Sam Neill with co-star Julian Dennison in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.<\/p>\n
While it might be hard to imagine Hunt for the Wilderpeople renegade Ricky Baker tearing up the dancefloor, it\u2019s not unusual for a now-23-year-old Dennison. Painting, writing and spending time with wh\u0101nau are just some of the things that keep him busy and mindful when he\u2019s not acting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been really lucky to have a job that I enjoy. It is still work, but I find the joy in it,\u201d he says of acting. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s starred alongside the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Sir Sam Neill, Minnie Driver, Goldie Hawn and Gerard Butler, and will soon reunite with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown in the romantic comedy Just Picture It. <\/p>\n
Off screen though, Dennison is living out his own romantic storyline, planning a wedding with his fianc\u00e9e, Christian. The pair shared photos of the proposal and party afterwards to social media this September.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been engaged for about six months, which has been great. We have a date set, and we\u2019re letting family know and sending out invites,\u201d the usually private Dennison says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting, like with any wedding with your friends or family or cousins, to celebrate love.\u201d<\/p>\n
It means he treasures his time at home even more than usual. For Dennison (Ng\u0101ti Hau\u0101), it\u2019s his family and friends who continue to keep him grounded at home, near Piha beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me, that\u2019s why I haven\u2019t moved overseas to America, because I want to be here. I want to be here with family. That\u2019s an important thing to be close to my parents, close to my siblings, close to my cousins, close to my home and close to my whenua.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan Reynolds and Julian Dennison in Deadpool 2. <\/p>\n
Being in the movie business since his 2013 debut in the Kiwi film Shopping (he was 10), Dennison says he\u2019s been blessed with great mentors and has taken his career \u201cquite seriously\u201d as he\u2019s grown as a young man and an actor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think with a lot of actors who started quite young, they would feel a similar thing. There\u2019s a lot more competition for roles around my age now,\u201d he notes. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s had starring roles in Hollywood heavy hitters including Deadpool and Godzilla v Kong, but it was during filming of the Dunedin-set Uproar in 2023 that Dennison credits with helping him realise the full power of storytelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was telling an important story, and a story that my parents and my grandparents were a part of,\u201d he says, referring to the film centring around heightened political tensions in the 1980s around the Springbok Tour.<\/p>\n
Julian Dennison (left) and Rhys Darby star in the surprisingly feelgood film Uproar.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his early roles, Dennison says he honestly didn\u2019t think he\u2019d ever be in the position he\u2019s in today.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was young, and I was enjoying what I was doing. I was having fun and getting time off school \u2013 I never saw it as work. I\u2019m so blessed to be in this position that I am in.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hopes other aspiring creatives, be it DJs, actors or painters, strive not to lose sight of the reason they wanted to get into the craft in the first place.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me it was understanding my \u2018why\u2019, like why you\u2019re doing something. The reason I\u2019m an actor is because I want to express myself creatively, and that might look different to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for those heading to Rhythm and Vines, expect Dennison\u2019s high-energy set to well-and-truly bring the noise \u2013 Ricky Baker is ready to up the BPM (beats per minute). <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I\u2019d play something different this time and play a little bit more higher BPM music, a little bit more drum and bass,\u201d he teases.<\/p>\n