KIWI ICON CLIFF CURTIS I DON'T LIKE THE RED CARPET STUFF'

The star is back in the spotlight with new series Chief of War

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Kiwi acting royalty Cliff Curtis doesn't like the red carpet. "I've got good mates who love all that sort of stuff - they've got their gear all ready, got their hair done. That's awesome, but it's not really my thing," he shrugs.

"I just enjoy working - it's my craft. I like the industry, the people I work with and the crews. I produce, I get behind the camera. The celebrity side is not my bag."

But like it or not, the Rotorua-based actor's back in the global spotlight.

Cliff, 57, stars in and is a co-producer of Chief Of War, the new Apple TV+ series about pre-contact Hawai'i. It's been coined "the new Game Of Thrones".

Cliff plays one of several chiefs in the epic $540m series, which also stars Hollywood heavy hitter Jason Momoa.

"There are a few twists and turns," reveals Cliff. "Tem [Temuera Morrison] plays another chief who's a real manipulator. Tem's perfect for it. He's nearly 10 years my senior and still looking sharp. He's a proud man - perfect for playing a king."

When it came to getting involved with the ambitious series, Cliff quickly said yes.

"Jason's a real bro and Tem's there too," he explains. "It was a good opportunity to tell the whole Hawaiian story - it's never really been told. No one would have if it wasn't for Jason. Someone brought him the idea, he cooked up the series and Apple backed it. I thought, 'Yep, I'll jump in that waka.'"

Cliff is quietly passionate about showcasing a different image of the islands.

"People know Hawai'i for golf or tacky resorts," he shares. "Pre-contact, it was amazing - a sustainable kingdom, a million Hawaiians. You see it depicted as some shacks on a hill and a few fires, very primitive, but that's not how it was. Until now, that hasn't been captured in that way."