Jayden Daniels: Former Shortland Street actor on making the switch from screen to stage with 'The Effect'

Shortland Street has been running for an impressive 32 years, and Jayden Daniels played one of the most popular characters in its entire run. 

After graduating from Toi Whakaari in 2014 Daniels picked up the role of Curtis in 2015, using that role as a stepping stone to enter the screen industry proper. 

He starred as Gabriel in the 2023 film Evil Dead Rise, and Cyril in Whina, the biopic of Dame Whina Cooper. 

Daniels' is now making the switch from screen to stage, going back to his roots and theatre training with Auckland Theatre Company’s production of The Effect. 

The play follows two people who meet during a clinical drug trial and fall in love, asking the question of whether the love is real or just a side effect of the medication, written by multi-award winner Lucy Prebble. 

“There’s love, there’s sorrow,” Daniels told Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame. 

“She writes it way better than I’m explaining it now.” 

A majority of Daniels’ training was theatrical training at drama school, but since he’s been working on screen since his graduation there’s been a bit of an adjustment. 

“The whole time I’ve been trying to pull down, be smaller and more subtle,” he said. 

“If I’m on screen, I can drop right down and talk to you like this,” Daniels lowered his voice in example. 

“Whereas on stage I’m having to project. Even if I’m talking to you close, I have to be big and loud.” 

“That’s been a challenge for me.” 

Daniels has worked in both mediums, and while he used to think he had a preference, he’s recently discovered that theatre has a lot to teach him. 

The techniques he can rely on when acting for camera aren’t applicable to stage performances, as audiences can’t hear softspoken voices or see the minute expressions on actors’ faces. 

And while he doesn’t prefer one over the other, he told Tame that there are benefits to working in theatre. 

“You can take more risks in theatre. You’re rehearsing for a very long time, which is a luxury in acting, especially on screen.” 

“I feel like I put a lot of pressure on the product on screen because you get there, you don’t have long to shoot the scene and its done. Whereas here you can try this, it didn’t work, I’ll just throw it to the complete other end.” 

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