And because people had such an intense reaction
to 'Whale Rider' and to me, as a child,
there was this really odd sense in the country
of being like New Zealand's Lindsay Lohan.
In 2004, she became the youngest ever person
to be nominated for best actress
at the Oscars.
Since then, Keisha Castle-Hughes has been on a wild ride
taking her to 'Star Wars', 'Game of Thrones', 'The Walking Dead'
and now, right into this boxing ring.
'On the Ropes' is the brand new SBS drama
and let's say Keisha Castle-Hughes... she can throw a punch.
I read you said something interesting a couple of years ago,
where you were saying there was a point in your life
where there was Keisha and then there was Keisha Castle-Hughes
and she was... they were almost like different personalities.
Yeah, yeah. For sure.
I think that's one of those things
that people outside of movie-making and media
probably struggle to wrap their head around.
So, why was there that bifurcation in who you are?
I definitely feel that it's still that way.
- Okay. - Very much like...
- Who are we talking to now? - Yes, I know. What's happening?
No. I'm very much Keisha here, but there's definitely...
there's a character of Keisha Castle-Hughes
and I think a lot of that is a protective thing
because there's a lot of stuff that is required in this industry.
You know, I was thrown into it at such an intense level.
Yeah.
After 'Whale Rider' and through that whole period,
you know, we shot the film when I was eleven
and by the time I was at the Oscars I was 13 turning 14,
and so I felt really disassociated from myself
and people were always like "This is it. You must be so excited."
And I would be like, oh, yeah, I'm excited
because everyone else is excited.
- Yeah, yeah. - But I don't know what this means.
And there was a huge part of me that just wanted to be 13
and go home and go to school and kiss boys.
You know, I was just like... And just being 13.
It's sh*t.
You're pimply and weird and you've got boobs for the first time
and it's all just like a horrible experience,
and you're doing it on this really massive world stage.
You know, I was just like, eek.
What about the situation
where you're at this very early adolescent stage
and suddenly you're basically the breadwinner for the family at that point?
How do you feel
about that kind of pressure being put on you at that point?
Yeah, I mean, it was just such a huge...
I mean, I grew up in a big family and we were very poor
and so it was just such a huge shift.
You know, my mum was like, she's a single mum, she's amazing,
five kids, worked her arse off and done the absolute best she...
she can with what she had.
And it never felt like we were missing out
because the neighbourhood we lived in, everyone was the same.
And then suddenly limos starts turning up.
Exactly.
Then all of a sudden you're staying in a five-star hotel
and you're flying first class.
It was such a bizarre...
It couldn't have been further from our reality.
There was a lot of that pressure.
A lot of like "This is the prime of your life."
Imagine that? People telling you it's the prime of your life when you're 13
- I was like... - Oh, f*ck.
Yeah. That's going to f*ck you up. That's not healthy.
And being like, you need to move to LA
and you need to capitalise on this opportunity,
there was no way in the f*ckin' world my mum could move us and five kids.
Just financially...
There was no world in which that was ever going to happen.
In some ways, it was the best thing because...
And of course, I had teenage resentment toward her about that
and thought "Oh, my God. You are ruining my hopes and dreams."
But really, she was always very strong about...
if you're gonna do it, you'll do it.
You talk to that 15-16 year old who's in the throws of like... f*ck!
- Yeah, of course. - What does she need to know?
I am really grateful to everyone that allowed me to just be a teenager
and like f*ck up and totally be a mess.
It took me a long time to really accept that.
But what about the fact that it happens in public though?
It's one thing to tell yourself to be like "Be yourself"
but then there's newspapers and cameras and sh*t like that.
Especially, like, New Zealand's small.
I really felt controlled in New Zealand by the media
in terms of how I could live my life
and had so much anxiety around it and so much kind of...
just constantly in this state of worrying about...
And sh*t that really didn't matter.
I'd just be at a bar and just be having a drink
but then I'd think "Oh, God, what if someone took a picture of me?"
Wild child, Keisha Castle-Hughes...
There was a really strong narrative of being New Zealand's Lindsay Lohan.
And there was this really odd sense in the country
of being protected by New Zealand, like being the daughter...
- It was a really odd... - New Zealand's most famous daughter.
Like, it was this very kind of...
And because people had such an intense reaction
to 'Whale Rider' and to me, as a child,
it would really upset me,
and I'd had a lot of mental health stuff -
depression and anxiety throughout being a teenager
and once I was in my early 20s, like it became apparent,
there was more and I was really struggling with stuff.
It's like being underwater.
You can't breathe, but someone is standing...
like a giant is on your chest.
It's just exhausting constantly trying to wade water,
kind of keep afloat.
Just coming back to 'The Ropes' before I leave you.
What is it you got most out of this?
- I assume it's a great character. - Yeah, yeah. For sure.
- I assume you got punched a bunch. - Yeah.
I've been worked a lot on this show, which is good.
I'd love to see the insurance bill on this show.
Oh, yeah, I know. Exactly.
The biggest thing for me is the essence of the project as a whole
and like, what story are we telling?
It deals with a lot of really hard-hitting sh*t that happens
and it's very rare.
This experience has really been quite unique
and one of my favourite experiences I've ever had in my career
which has moved me and shocked me in a really weird way.
I wasn't anticipating it in any way.
I spent a really, really long time trying to...
And I have. I have successfully done so,
by building a life in America because it always felt like
that's the place to be and it was bigger
and I was like the most shocked and the last to find out
that actually, like a lot of answers I needed,
were here at home.
Which is like, I was like, what?
Keisha Castle-Hughes, you're an absolute pleasure to talk to.
- Thank you. - Could literally do this for hours.
- I really appreciate your time. - Thanks so much.