Theo Shakes, an actor, filmmaker and TikTok star, is set to make his main stage theatre debut as Peter Pan with the Auckland Theatre Company.
It's a full circle moment for the 22-year-old Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School graduate, who once was that kid "jumping off the edge of my bed trying to fly."
Theo Shakes as Peter Pan. Photo: Auckland Theatre Company
"I'd read J M Barrie, who's the original author of the play, in the first few iterations of the play, he actually got told to change things, because a bunch of parents were coming to him and explaining how their children have ended up in surgery in hospital, because they've tried to jump off the edge of their bed.
"So, he had to change the script a little and tweak it [so] that fairy dust or pixie dust has to be sprinkled on you first ... and I found that quite interesting."
Written by Carl Bland, the classic retelling features Jennifer Ludlam as Captain Hook and Anika Moa as The Mermaid Queen. But this version is set in Iceland which changes things for the Lost Boys, Shakes tells Sunday Morning.
"They're, you know, quite ghost-like, they look pale, they're underground, exploring and hiding from pirates and fighting crime and whatnot. But yeah, it flips it on its head. It creates a new thing, so Tiger Lily is a wolf, and that's pretty insane, with a whip, so you've got to check that out."
The actor already has built a bit of stardom on TikTok, with 1.5 million followers and more than 160 million likes for his myriad skits capturing urban life in a comedic way. But he has also made his mark with short films which have featured internationally.
"[The film Bygones ended up in this festival called the All American High School Film Festival, and it was being advertised on [New York] Times Square, which was pretty insane and then got played in the theatre, the AMC Theatre off Broadway."
Tiktok sensation Theo Shakes plays Peter Pan
His first dream, which he mentioned to his friend, Fraser Grut, who is capturing the dreams of 10,000 people over 27 years, was indeed to win an Oscar, but he's now seeing his goals differently.
"Then the next year, it was to win an Oscar and then the year after that it was 'I want to be my ancestors' wildest dream' - that's what I wanted, and then it was like and maybe win an Oscar, just to inspire the next kid, because I got very inspired by seeing like a Viola Davis or a Matthew McConaughey say their speech and that energy and sitting in the dark in my own room inspired me.
"But I think it's just like don't focus on the award, just focus on the journey, 'cause that's such a destination thing, and, I don't know, sometimes that can be overwhelming anyway, like what are you meant to do once you win an Oscar?"
The Sheffield-born actor, who immigrated to New Zealand at the age of four with his parents, says he's still got to go on a journey to understand his mixed England and Jamaican heritage.
"I know with the kind of life I've lived, and the way my parents describe it, I mean it's a privilege and it's a joy. And the resource here, growing up here, like even if you look at London, how it's grey on grey on grey on grey, and in New Zealand it's blue on green on brown, like you can actually see depth in the landscape.
"So to be in an environment that you can absorb that much colour and light changes something and artistically too, the things I've been able to achieve and do, that is a dream in itself, you know, beyond what we could imagine."
In the end, he hopes not to be "too mature for it all" and "have a laugh, have fun with the mates". He also doesn't want to stay limited to one pathway in the arts.
He has written a play called 'The Play That Gets Louder' and has a feature film in the works.
"I'm also on this journey of when you're working in the digital space, things move fast and you get a buzz off that, and you start to understand how quick you can connect the world. To make a film is trial and error and it's seven years of process, and you've gotta believe in that story seven years ago till today."
Auckland Theatre Company's Peter Pan will be performed at the ASB Waterfront Theatre from 8 October to 3 November. Tickets are available online now.