Robbie Magasiva: Losing Pua, Hitting Rock Bottom & Starting Over

Robbie Magasiva is one of Aotearoa’s most recognisable actors.

He is possibly best known for his role as Will Jackson, a prison guard on Wentworth. But his IMDB page is massive:

He is part of the iconic Naked Samoans comedy group. He’s been in Shortland Street, The Lord of the Rings, Sione’s Wedding, The Strip with Taika Waititi and much more.

In this episode we chat about all sorts of stuff:

+ The good, bad and ugly of acting, including the anxiety that almost forced him off Wentworth.

+ A heartbreaking story about moving to NZ from Samoa at 10 and being ashamed of his Samoan nose. 

+ The devastation of watching his mum live with dementia diagnosis.

+ The sudden death of his brother Pua, the grief that followed, and what healing has looked like over time

+ A wild story about the best perk he has got from his mate, Taika Waititi and so much more.

By the time we wrapped this episode the thing that stood out most for me was the cool place Robbie is in now: grounded, self-aware, still ambitious, but far less interested in outside validation.

At 53, he is still pretending to be other people on camera. But off camera he is unapologetically himself.

Need to talk?

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Aoake Te Rā 0800 000 053 Bereaved by suicide service.

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