Bruce Allpress has one of the most recognisable faces in New Zealand film and television. From regular appearances on the Billy T James Show to a small part in The Lord of the Rings, Allpress' versatility and breadth of experience mean that even in his twilight years, there is no hint of slowing down.
"No way," exclaims Allpress, "I'm running three businesses, and darting around and I've just come back from a 12-hour stint on set."
At 81, Allpress must be one of the oldest working actors in New Zealand. Though, with his infectious vibrancy and obvious love for the occupation that has consumed him for 63 years, you'd never know it. Today, Allpress is on the phone from Auckland to chat about his role as Mr Maxwell in the quirky Kiwi charmer Rest for the Wicked (Metro). Well that is the plan, but Allpress has other ideas.
Born and brought up in Dunedin, Allpress is bursting to talk about Dunedin and his love of the Deep South. With Otago connections that stretch all the way back to the goldfields of Central Otago when his grandfather worked the dredge on the Clutha River, Allpress starts to reminisce about filming in the province.
"I've done a hell of lot of filming around that way, and that's where we did Hunter's Gold obviously, so having been born and brought up in Dunedin, I know that area like the back of my hand. It's strange you know, when people ask me where I'm from, and although I've lived twice as long in Auckland, I tell people I am from Dunedin because it's where you were born and brought up, it's where you went to school and high school. I also did all my original drama stuff there."
Bruce's first acting break came when he was 18, landing a bit part in the Mikado being staged at His Majesty's in Dunedin.
"Yeah, I truly got my training in Dunedin by doing one show and moving straight to another show as fast as possible, as we did in those days. You know, it would be nothing to do 10 productions in a year."
With his career taking off and a burgeoning interest in television and film, Allpress left Dunedin in the 1950s and shifted to Auckland, where he has been based since.
"The thing about Dunedin is, it should be marketed as the best kept secret in the South, because it really is grand. It's not up itself like Wellington - they always think that Aucklanders are up themselves, Aucklanders are too busy to worry about that."
In 1986, Allpress and his son Michael launched a coffee-roasting company and cafe business from a small shed next to Victoria Park in Auckland. It now has branches in Australia, the United Kingdom and Dunedin, after Allpress recently visited the South to open a new branch of Allpress Coffee.
"Yeah, I started it with my son, but I haven't had much to do with it for years. I'm a nominal director and I go and open things, but I really enjoyed opening the new business in Dunedin as I could reminisce about where I got started and people actually listened which was amazing.
"Actually, another thing that knocked me out was the number of high-class cafes about. In a lot of other cities you get a proliferation of cafes, they are a dime a dozen, but we didn't find a bad one. Sometimes in Dunedin, the folk shuffle about and tug their forelocks, but they should be saying look, 'we live in a city that recognises quality'."
As our conversation is in danger of turning into an infomercial for Dunedin, I suggest to Bruce that we probably should discuss his latest film, which is after all, what the interview is supposed to be about.
Rest for the Wicked is a riotous yarn about ageing disgracefully. Set in an Auckland retirement home, the film hilariously pits a former cop (Tony Barry) against his criminal nemesis (John Bach) in a tale that can best be summed up as sex, drugs and mobility scooters. Featuring an all-star cast from an era when New Zealand and Australia seemed to have only half a dozen actors, Rest for the Wicked is that rare film in which the senior citizens are not cast as bystanders.
Catching up with more than a few colleagues from the formative days of New Zealand film and television must have been amusing, I suggest.
"To give you an example, Tony Barry, who's an Australian - but we always treat him as an honorary Kiwi, until he does something naughty and then we tell him he is a bloody Australian - but he and Bachsy and I, the last thing we did was the Arthur Allan Thomas thing (Beyond Reasonable Doubt), there was a bit of reminiscing about that on set."
With such a huge amount of experience within the cast, first-time feature director Simon Pattison was never short of a helping hand, whether he wanted it or not.
"It was Simon's project, he knew how he wanted to shoot it, exactly what he wanted to do, so we felt confident that it was in good hands, but inevitably with old hands like he had, we were always thrusting ideas at him. At times he was very grateful and at other times he was stubborn and obdurate ... till he realised that wasn't working. Consequently, we all got on really well."
Reminiscing about the good old days of New Zealand television drama - working on shows such as Jocko and Mortimer's Patch - Allpress realises how lucky he has been, and continues to be.
"That's one of the more unfortunate things, you look back on some things and you think, I'm one of the few left standing ... people keep slipping off their bloody hooks."
Perhaps with not as many older actors, there is less competition and therefore more work?
He laughs at the suggestion.
"No, this was a rarity, to find a film [Rest for the Wicked] that featured the elderly is a one-off. There aren't that many roles written for the elderly. But funnily enough, I have been busier in the last three to four months than I have been in the last couple of years."
As the first New Zealand film to be set and actually filmed in a retirement home, there was obviously the potential to play upon the comedic antics of the residents, or was there?
"Actually, the place we filmed in seemed like a fun sort of place. Obviously there is all the bad side of it as well, the death, the ailments and so on, but most of these people are pretty happy every day they wake up. The whole basis of good drama and good comedy particularly, is truth - most jokes are just an exaggeration of truth ... and I think that's what [director] Simon caught. And that's why the idea was a good one."
Having acted in more productions than most people have had hot dinners, Allpress is pretty adamant about what type of work he prefers.
"Stage is a young man's lark, you have to be superbly fit to do stage these days, and I get asked to do it and I simply say ... no thanks. And anyway, I don't like the thought of doing the same show night after night, after night ... I love film.
"You only have to think the thoughts on film, and if the camera is close enough to you, you will convey the message to the audience. You can be right up somebody's nostrils, and they only have to think a thought, and you know what they are thinking; audiences are extremely sophisticated these days."
A lot of the work that Allpress does often goes unnoticed in New Zealand, as he is often cast in foreign productions that never screen here. Although, on the flipside, it's been a couple of very small parts from here which have given him his biggest audience to date. According to Allpress, performing as God in the short film Frosty Man and the BMX Kid caught everyone by surprise.
"It's amazing you know, that went bloody viral on YouTube. Yeah, with young James who played the lead role in Boy - what a talent that kid is. Boy is one of the best things that's ever happened in this country. I've seen it five times, paid for it four times and coming from Dunedin ... that takes a bit of doing, lad."
Firing an arrow as the character Aldor in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers didn't harm his profile either.
"Even with that little role, I still get letters from Germany, Scandinavia, Canada, America. It's extraordinary."
At an age when as Allpress puts it, most people are "happy to be above ground and upright" Allpress keeps active with 12-hour days on set, regular walks and plenty of coffee. So, what other secrets does he subscribe to for ageing disgracefully?
"Reading, thinking, watching good television, watching good movies, reading, reading, and reading. Keeping the mind active. Having a dog. I get up every morning and take the dog for a walk, get out and have breakfast, go out and see what's out there."
Before our thoroughly enjoyable chat ends, Allpress is back on the topic of Dunedin once more, ending with a sage piece of advice for ODT readers.
"The next time they are walking down Princes St or George St, [they should] lift their eyes up and have a look at the tops of the buildings, and just realise what a beautiful city they live in."
• The film
Rest for the Wicked is a heart-warming comedy starring Tony Barry, John Bach, Ilona Rogers, Elizabeth McRae, Bruce Allpress, Irene Wood, Ken Blackburn, Ian Mune, Helen Moulder, Stephen Lovatt, Sara Wiseman and Stephanie Tauevihi.
