Singer,
former Australian Idol winner and now actor Stan Walker. Source: Supplied
Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports
Walking the streets, Stan Walker has become used to plaudits and back-slapping. But it's all getting a little old.
"People are still coming up to me like, 'Congratulations'. I'm like, 'Have I won an award or something?' They're still talking about Idol. I understand they're excited and all that but ... I've done so much since then ... "
However, around 3 1/2 years after Walker was crowned Australian Idol, the tide of recognition is starting to turn - especially in NZ.
"Oh man, it's awesome, people on the streets are calling me 'Turei!' That's, ohhhh, refreshing," he sighs. "It's refreshing to be able to make your mark on something else and for people to be able to see you in a different way."
Turei is Walker's character in the film Mt Zion - the singer's first attempt at acting and a rather successful one at that.
Set on the outskirts of Auckland in 1979, the film centres on Turei's dream to be support act on a tour by his idol, Bob Marley. The quest clashes with his duties as a potato-picker, as a son (his father is played by Temuera Morrison) and as part of the local Maori community.
The funny, sweet and moving story had the second-best opening weekend for a local movie in NZ history when it opened there last month.
"It's such a beautiful film," Walker says. "I've seen it four times. The first few times I'm just sitting there analysing what I did wrong. But the fourth time I watched it as a film, I didn't judge it or anything and, yeah, I loved it."
Walker was pretty fresh off his Idol victory when writer-director Tearepa Kahi decided he was the perfect candidate to lead Mt Zion.
To prepare, Walker "did a few acting classes - just to get my confidence up". Then he worked on changing his appearance, covering tattoos and ... "I was huge," Walker says.
But that's just all the layers of make-up it took to cover the tatts, right?
"Oh no. I was a lot heavier than what I am now - I put on 18kg on that film."
On purpose? "Ah, it was a little bit accidental. It was the food they were feeding us!"
Couldn't you just say you were in character?
"Oh, yeah. A little bit of that!"
The film features a handful of roots-reggae music performances, all captured live on set, a la Les Mis. That was "the easier part of the film", says Walker, because singing is what he does.
The hard part was the potatoes (and not just eating them all).
"Oh man," Walker groans, "we actually did spud picking for about three weeks, so we knew what we were doing. I'm no good, I don't want to do that ever. It's full on."
While spud picking is not for Walker, acting might just be.
"It was one the most fun, refreshing, amazing experiences I've ever had," he says. "I don't think I'm a good actor or anything, but I'd love to try some more."
Walker says life since winning Idol in 2009 has been "full-on".
"This is a tough business, it's very cut-throat. You've gotta play the game. It's been a challenge, but I've kept on keeping on."
But like Turei in Mt Zion, he knows what it's like to wish for something and to, one way or another, find it.
"We had the some passion and the same goal," says Walker. "We wanted to be more, we wanted to live the dream."
* SEE Mt Zion - opens today.
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