Keisha Castle-Hughes
Only the second Polynesian actress to receive an Academy Award nomination, Castle-Hughes, a newcomer with no acting experience, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category, the youngest person (at the time) to have been nominated in this category. Although she did not win, ultimately losing to Charlize Theron for her performance as Aileen Wurnos in Monster, the film catapulted her to international stardom and also afforded her a number of career opportunities that she readily admitted she had never anticipated. She appeared in the controversial Prince video for his single Cinnamon Girl before heading back to the southern hemisphere where she made the majority of her next films, and television appearances. Returning to American screens in the AMC network's Living Dead franchise, Castle-Hughes petitioned heavily for a role in Game of Thrones, because she was such an enormous fan.
Rawiri Paratene
Paratene is most known for his role in Whale Rider, and for his performance in the 2010 New Zealand movie The Insatiable Moon. He began his career using the Anglicized version of his Maori name, David Broughton, and became the first Maori student to graduate from the New Zealand Drama School. The earlier part of his career was dedicated more to activism than to theatrical performance, as Paratene became a leader within the Nga Tamatoa organization that fought hard for Maori rights. Today he uses his platform as a successful actor to promote Maori participation in the Arts.
Cliff Curtis
Unlike his co-stars, Curtis was already a respected actor prior to making Whale Rider. Appearing in the Johnny Depp film Blow in 2001, he followed up his role in Whale Rider with a role in th Bruce Willis-led movie Live Free or Die Hard. In 2014 he won the Best Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for his performance in the critically acclaimed The Dark Horse, which was widely regarded as one of the best movies ever produced by the New Zealand film industry.
Teaming up again with Keisha Castle-Hughes, Curtis appeared in Fear the Walking Dead, playing recurring character Travis Manawa, in 2017.
