Dream ride for TV couple

More than a little feral and more than a little in love, Kasey and Munter, Outrageous Fortune's perfect couple, have delivered their tiny bundle of joy into the world.

No clean sheets and natural essences on the oil burner for them. Oh, no. Munter (Tammy Davis) rode into a scene of suburban mayhem on his mythical white charger to rescue the hugely pregnant Kasey (Nicole Whippy). Since then, Munter has tried being a modern stay-at-home dad, but not pulled it off.

The team of writers on Outrageous Fortune are well in the groove of writing scenes of maximum action, humour and pathos, but they would be nowhere without their team of talented and committed actors.

Tammy Davis studied drama and acting at Northland Polytechnic. As well as various television parts (Jacksons Wharf, Mataku, The Wild Ones) and stage roles, his movie roles include Mookie in What Becomes of the Broken Hearted and appearances in Whale Rider, Fracture and Black Sheep.

Davis has been in Outrageous Fortune from the first series and been part of this loveable and earnest character's evolution.

"It's kept me employed, but it's also just been great to be part of it from the beginning, personally and professionally, and that it's been such a success," he says. "Especially playing the role that lots of people love. I think that's the measure of it: I'm not playing a role where I'm starring, but the role that I play allows me to help create with the writers a familiar character, an everyman, I suppose."

The mullet (or mulle as he calls it) and tats ("Westside forever") are from the makeup department. The rest of the role is his and the writers' creation. "And I think there are things that he does that some of us wish we could do. Look at him, he saves the day, he rescues his girlfriend and gives the baddie a hiding - kinda like comic-book stuff. The way the writers do it you believe it."

Watching Munter do the wild thing with Kasey has been difficult at times for Ainsley Gardiner, mother of Davis' three children and Taika Waititi's producer.

"Fortunately, she's in the biz so she probably has a deeper understanding than many of how onscreen romances work. That doesn't mean to say she doesn't sometimes cringe at some of the gory details. I'd have sex scenes with someone and she'd go to work and see her friends and they'd say, 'Oh, your man was all over that girl last night!', as if I was sleeping around with some other bird."

For Unitec performing-arts graduate Nicole Whippy, the Kasey character has also been a dream role as well as a fun ride.

"It's been an absolute blessing in our lives," she says. "All of us would say that, really. I originally just came on as a guest and then in the third season got asked to come back as core cast, which was really special. It's been a dream last five years for me."

Whippy has had a growing profile through various guest and recurring roles in TV series, such as Jacksons Wharf, Orange Roughies, The Strip, Xena: Warrior Princess, Mercy Peak and the feature film Vertical Limit.

Since shooting on Outrageous Fortune series six finished, she has taken time out from acting to enjoy full-time motherhood. The baby bump that grew over series five was partly real.

"I was pregnant for the whole of season five, but they didn't reveal it till right till the end. They managed to hide it. I think people just thought I was getting a bit fat. So season six I'd had baby (her daughter, Pearl) and about 10 weeks later I came back and they put a fat suit on me, which kept getting bigger and bigger."

Since having the baby to her film-crew partner, she says she has a different mindset and is looking forward to meatier female roles. "Robbie (Robyn Malcolm) became that age where she could step into a really gutsy, groundbreaking role. I'm moving up to that stage and I'm hoping that those roles will be around."

Davis is completing his own short film, Ebony Safari, and will be part of Tourism New Zealand's promotion of the Rugby World Cup in Sydney this month. He is interested in directing and is working on a film project with his brother about growing up in small-town Raetihi.

"Watching Ainsley and Taika (Waititi) work together it's really inspirational about what you can achieve if you put your mind to it," he says.

Whippy is reading a script with a role she thinks might take her to the next level. "It's very different from Kasey and from OF, that's for sure, and I'm still a little unsure about where I'm going to go with it. The reason I'll probably do it is because I have no idea whether I can or not."

She might also return to the part-time job she had working for a friend's film-crew agency. It enables her to keep an eye on what's being made in the film and TV worlds, so she doesn't miss any audition opportunities.

"An audition could lead to anything. Look what happened with Antonia: she auditioned for Pascalle and got Loretta. They thought, 'She's so wrong for Pascalle, but she's our Loretta.' So I'm always up for an audition."

Versatility is the key to survival for both actors.

"There's not a helluva lot of work around for Kiwi actors," Davis says, "but the challenge has been being able to work in radio, writing things, doing TV, doing film, doing all sorts. You have to be able to write and produce your own stuff and if you get a job like Outrageous Fortune every couple of years you're doing well."

qOutrageous Fortune: Tuesdays, 8.30pm, TV3.

- © Fairfax NZ News