Olivia Tennet
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification, as it includes attribution to IMDb. (June 2010) |
| Olivia Tennet | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 4 January 1991 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) | Milo Cawthorne (m. 2013) |
Olivia Tennet (born 4 January 1991)[1] is a New Zealand actress and dancer best known in her home country for her role as Tuesday Warner on the nightly medical drama Shortland Street, along with several roles in television and theatre. Outside of New Zealand, she is best known for her roles in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Power Rangers RPM (2009), and the independent film Blood Punch (2013).
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Career[edit]
Tennet began taking dance lessons at four years old following her older sister into dance, eventually stumbling into acting three years later[2] She made her first major television appearance in the fourth season of Xena: Warrior Princess as the runaway Princess Alesia in the episode "If The Shoe Fits...".
Eventually, Tennet made her way into films. She went on to win the "Best Juvenile Performer" award at the Nokia New Zealand Film and TV Awards in 2000, for her role as Nicole Mitchell in Kids World. She also appeared in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Freda, a young girl of Rohan. She then won "Best Actress" at the Drifting Clouds Short Film Festival for her outstanding performance in the short film Watermark, beating the other adult nominees.[3] The film won "Best Film" at the same awards.
Following this, Tennet became part of the core cast for Maddigan's Quest (2006) as the bratty circus performer Lilith. She would then gain her biggest television role to date as Tuesday Warner on Shortland Street, becoming part of the core cast for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. After her time on that show ended, she portrayed the role of teenage genius Dr. K on Power Rangers RPM, the seventeenth season of the Power Rangers series which premiered in March 2009.
Around this time, Tennet competed in the "Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition" with classmate Phoebe Mason (Epsom Girls Grammar School Drama Leader 2008) and did quite well, winning four of fifteen awards. The 5 minute performance included various scenes from Macbeth. Tennet and Mason won a trip to the Globe Theatre in London, July 2009.
Since her appearance on Power Rangers RPM, Tennet has participated in various television shows and theatrical productions in New Zealand. She played the role of nurse Lynne in an Auckland Theatre Company production of Stepping Out in June 2010, followed by the role of the Siren Queen for the Wet Hot Beauties' water ballet show titled Sirens for the Auckland Fringe Festival in February 2011. She also helped choreograph the show.[4]
Later on, Tennet made a television appearance in an episode of The Almighty Johnsons as Delphine in March 2011. She also took the stage as Emilia in Peach Theatre Company's production of Othello in July 2011. She then took on the role of Dorothy in a major theatrical production of The Wizard of Oz based on the 1987 musical produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Civic Theatre in September 2011, earning positive reviews for her portrayal of the character.[5]
Before leaving for the United States, her latest television appearance has been on the miniseries Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud as Julie Theilman, a courier working for Terry Clark of the Mr. Asia drug syndicate.
After wrapping up on The Wizard of Oz, Tennet moved to the United States to film a low-budget independent feature film titled Blood Punch which also featured many of her co-stars from Power Rangers RPM. The film premiered at the 20th Austin Film Festival in late October 2013 has won many awards and honors in the film festival circuit. She later appeared in the online thriller The Swarming produced by Fourth Wall Studios, along with the student-produced independent short film Home. Following this, she then narrated the audiobook version of Megan McCafferty's teen novel Jessica Darling's It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection, along with the interactive storybook My Friend Barlow from OddBot Inc.
Tennet will soon appear in the miniseries When We Go To War. Currently, she has been producing her own series of dance videos titled Dancing in Small Spaces on YouTube and Vimeo.
Personal life[edit]
Along with her older sister Emma, Tennet also has an older brother named Anton who is also an actor based in Melbourne, Australia. As of June 6, 2013, she is married to fellow New Zealand actor Milo Cawthorne, with whom she has worked with several times in the past, most notably on Power Rangers RPM and more recently on Blood Punch. The couple had been living together in Los Angeles, California since late 2011[6] before moving back to New Zealand in late 2013 to begin rehearsals for the Auckland production of 360: A Theatre of Recollections (2014).
Tennet graduated from the Epsom Girls Grammar School in 2008 shortly before appearing on Power Rangers RPM.
