IN CONVERSATION WITH LUCIANE BUCHANAN

interview by JANA LETONJA

Luciane Buchanan is starring star on Apple TV+’s epic historical drama ‘Chief of War’, which premiered on 1st August. She is best known for her breakout role as Rose Larkin in Netflix’s global hit ‘The Night Agent’. She was also recently cast in ‘Evil Dead Burn’, from the ‘Evil Dead’ horror film franchise, for Warner Brothers and Sony.

You star as Queen Ka‘ahumanu in ‘Chief of War’, a monumental figure in Hawaiian history. How did you approach embodying such a powerful and historically significant woman?

I actually had never knew of Ka’ahumanu or even much Hawaiian history before the first audition, so it was cool for me to uncover this history in my audition process. And when I got the role, I knew I had to school up and real fast. Before pre-production or even meeting anyone on the project, I spent 2 weeks island hopping on my own between Maui, Big Island and O’ahu. I made sure to go to places where she spent time, like her birth place and then rummaging in local libraries and museums. I was actually quite a nerd when it came to this research. I ended up making a whole family tree of everyone in our story, and generations before and after, to get my head around who was who and who ruled what island and at what time. So, it made reading the history books a lot easier for me to follow.

Later, once production started, I really leaned on our cultural advisors and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language) coaches. They would share what they knew of her and were constantly bringing me new research of old stories of her, which really helped me get an understanding of who she was, and how we could translate that in our show. During shooting the combination of my costumes, the wig, tattoos, the language and the beautiful locations in Hawaiʻi really made me feel part of the world. With all of these elements, I really felt an essence of her.

dress ZIMMERMAN

The series explores the unification of Hawai‘i from an indigenous perspective. What was it like to be part of such a culturally rich and meaningful project?

Oh, itʻs everything. Hard to put in words. I really didn’t think a project of this scale would be made, let alone that I would be a part of it and in such a big way. I can speak for the rest of the cast when I say we were all so grateful that we got to do this and experience it together. I think we are going to learn as the show comes out what that means for everyone else, but yeah, super life changing.

Filming in Hawai‘i must have been an unforgettable experience. Did the land, culture, or people impact how you connected with your character?

Totally. I felt like it made such a difference when we had to move to Aotearoa, New Zealand. It felt really different, maybe because Iʻm born and raised there. But working in Hawaiʻi where itʻs set, itʻs a pretty special place and getting to film in places like the lava field in Kalapana on the Big Island while Mauna Loa volcano is erupting the whole 8 days we were there, was insane. My first shoot day was in an underground lava tube in Maui. Like, you can’t find these places on TripAdvisor. You canʻt help but feel the energy that these lands hold. And the people, and the way they welcomed us and reiterated how much a show like this means to them. So many people on this job have dedicated their life’s work to the revitalisation of Hawaiian culture in various ways - research, dance, language and activism. It was so inspiring and that was probably my favourite part, getting to know and work with them. All these influences reiterated how important a show like this is, beyond entertainment.

What do you hope global audiences take away from ‘Chief of War’, particularly in understanding Polynesian history through an indigenous lens?

I hope people enjoy the show as entertainment for sure, but ultimately, I hope this implores others to look into the history and fall in love with it the way we all did. The cultural customs and traditions are so beautiful and we get to see some of that in our show. I hope tourism in Hawaiʻi will go beyond sipping Mai Tais in Waikiki and people check out some of the amazing museums and landmarks where these historical events took place pre-America. I think, well I hope, it will bring a new appreciation to the culture that has always existed on these islands, but was maybe not as appreciated as before. That would be cool.

dress VERONICA BEARD

You starred in Netflix’s ‘The Night Agent’, which became a worldwide sensation. What was it like watching that success unfold in real time?

I mean, that was my first US show. It just so happened to be on the biggest platform and so I didn’t really understand how everything worked. I was very naïve. I was shooting ‘Chief of War’, so I was kind of in a vacuum of just this world. Iʻd get the odd email from my manager saying “My phone is non-stop ringing for you, or it broke records, etc.” And because I was so far away from that, literally on the other side of the world, it didn’t really click. Honestly, if I think about it too much, it overwhelms me of how many people watched it. But no, productions dream of those kind of numbers, and Iʻm so lucky I was a part of it and that people enjoyed it enough to binge it.

As someone with a background in psychology, did that help inform how you approached Rose’s high-stakes, emotionally charged role?

