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Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Cliff Curtis, at a function at Government House, Wellington. Photo by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General- Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Cliff Curtis

Can you tell me where Cliff Curtis is from without having to look it up? I’ve always suspected, but based on his several amazing movie performances, he appears to have ancestors from a variety of cultures.

Curtis is undoubtedly one of the most versatile actors I’ve seen, levitating just above character acting but lacking the certainly earned chance to shine  in a major film. Several people admire him for his amazing acting. He’s just so genuine in every role I’ve seen him in, and that’s 13 movies.

He’s played a freedom fighter Arab, a gang leader Latino, a drug-dealing Columbian, a bitter southerner, a stoned-out New Yorker – you name it, and he’s played it with equal conviction. Curtis has also made a name for himself in both independent and blockbuster films.

In fact, he’s the sole reason I’ve seen (and enjoyed) a number of big-budget films I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Even if you don’t know what his real voice sounds like, he always is able to lure you in and fascinate you.

Here are ten facts about Cliff Curtis that you may not know.

1.What is Cliff Curtis famous for?

Cliff Curtis is likely familiar to those who have seen the films Blow or Missing on ABC. He currently plays Travis on the AMC television series Fear The Walking Dead. What you may not know is that Cliff has been in the business for over 25 years and has an interesting history in Hollywood. 

2.Curtis was born and raised in New Zealand

Curtis was born in Rotorua, New Zealand’s North Island. He studied mau rakau, a traditional form of fighting, while in school. He also enjoyed breakdancing and participated in several rock and roll dance competitions.

He discovered his love of acting while still in New Zealand. He appeared in a number of plays, including La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, Downstage, Othello, The Cherry Orchard, and The End of the Golden Weather. His first film role was in the short film The Piano.

3.He is a partner in a production company

Curtis is a co-founder of Whenua Films, a New Zealand production company. He works at his production company when he is not starring in the hit series Fear the Walking Dead.

4.Cliff Curtis agreed to appear in the Avatar spinoffs

It’s been a long time since the first Avatar film was released in theaters. Finally, James Cameron is continuing to work on not one, but four sequels. Cliff has agreed to play the lead in all four films. Tonowari, the leader of the Metkayina, the reef people clan, will be played by him.

The first of four sequels is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2020. The sequels in which he will star will be released in 2021, 2024, and 2025. Fear not, Fear the Walking Dead fans.

Cliff’s production on Avatar will revolve around his time on the show, it has been disclosed. Cliff will appear on the show regardless of his new role on Avatar.

5.His characters are of various ethnicities

Cliff is of Maori descent ethnically. He is also a member of the Ngati Hauiti and Te Arawa tribes. He has played Latin American and Arab characters in theater, television, and film, regardless of his own ethnicity. In Avatar, he will play a character from an ethnicity that does not even exist.

6.Cliff took his Jesus role seriously

Cliff Curtis speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Fear the Walking Dead”, at the San Diego Convention Centre in San Diego, California. Photo by Gage Skidmore- Wikimedia commons

Cliff appeared in the biblical drama Risen. He took his responsibilities very seriously. Cliff took a vow of silence before they began filming. He didn’t talk to the other actors, producers, or directors.

He didn’t even acknowledge the hair and makeup artists. He was without his family on set, and he lived in a small house and ate very simple foods. He explained that he needed to cleanse his body before saying his first lines.

Cliff used to be an alter boy, and he stated that not only was playing Jesus a goal of his, but he also took the role very seriously. If you want to see more of Cliff, you can catch him on Fear the Walking Dead or on the big screen in the upcoming Avatar films in 2020.

7.Who are some of the other actor/actresses Cliff has worked with throughout his career as an actor?

Cliff Curtis, a Mâori actor, has had a busy career since his debut in the early 1990s, starring alongside Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, and George Clooney before his breakthrough role in 2002’s Whale Rider. He has since kept busy with roles in films such as Runaway Jury, The Fountain, and Die Hard 4.0.

8.His movie ‘Sunshine’ was an international hit

Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Cliff Curtis, at a function at Government House, Wellington. Photo by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General- Wikimedia commons

Rotten Tomatoes caught up with him on a press day following the US and UK DVD releases of his latest, Sunshine, where we were instructed to prepare for some Zero-G training in the aptly-named “vomit-comet” to learn more about the film. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and written by novelist Alex Garland, follows a group of astronauts on a mission to plant a bomb in the sun in order to resurrect our dying star.

9.What he learnt from being on ‘Big Brother’

If Big Brother has taught us anything, it is that putting people in a room for an extended period of time will result in fights! Was there any conflict among you?
”Really, we’re all pretty quiet. We were having far too good a time! We didn’t actually live together for a long enough period of time.

That could have been difficult if we had lived together for two months. We only lived together long enough to get to know each other. We’re a really nice group of people!”  Says Cliff Curtis to the press.

10.Curtis talks a little on his experience doing the ‘Sunshine’ movie

Cliff Curtis speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Fear the Walking Dead”, at the San Diego Convention Centre in San Diego, California. Photo by Gage Skidmore- Wikimedia commons

And you’ve gone from fire to ice with Sunshine for 10,000 years. What can you tell us about that?

“We actually just did some reshoots on that in London recently. We go back 10,000 years to the time of Pangaea, when all the continents were joined and we had to travel across, whereas Sunshine goes fifty years into the future and out into space. The year 10,000 BC marks the beginning of civilisation.”  Says Curtis during an interview with the press.