Martin Henderson

When I'm not acting, I'm usually sailing or camping or exploring or travelling or spending time in New Zealand.

The writer of 'The Red Road,' Aaron Guzikowski, deserves the credit. The fact that the dialogue is so understated is what makes this show so appealing, especially as an actor.

During the shoot, when you're not at work, you're learning lines for the next shoot, and that can be all-consuming.

When you're doing a one-man play, you maybe rehearse for a month, and then you're just doing it an hour or two a night.

I think I'm fortunate as an actor in that I do seem to get opportunities to play roles that aren't necessarily typical of what I've done before.

I think it's part of my personality - I love to travel; I love different cultures and philosophies and perspectives on things.

Sometimes you just dread reading scripts; it's like the chef who doesn't want to cook at home.

It's harder in the States. I'm much more inclined to get offered things that are a lot straighter and heavier and dramatic. And they go by looks, too. If you look like a leading man, then that's what they will consider you for.

It's good to see some Kiwi accents up on the big screen.

I personally really sympathise with the Maori cause - what's gone on historically and their struggle today as a culture, and how they hold on to that identity and stand up for what's rightfully theirs.

Definitely, I'd love to do more in New Zealand if it was the right time.

I've got to say, I like being the everyman.

You are constantly looking for ways to do something you haven't done before, whether it's a particular role or doing theatre. As a person, I'm really open to experience.

I went to New York for a while before I moved to L.A., and I was very clear that I didn't want to do TV. For a decade, basically, I didn't even entertain the idea.

Where typically the cops are generally the good guys, 'The Red Road' blurs the lines intelligently and shows corruption from all sides of the law. It provides unpredictable drama where the audience is kept guessing about how these characters will each choose to act.

Alex O'Loughlin is an old friend. Actually, when he first came to L.A., he stayed at my house.

You are always invested in a film, but there is always a different feeling you get when you are portraying a character that is based on real life and you are re-telling events that actually took place.

I think the buzz of acting is playing people different to you, and for me, that means traversing all genres.

I like dramatic stuff, and I have a goofball side, too. I like to do comedy and off-beat things as much as something really, really serious.

There is nothing I feel that connected or passionate about that would take me away from acting.

I just want to keep challenging myself. Keep moving the goalposts and raising my game.

'Little Fish' has reminded me why I fell in love with acting in the first place.

There's something incredibly primal about facing something treacherous but doing it anyway.

My mother was a product of World War II. My grandfather was on leave in Edinburgh when he met my grandmother.

I hate talking about myself, I find it such a boring topic. I'd much rather talk about other things.

It's a tough accent. It's difficult for actors who are not Kiwis.

I don't even know who my character is in 'Grey's.'

I walked two hours to an audition once and was so sweaty that someone said, 'Oh, you guys from New Zealand don't shower.'

My dad was my hero when I was a young boy. And then it's a toss-up between Han Solo, the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team, and Marlon Brando.

I've become a lot more relaxed about my career, but maybe that's a part of growing up. I realise there are things I hold dear and value, aside from professional achievements.

The accent got lost somewhere along the way. I'm a little embarrassed about it. When I arrived in LA I assumed I'd be able to put on the American accent. It proved difficult so I had six months working with a dialect coach and it's become a habit.

I'm never entirely happy. That's just part of my personality, and I just have to accept that.

It's actually reassuring to see people struggling to do our accent instead of us constantly trying to emulate British or American accents, which we are always asked to do.

We spent a few days up Ben Nevis, which is the biggest mountain in the U.K., and there was one day when we had to make a decision whether we were going to go to the summit or not. It was already getting dark, but we made the call to go and made the summit, but as soon as we got there, this blizzard just hit.

Heath, I believed in him when I first met him, and helped and supported him. He went on to obvious success in the States and then I had him support me. It can be a lonely, horrible, hard place. It's great just to have someone to call to say 'I know, man, I was there'

I'm not in a real rush to be a big star.

I try not to invest time in what other people think of me.

It is a little weird now, going over to Heath's place. It's like, 'Hi Heath, hi Nomes.' Very strange!

I always thought I'd go to university and then get a real job, you know. Now I want to do stuff that really makes me happy. Although I'm still trying to work out what that is. But for me there are always constants.

Most horror films fail to scare me. I think 'The Ring' plays more as a psychological thriller. It's smarter, there's more character development and some of the themes explored go a little deeper.

It's a great challenge to come from little New Zealand and beat the odds in Hollywood.

What's exciting about Sundance is that they're making a name for themselves in this boutique television niche world, and there's energy behind that.

Most people start eating healthy after the doctor says they have a problem. That's just human nature.

It's very rare you get a director who's that invested in the actors. So yeah, when 'Little Fish' came around, there wasn't much negotiation!

Most horror films fail to scare me.

When I arrived in L.A., I assumed I'd be able to put on the American accent. It proved difficult, so I had six months working with a dialect coach, and it's become a habit.

As soon as I got off the plane in L.A., I heard they'd cast the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and that it was all being shot in New Zealand! That was pretty ironic.

With a thriller, you're going to have your red herrings, as different suspects are thrown up as possible culprits. You can only explore that for so long - if you do that more than a few times, it starts to get a little redundant.

Sometimes America gets tempted by the glitz and glamour.

You've got to not care about what people think. You learn that as an actor. If you get a bad review, will you be destroyed by it? Or will you think you're God's gift when you get a rave review?