Martin Henderson
Martin Henderson
Martin Hendersonis a New Zealand actor, known to American audiences for his starring role in the ABC medical drama Off the Map, for starring in the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Nathan Riggs, and for his performance as Noah Clay in the critically lauded 2002 horror film The Ring, while remaining known in his home country for his teenage role as Stuart Neilson in the soap opera Shortland Street...
NationalityNew Zealander
ProfessionSoap Opera Actor
Date of Birth8 October 1974
CityAuckland, New Zealand
It's very rare you get a director who's that invested in the actors. So yeah, when 'Little Fish' came around, there wasn't much negotiation!
It's good to see some Kiwi accents up on the big screen.
It's harder in the States. I'm much more inclined to get offered things that are a lot straighter and heavier and dramatic. And they go by looks, too. If you look like a leading man, then that's what they will consider you for.
It's actually reassuring to see people struggling to do our accent instead of us constantly trying to emulate British or American accents, which we are always asked to do.
When I'm not acting, I'm usually sailing or camping or exploring or travelling or spending time in New Zealand.
When I arrived in L.A., I assumed I'd be able to put on the American accent. It proved difficult, so I had six months working with a dialect coach, and it's become a habit.
Where typically the cops are generally the good guys, 'The Red Road' blurs the lines intelligently and shows corruption from all sides of the law. It provides unpredictable drama where the audience is kept guessing about how these characters will each choose to act.
We worked together in Perth on a TV show called Sweat. When I met Heath there was something extremely charismatic about him. Obviously he had talent, and I convinced him to move out of Perth and come to Sydney - the Hollywood of Australia, if you like. So I just convinced him to do that and looked after him when he arrived. We got a flat in Bondi.
A lot of the "scare factor" comes with the editing, the effects, and the music. There were moments when Naomi and I would look at each other and say, "This is embarrassing, people are going to laugh.
Alex O'Loughlin is an old friend. Actually, when he first came to L.A., he stayed at my house.
I went to New York for a while before I moved to L.A., and I was very clear that I didn't want to do TV. For a decade, basically, I didn't even entertain the idea.
My mother was a product of World War II. My grandfather was on leave in Edinburgh when he met my grandmother.
My mom sent me money for a car, but the cops impounded it because I had no insurance.
I personally really sympathise with the Maori cause - what's gone on historically and their struggle today as a culture, and how they hold on to that identity and stand up for what's rightfully theirs.