In a recent interview, Tennet mentioned that she keeps her personal life private so as to keep her performances as believable as possible.[7]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Kids World | Nicole Mitchell | |
| 2001 | Ozzie | Karen | |
| 2002 | Watermark | Megan | Short film |
| 2002 | Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, TheThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Freda | |
| 2005 | Boogeyman | Terrified Girl | |
| 2012 | Swarming, TheThe Swarming | Julie | Short film |
| 2013 | Home | Olive | Short film |
| 2013 | The Act Off | Dancer | Short film |
| 2013 | Blood Punch | Skyler | |
| 2014 | Satisfaction | Nicky | Short film |
| 2014 | Partiality | Kidnapped Girl | Short film |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Princess Alesia | Episode: "If the Shoe Fits..." |
| 2003 | Lucy | Lucie Arnaz | TV film |
| 2003 | P.E.T. Detectives | Helena | Episode: "Fire Starters" |
| 2006 | Maddigan's Quest | Lilith | Regular role (13 episodes) |
| 2007-2008 | Shortland Street | Tuesday Warner | Regular role (54 episodes) |
| 2009 | Power Rangers RPM | Dr. K | Main role (32 episodes) |
| 2011 | Almighty Johnsons, TheThe Almighty Johnsons | Delphine | Episode: "Goddesses, Axl, Come in All Forms" |
| 2011 | Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud | Julie Theilman | Episodes: "Trains 'N' Boats 'N' Planes", "All at Sea", "Dominoes" |
| 2013 | Zelfs, TheThe Zelfs | Tressa (voice) | TV miniseries |
| 2015 | When We Go to War | Lorna | TV miniseries, six episodes. |
| 2015 | 800 Words | Siouxsie |
Theatre[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Midsummer Night's Dream, AA Midsummer Night's Dream | Puck | |
| 2005 | Les Misérables | Éponine | |
| 2006 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | |
| 2007 | Cabaret | Sally Bowles | |
| 2008 | For Today | Sophie | |
| 2008 | Children of the Poor | Albany | |
| 2008 | Midsummer Night's Dream, AA Midsummer Night's Dream | Hermia | |
| 2009 | Titus Andronicus | Lavinia | |
| 2009 | The Arrival | Workshop/Ensemble | |
| 2009 | The Pied Piper of Hamilton | Lead/Various | |
| 2009 | Autobahn | Lead | |
| 2009 | Twelfth Night | Viola | |
| 2009 | Christ Almighty! | Mary | |
| 2010 | 360 | Little Sister | Production for the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington |
| 2010 | Stepping Out | Lynne | Production with the Auckland Theatre Company. |
| 2011 | Sirens[8] | Siren Queen | Production with the Wet Hot Beauties Ballet Group. |
| 2011 | Othello | Emilia | Production with the Peach Theatre Company. |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Dorothy Gale | Production with the Peach Theatre Company. |
| 2014 | 360 - A Theatre of Recollections | Little Sister | Auckland production |
| 2014 | The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate | Philosopher/Terrible Crabmeat/Ensemble | Auckland Theatre Company production. |
| 2014 | Hauraki Horror | Jaime Ridge | The Basement Annual Christmas Show |
| 2015 | The Book of Everything | Margot Klopper | Silo Theatre production for the Auckland Arts Festival. |
Voiceover[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Fat Man | Verna Muske | Radio play |
| 2013 | Jessica Darling's IT List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection | Narrator/Jessica Darling | Audiobook |
| 2013 | My Friend Barlow | Finch/Narrator | Interactive storybook |
| 2014 | PODOPS | Billy/Sarah | upcoming |
Music Video[edit]
| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Exit Light" | Solomon | Lead Girl |
| 2013 | "I Kill Giants" | The Naked and Famous | Lead Dancer/Choreographer |
| 2013 | "Apple" | Barnaby Saints | Lead Girl |
Web Series[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Flat3 | Lee | Ep. 17-"The White Album" |
| 2014 | Dancing in Small Spaces | Choreographer/Editor/Dancer | |
| 2015 | Jiwi's Machines | June | Currently in production |
Awards and Nominations[edit]
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kids World | Nokia New Zealand Film & Television Awards | Best Juvenile Performer | Won |
| 2003 | Watermark | New Zealand Drifting Clouds International Film Festival | Best Actress | Won |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Metro Magazine | Best Arms and Legs Outstretched | Won |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Hackman Theatre Awards | DANZ Award for Best Dancing in a Play | Nominated |
| 2014 | Blood Punch | Hoboken International Film Festival | Best Actress | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^ IMDb Bio
- ^ Whittaker, Emma. "Wizard of Oz dream comes true". The Auckland Central Leader. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "NZ short film makes its mark". The New Zealand Herald. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
- ^ Wenley, James. "Review: Water Ballet "Sirens"". Theatre Scenes. Theatre Scenes. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Smythe, Nik. "A timeless classic well wrought". Theatreview. Theatreview. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Powley, Kathryn. "12 kiwis to watch in 2012". The New Zealand Herald. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ Langdana, Rayhan (31 January 2014). "Interview with Olivia Tennet". Craccum: The Official Magazine of the University of Auckland. The University of Auckland. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
I’m a pretty private person – part of being an actor is the more people know about you as a person, the less people will believe you as a character.
- ^ "Sirens at James Wenley's Auckland Theatre Blog". Retrieved 2011-12-20.
External links[edit]
- Olivia Tennet at the Internet Movie Database
- Olivia Tennet - Johnson & Laird Management
- Olivia Tennet - Screen Casting New Zealand
- YouTube Channel - OliviaTennet
