King of the dead brings acting to life

EVOTIA TAMUA THOMPSON

KING'S RETURN: Paul Norell, who played the King of the Dead in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, is helping fire up interest in acting.

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The King of the Dead is back and coming to a school near you.

Paul Norell, who played the character in the final part of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, is running a series of presentations to fire up kids’ interest in acting.

"My aim is to show them what it’s like being involved in an international film," Mr Norell says.

"I want to encourage kids to enjoy themselves while learning as much as possible."

The qualified teacher came to New Zealand in 1980 and worked on the television series Hercules during the 1990s.

He has also had smaller roles in the movie The River Queen and on other TV shows including Street Legal, Mercy Peak and Shortland Street.

He then landed the part of King of the Dead.

"It’s certainly the role that’s got me overseas," Mr Norell says.

"It is still a major obsession offshore and has to be among one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done."

The 56-year-old became interested in acting while he was studying to be a teacher.

"I was training to be a phys-ed teacher in England," Mr Norell says. "While I was there I got into drama."

Now he’s combining his skills to encourage children to ‘stick at it’.

His is partly driven by the memory of his late wife Irene, who died last September after a battle with motor neurone disease.

Mrs Norell once worked as a casting agent for the Xena series but later ran workshops with her husband.

She was diagnosed in 2001 and gave up the business because of her illness.

Mr Norell wants to continue to continue the job they loved best.

"The workshops are an ongoing tribute to her," he says.