Satisfaction and relief at end of ‘G.P.’

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 11

Satisfaction and relief at end of ‘G.P.’

The final episode of “County G.P.” screens on One this evening. Larney Tupu, who played the lead role of Dr David Miller, talks about the end of the long-runing series.

On the last day of “Country G.P.” videotaping, the lead actor, Larney Tupu, had a quiet “sit down and think.”

“I felt glad I had seen it through and it was finished. To me it was a good job completed. The last two years have been the fastest and fullest I’ve ever experienced. But I came away thinking: ‘Well, that’s another one in the bag.’ There was a sense of satisfaction that I’d seen it through when it was sometimes pretty difficult.” For much of the two years “Country G.P.” was in production, Tupu was working 12 hour days, sometimes more. He feels strongly that members of his profession must try to get the general public to accept that acting is a profession. “We must get the public educated to the point where they understand that acting isn’t a hobby, but a living. It’s something that requires as much skill as a doctor or any professional person. I’m not saying it’s any greater than any other job, but it does require effort. It’s not just a fly-by-night thing that you do on a whim. “I also think the public have this fantasy that once a big series like this ends, you’re rolling in money and going on to your next film. Well, that isn’t the case. The reality of it is that this is my second week out of work.” Tupu has been doing some readings from the works of

Albert Wendt and is preparing for some rock singing at the Exchequer night club in Wellington. Mostly, however, he is just having a rest and tying up loose ends before going to Australia. “New Zealand is a good starting place for performers, even a good finishing place. But there’s a bit to be desired in the middle ground. There’s not enough here to sustain you at the stage where you need to be extended. “Producers and directors in New Zealand have a funny policy where they seem to be scared of taking an actor in a high profile series and putting him in another completely different role. But that is the thing about an actor — he is versatile and should be able to do different roles. They say you are over-exposed and think that people can’t make the mental jump from one character to another, but that’s underestimating the intelligence of the audience. I’m sure people are able to see an actor in different roles and think: ‘Well I liked him in his last role but he’s better in this one,’ or ‘he’s not so good in this one’.”

Having a starring role in a high profile television production in New Zealand has had its problems on a personal, as well as professional, level for Tupu. Tupu thinks the whole production team should be proud of their work on “Country G.P.”