Polynesia to show that we
(10:00):
are connected and that we are not isolated, and that
we should not divide ourselves by our ilects on by
our islands, but connect ourselves to celebrate our connection and
our heritage together. It's a beautiful, beautiful happening.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
And it wasn't like in a practical sense, is it.
I mean, obviously you know you yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Huge challenge and you know it's it's actually yeah, it's
very very typical to to earn the Hawaiian But I
I was so excited by it. I asked, I asked
on the condition if I accepted the role, that in
order to honor this ancestor, that I would not speak
(10:43):
a word of English, that I would only speak Hawaiian. Wow.
And that was a great privilege to to in a
commitment for myself to to you know, to try my
best to honor this this ancestral line.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Have you found yourself through the production experience starting to
like reach for words in real Maudi and going to
the Hawaiian word instead. Obviously there are a lot of
similarities a lot of the time that do you find
yourself sometimes reaching for the wrong one?
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Oh yeah, definitely. But the but but but the greater
danger was actually speaking Hawaiian with a Maudi accent, which
is quite quite difficult. It's like speaking it's like speaking
English with an American accent. You know, it's it's quite abrupt,
it's quite notice. Was the biggest challenge was to try
and but there was there still exists a dialect in
(11:31):
Hawaii where instead of that where they still have the
tea's and the rs that we have same on Someone,
there's there's a there's a there's a dialect in someone
and Hawaiian which has the Maldi tea and the Maudi
R and the Maudi W. So so I I chose
to use that dialect and my character to hopefully connect this.
(11:55):
This this thousand years, thousands of years apart and thousands
of miles away, still our language and our customs live
through this. It's a beautiful, beautiful celebration of our heritage. Well.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
I don't expect you had much time to google yourself
these days, but I read an interview with Jason.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
In which he said, think of anything worse?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah, true, he's very wise. He said, if Cliff and
Tim are not nominated for Emmys for their efforts with
the language, I will effing lose my shit.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
So there you go. Oh well, I won't be holding
my breath for that. But I'll tell you this much.
I've seen Jason's work, and from you know, his body
of work, he's a he's a mega movie star nowadays,
and he's you know, he's he's got a significant body
of work, but I've never seen his work i'll be
of such depth and nuance and subtlety and emotion. It's
(12:47):
the best work of his career that I've seen. And
same with Tim wad On Morrison. He was born to
be a Hawaiian king. You know, he's got a whole
way that he is in the world as a mildy,
as a human being, he's quite distinct, but when you
put him in the role of King Kahikilly, it all
makes sense. He's he's absolutely I'm just I'm just completely
(13:12):
just where i am. I'm lost words. I can't really
describe what it is to see Tim, wither And and
Jason play those roles there that it's the it's the
greatest work that I've seen them do in their careers.
And I'm very very proud of them, and I'm very
very you know, humbled and grateful to be alongside.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
So yeah, well we really appreciate you giving us your time.
Congratulations on and also yeah, always thank you.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
It's always a pleasure to to see your commitment, Maudi
and to see you representing in that way.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
So all right, mode that is Cliff Curtis, Chief of
War is the incredible new series streaming on Apple tv Plus.
Thank you so much for all the texts, Jack, great interview,
awesome to hear the passion and Cliff's voice the spar
(14:05):
into an incredible career. Jack Lovecliff Curtis, God bless you,
Cliff sis Lee, thank you very much for that. Ninety
two ninety two. If you want to send us a
messag John News Talks he'd.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Be this morning.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
You can email me as well. Of course, Jack at
Newstalks hedb dot co dot nz for.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen live to
News Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks at Me.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
From Rotru to the World. Cliff Curtis is a homegrown
Hollywood legend known for his skill of metamorphosis, carfing out credits,
and a mixture of major franchises and more personal productions.
His most recent project feels like a bit of a
blend of both. Let's have a listen to Apple TV
(00:32):
Plus's new series Chief of War.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
This Island, This is your home. This land will hold
you long after I am gone, telling me about the
outside world. This strange the pearls skin honors nor gods
(01:03):
of land becoming soon That is Chief of War.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Cliff Curtis is starring in the series, produced and also starring,
produced by and also starring Jason Mamore. It tells the
tale at the turn of the eighteenth century when the
four kingdoms of Hawaii were at war and Cliff.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Curtis is with us.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Got a good morning total Jack, Hey, congratulations and thank
you for your Thank you for your time with this.
I mean, this is an amazing story and it's remarkable
really because it's a Polynesian story told from an indigenous perspective.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
For a global audience.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
So, given your career, given all the roles you've had
over the years, just how significant is that?
