MovieChat Forums > Came a Hot Friday (1985) Discussion > Billy T's great comedy acting

Billy T's great comedy acting


Billy T played such a good maori who thought he was mexican. Very convincing. Perhaps it was fortuitous casting - reflecting the present day casting of Maori's as mexican etc in hollywood movies. How many times does Cliff Curtis, another great Kiwi actor, get cast as Mexican or similar. But it seems that Billy did it first. He is quite funny as he runs from the taniwha. particularly when the burning building is floating down the river and he thinks it is really a taniwha. It was a sad loss to New Zealand when Billy T died.

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It was indeed a sad loss, the man was a legend. I enjoyed his role as The Tainuia Kid and I think it was also quite well crafted by Billy. While I find the character funny, I also have found myself wondering why a grown Maori man wanders around the bush pretending to be a Mexican? This man is obviously delusional, which makes me wonder what has happened to him in the past. So there is a sadness to the character that is seen under the surface of Billy's largely comical role. And this idea can also perhaps be projected onto Billy T's personal life which appeared to have some strange twists and turns.

It's an interesting point that you raise about Billy's Tainuia Kid being a precursor to Cliff Curtis's latino roles. I had never really thought about that and I think that it's quite a sharp observation



"I'm a reasonable man get off my case."

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