Temuera Morrison would get challenged to fight all the time by local thugs after seeing him play Jake Heke.
Film critic Roger Ebert said in a review of the film that in his opinion the acting in Once Were Warriors is so powerful, it puts the Academy Awards into perspective.
Actor Cliff Curtis initially refused the role of Uncle Bully as he found the character so repulsive, but his agent, Robert Bruce, and his auntie persuaded him to do it.
Temuera Morrison has commented that he did not expect the film to be a hit. He couldn't contemplate how anyone would want to watch a film containing such violence.
Temuera Morrison fought hard to keep the role once it was offered to him, even though he struggled to master it. He knew that the role was a huge challenge and that it would be the making of him as an actor.
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