Speaker 3 (01:47):
It's very significant. I mean, it's a it's a you know,
as you know, you've probably followed as a as a
storyteller in the screen industry for the last three decades
at least. You know, we've managed to tell a variation
of stories from our small corner of the world. But
you know, this series, when when led by the likes
(02:11):
of Jason more Moore and his co creator Thomas Parker,
they can bring scale to the narrative, Like they can
really recreate the scale and the majesty and the regal
nature of our ancestry. And they've done an amazing job.
I'm very, very proud and humbled to be a part
of it, to be honest, that's big for us. It's
(02:32):
a big deal for us.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It is a big deal, and it's such a powerful story.
But I think it's a great example of how sharing,
you know, Polynesian stories isn't just the right thing to do, like,
it's seriously entertaining as well, right and and and it
feels like you've really struck that balance.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, exactly, Well, I mean, I don't. I don't. I
don't think as a MILDI storyteller. I do it because
it's the right thing to do as I do it
because I'm passionate about it and I want to do it,
and if I'm compelled to tell these stories because for
my my self ins reasons. But culturally we live in
the context of ancestors and descendants. You know, my own
(03:16):
self is cents just are relatively minor compared to being
of service to our EWI, to our people. Now, we
want we want stories like this that can inspire our
future generations, not because we should, but because it's something
that just as in our as in our lifeblood as
human beings, to want to do so.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
There are elements of the story that that are so
familiar for an audience and ALTI at all. But but
for those of our audience who haven't you seen Chief
of Walk? Can you can you give us a little
bit of background without without giving too much away? Can
you can you kind of set the context for us
a little bit?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Well, I think it's a classical story. I mean, it's true,
it's based on history, and it's a story that I
think we can recognize from many great stories from any
culture which makes it human. You know, there's a there's
a there's a chief of war played by Jason Monmore.
(04:16):
His name is cut Yana, and and they learn of
this this impending doom. There's this prophecy that a great
wave of of of the outside world is coming towards Hawaii.
And he has to leave the islands and go out
to see what's happening in the world. And he returns
with technology and stories and and he he wants to
(04:36):
change the way that Hawaii is. And he campaigns within
the kings of each island to unify the islands. And
this gives rise to the Kingdom of Kamehameha. But they've
got to go through a brutal series of battles and wars,
and Hawaii is divided amongst eight islands, and on these islands,
(04:58):
on each corner of each island are different kingdoms. It's
it's not this little known how vast and how complex
and how rich and powerful these nations were. Tim Weider
plays King Kahi Kili, which is the island of Maui.
I play a character called King Gaolwa from the island
(05:18):
of Hawaii, and my cousin is king Camehameha, and we
are all battling to decide which king should lead Hawaii
and prepare for the incoming world that is going to
change the life in Hawaii forever.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
The relationship between Kanaka Maaali, so the indigenous peoples of
Hawaii and Maui and other Polynesian peoples obviously runs incredibly deep.
But from your perspective, what did you learn about Kanaka
Maali during this production?
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, I mean, I guess it's just a scale. I mean,
we you know, we have often seen on screen ourselves represented,
but the scale of the storytelling is very intimate, and
we just don't really realize that we are a million
Hawaiians living in Hawaii pre contact. Yeah, you know, and
that when they went to war, when they went to battle,
there wasn't like a few hundred or a few thousands.
(06:15):
There was one hundred thousand strong in each army, and
there might be two or three armies that battle all
at once. Uh. That when they were taken armada of
their ships from one island to the next, it was
in the thousands. So I think that's the thing that
really is striking, and that that hasn't been understood, and
(06:36):
it's really really inspiring to sort of see the might
of these nations and the vulnerability of them to to
to history and that and that empires come and they go,
they rise, and they fall, but we're still here and
uh And there's a beautiful connection between Maudi and and
and karnak Mauli of Hawaii, Tahiti, tongas more with Apa Nui,
(07:00):
and that we have a shared language, we have a
shared genealogy, we have a shared experience. That our continent
is not a continent of a mass of land like
the Americas or Europe, per Se or Asia. Ours is
a continent of ocean to Wana New Yaquiwa. And it
is not the seed that divides us. It is a
seed sea the ocean that connects us and unifies us
(07:24):
as Polynesia one of the main and it also connects
us to both sides of the Pacific. It connects us
through Taiwan into all of Asia, Southeast Asia, into China.
It connects us up to Mongolia and round from the
Mongolia across the Strait and down through the Americas. They're
native Americans of what we call now call Canada, the
Cree nation. They're coming tomorrow. We've got all of these
(07:47):
nations of Native America that go all the way down
to South America and it crosses back over into Upper
North Easter Island. So at the catchment of our indigenous
cultures are vast. It is a vast and un unheralded
population of indigenous culture. We're made to think through the
the historical western lens that we're little pockets of these
(08:10):
cute little natives that like to sing songs to one another,
but which we did do that too. We can also
be cute and very lovely and warm, but that we
were a vast population and still are. It's just that
it's been forgotten. And through the series we can revigorate this.