Not really, but I will say, in season 2 I talked to these amazing police and public safety psychologists who have worked on some very famous high trauma cases, because my character Rose experiences PTS. Their work is pretty amazing, helping people post traumatic events, and I got to pick their brains for a couple of hours. Our show-runner Shawn Ryan got me in contact with them and it was such a fascinating chat that I almost felt like I was back at Uni, refreshing my memory on some stuff. It was funny because they both loved season 1 and knew it better than I did. I think thatʻs whatʻs cool about my job, that you get to talk to all sorts of professionals in specific fields and learn so much.

How excited are you that the show will be returning for its third season?

Itʻs exciting, we are very lucky that we have some pretty loyal fans who are waiting patiently for the next one.

You’ve worked across a wide range of genres, from political thrillers to historical dramas, biopics, and fantasy. What usually draws you to a role?

Honestly, I want to try it all and not be bound by a genre. I really like being challenged with something like an accent or in this case another language. I also never want to play the same type of character twice. It is cool that Rose and Kaʻahumanu are so different. Great dialogue in the writing is something that I’m drawn to, it makes the work exciting. I want to work with talented, kind and collaborative creative teams. Thatʻs where I think I have the best time. When the set feels safe to try different things, you trust your directorʻs vision and everyoneʻs opinions are respected. Thatʻs what Iʻm trying to work on.

You were born in Aotearoa and are of Tongan descent. How do your roots influence your choices as an actor and storyteller?

Polynesians are natural storytellers. Our history was passed down orally rather than written. So, it’s in the blood. For ‘Chief of War’, my perspective of who I think Kaʻahumanu was felt very familiar. So yes, Iʻm playing a historical figure, but I donʻt have videos, audio or even photographs of her to create this perception of her. It’s not like Claire Foy and Olivia Colman when they are researching to play Queen Elizabeth, they have so much video and audio references to build their versions of the Queen of England. It was a different time and sheʻs someone who was heavily documented. I had a couple of chapters in a book about King Kamehameha and journal articles from foreign explorers who commented mainly on her physical beauty. So, whatever I couldn’t find in research, I had to have creative license on those decisions. A big inspiration were the Tongan/Polynesian women in my life - my mother, aunties, grandma, cousins - and how they carry themselves, how they love and how they respond to adversity. Theyʻre tough cookies and so everything felt innate in my creative choices.

left:
dress BLUMARINE

right:
full look DSQUARED2

How important is it for you to represent Polynesian culture authentically in mainstream media, and what stories would you still like to see told?

Itʻs super important. As we know, with all cultures, negative stereotypes and misrepresentation of who we are as people are byproducts when no one from that community is in these executive roles. And nothing will be 100% authentic, or perfect when you are making scripted drama, in my opinion. But you can make considered efforts and decisions to get it as close as you can. I want to see just more content overall. Polynesian romcoms, horrors, documentaries. We are only scratching the surface with the history of this story. Thereʻs a whole lot of Islands in the Pacific with rich history and we are rarely new to this medium, so there can only be more to come.

Tell us more about yourself outside of acting. What things are you most passionate about, and what keeps you fulfilled?

This sounds kind of cheesy, but in this weird AI, post covid time we are living in, Iʻm passionate about human connection. Iʻm fully aware that I might be addicted to FaceTime. There’s no such thing as a quick call in my call history. I think living away from home I’ve made a real effort to stay connected, and we are lucky to have access to this technology. But that really fills my cup, checking in with everyone, sharing experiences with my girls, them giving me advice or just having a dance party in different time zones. I prefer seeing their face rather than send texts that you hit a reaction to.

Also, travel is a big part of my life too. When I have a break, I love to get lost for 1-2 months in a foreign country, live with randoms and hear about and observe their lives. It is such a privilege, but I never want to stop learning about other peopleʻs cultures. Whatʻs similar? Whatʻs different? I think also being from such an isolated and small country like New Zealand, Iʻm so curious. Curiosity is something important to me and something I never want to lose.

I also love when laughs transcend languages and thatʻs when you know that we cracked the next layer. I’ve managed to accumulate a lot of mates around the world from all the different jobs and travel, so keeping that connection, whether its physical or virtual, brings me a lot of joy and fulfilment to be honest.

left:
ANNAKIKI

right:
blazer VERONICA BEARD
tight WOLFORD
shoes CASADEI
earrings YAYA PUBLICITY

TEAM CREDITS:

talent LUCIANE BUCHANAN
photography ASHLEY CHAPPELL
styling WILTON WHITE
makeup MARLA VAZQUEZ at The Wall Group
hair ALEX ROSE at The Only Agency
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
editorial director and interview JANA LETONJA