Exclusive Interview: Paul Ellis

harchester.net (September 2004)

What's the best thing about being in Dream Team?  Just acting again really. I had about a year and a half off when I first arrived in the UK so it was fantastic to be in front of the camera again. Also the people were great to work with.

Were you a fan of Dream Team before you joined?  I was a runner on Dream Team before joining the cast!!!So not really. He he

What was the best thing about your character?  I like playing the baddy. Much more interesting most of the time. Taylor was a snake and I enjoyed the smugness of his attitude.

What do your friends and family think of your role?  They were relieved to see me acting again.And excited as it was my first proper job in the UK.

Do you get recognised in the street for your role?  A couple of times.Not really.

What scene did you most hate or enjoy filming?  I enjoyed all the stuff I did with Scott Taylor (Danny Rawsthorne). Great actor and good friend.

Did you have to do any research for your role?  Trying to temper the kiwi accent took most of my time. I think I managed to get away with it but since Dream Team I have been going to proper accent training.

Have you ever met any footballers in real life?  Nope. Just rugby players.

What football team do you support and why?  West Ham. I was born in East London.

Were you good at football at school?  I don't play. I'm a good watcher though!

What was the hardest thing about training for the show?  From what I heard, the hardest thing was the rain, mud and cold weather. Not to mention the logistics of actually kicking the ball into a net.(Some of the actors weren't the best players)

Is there any behind the scenes gossip you can share with us?  None that's of any interest. I don't get caught up in the goss.

What do you do in your free time?  A cold beer and a good book.

Where is your home town?  At the moment it's London. Next year it may well be different.I'm thinking of moving to the States or back to NZ.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?  Not sure.It's an open book. Wherever I am I think I'll have children by then and probably a wife.I'll be deciding what to wear for my premiere perhaps!!He he

What other jobs have you done appart from acting?  Everything. At the moment I am a Standby Art Director for Family Affairs but over the years I've turned my hand to loads of other stuff.Hospitality, building, office work. I think you have to be fairly flexible if you want to act.You have to be ready to drop everything in your life to take any opportunity that presents itself.

Who is your ideal co-star?  Cameron Diaz without a shadow of a doubt.

If you could appear on a reality TV show, which would it be and why?  I was on Celebrity Treasure Island last year in NZ which was great and I'd like to do that other one, ‘Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here'.It looks much more gory.

Now that you have left Dream Team.... What have you been doing since your departure?  A bit of travel, accent training.I also played the lead in the stage version of ‘The Garduate' back in NZ.Currently looking for a new agent here in the UK and some auditions to try out my new accent.

If you got the opportunity to return to Dream Team as a short term or long term role, would you go back?  There could be a good story in Taylor coming back so yeah, if I had the chance I'd definitely consider it.

Do you think your character could have continued for another season?  I was surprised when they told me he'd been written out. Yeah, I think his story could have been explored further.Nothing was ever revealed about his past.

Were you pleased with the way your character was portrayed?  It was fun. If you do your job properly and give yourself over entirely to the character then you shouldn't have any problems. I thought he came across very well.

Do you keep in touch with any of the Dream Team cast you worked with?  A few people. Georgia Zaris (cant remember her screen name) is a good friend, and I've gotten to know Luke Waite (pegsy) very well and he is great.

What other Dream Team character would you like to have played?  I don't know.Ummm. I think I could have played a footballer, except there's not much call for a kiwi footballer here in the UK. We are shit at football.

Have you continued to keep up with events at Harchester since you left?  Every now and then. The show changes a lot so I don't really know many people left there.

Do you ever visit the harchester.net forums?  Not really. But I'll keep in touch with this one!

Go Back