Because the character that Jason goes out to see the world,
(08:32):
he don't go to Europe. He goes to Asia. He
sees the might of southern Southeast asiaan all of China,
and he comes about with gunpowder and all the technologies
of Asia to prepare for the for the what will
be the onslaught of the western migration migrants as we
as we as we as we don't want to call
ourselves there, but the incoming migrants from this foreign place.
(08:56):
You know and wanting to colonize.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
How at you Yeah, It's amazing in the production, the
prominence with which the Hawaiian language is given, I mean,
is remarkable seeing all of these actors we know and
love speaking in the Hawaiian language. How did you and
the cast find that experience?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I was beautiful? What a privilege? What a We have
the basis of our own real maori. So you know
ki vaka aloha, you know tohuna uh you know, we
have all of these connections farah. So we had the
(09:37):
basis of our own language. Was beautiful to hear it
resonate in the dialect which is Hawaii, which is our
connected language. And then we had Salman's and our cast
Torments and the cast Tahitians in the cast, and we
all connected through the vision of well more more and
they consciously wanted to reunite Polynesia to show that we
(10:00):
are connected and that we are not isolated, and that
we should not divide ourselves by our ilects on by
our islands, but connect ourselves to celebrate our connection and
our heritage together. It's a beautiful, beautiful happening.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
And it wasn't like in a practical sense, is it.
I mean, obviously you know you yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Huge challenge and you know it's it's actually yeah, it's
very very typical to to earn the Hawaiian But I
I was so excited by it. I asked, I asked
on the condition if I accepted the role, that in
order to honor this ancestor, that I would not speak
(10:43):
a word of English, that I would only speak Hawaiian. Wow.
And that was a great privilege to to in a
commitment for myself to to you know, to try my
best to honor this this ancestral line.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Have you found yourself through the production experience starting to
like reach for words in real Maudi and going to
the Hawaiian word instead. Obviously there are a lot of
similarities a lot of the time that do you find
yourself sometimes reaching for the wrong one?
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Oh yeah, definitely. But the but but but the greater
danger was actually speaking Hawaiian with a Maudi accent, which
is quite quite difficult. It's like speaking it's like speaking
English with an American accent. You know, it's it's quite abrupt,
it's quite notice. Was the biggest challenge was to try
and but there was there still exists a dialect in
(11:31):
Hawaii where instead of that where they still have the
tea's and the rs that we have same on Someone,
there's there's a there's a there's a dialect in someone
and Hawaiian which has the Maldi tea and the Maudi
R and the Maudi W. So so I I chose
to use that dialect and my character to hopefully connect this.
(11:55):
This this thousand years, thousands of years apart and thousands
of miles away, still our language and our customs live
through this. It's a beautiful, beautiful celebration of our heritage. Well.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
I don't expect you had much time to google yourself
these days, but I read an interview with Jason.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
In which he said, think of anything worse?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah, true, he's very wise. He said, if Cliff and
Tim are not nominated for Emmys for their efforts with
the language, I will effing lose my shit.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
So there you go. Oh well, I won't be holding
my breath for that. But I'll tell you this much.
I've seen Jason's work, and from you know, his body
of work, he's a he's a mega movie star nowadays,
and he's you know, he's he's got a significant body
of work, but I've never seen his work i'll be
of such depth and nuance and subtlety and emotion. It's
(12:47):
the best work of his career that I've seen. And
same with Tim wad On Morrison. He was born to
be a Hawaiian king. You know, he's got a whole
way that he is in the world as a mildy,
as a human being, he's quite distinct, but when you
put him in the role of King Kahikilly, it all
makes sense. He's he's absolutely I'm just I'm just completely
(13:12):
just where i am. I'm lost words. I can't really
describe what it is to see Tim, wither And and
Jason play those roles there that it's the it's the
greatest work that I've seen them do in their careers.
And I'm very very proud of them, and I'm very
very you know, humbled and grateful to be alongside.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
So yeah, well we really appreciate you giving us your time.
Congratulations on and also yeah, always thank you.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
It's always a pleasure to to see your commitment, Maudi
and to see you representing in that way.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
So all right, mode that is Cliff Curtis, Chief of
War is the incredible new series streaming on Apple tv Plus.
Thank you so much for all the texts, Jack, great interview,
awesome to hear the passion and Cliff's voice the spar
(14:05):
into an incredible career. Jack Lovecliff Curtis, God bless you,
Cliff sis Lee, thank you very much for that. Ninety
two ninety two. If you want to send us a
messag John News Talks he'd.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Be this morning.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
You can email me as well. Of course, Jack at
Newstalks hedb dot co dot nz for.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen live to
News Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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