Nelson couple Dan and Chris Hennah talk about their lives in international film, the challenge of making movies in lockdown, and the joy of winning an Oscar, in this week’s episode of The Nelson Pod.
Dan, who won his Academy Award for his art direction on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, first started working in the movies in 1981.
Since then, his credits, in addition to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, have included, amongst others, Thor: Ragnarok, Disenchanted, The Hobbit trilogy, Mortal Engines, The Frighteners, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.
The couple, who recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, have particularly enjoyed going to the Academy Awards, as a result of Dan being nominated five times, and getting to have other unforgettable experiences around the world.
“The first real thing we did on King Kong was fly to New York and go up the Empire State Building with Naomi Watts and take a special elevator to the very top where there’s a ladder you can climb up, inside this aluminium structure, and there’s a hatch that they open and you can climb out and stand on the roof.
“It was beautiful. It was 6.30 in the morning, the sun was just rising, it was still…it was amazing,” Dan says.
Chris, who joined her husband working in the art departments of many of the movies on his CV, tells host of The Nelson Pod, Matt Lawrey, that they love the way their lives have worked out.
“Over the last few years it’s been harder for me get a work permit overseas, but I don’t mind. I get to explore new cities all the time and, when I’m not working, I come home as often as I can, I love it,” she says.
Matt says Dan and Chris’s story is another remarkable example of what Nelsonians with talent and a vision are capable of.
“I think people are going to love hearing about their adventures. They really are the coolest couple. I also love the fact that, despite everything they’ve done internationally, they’ve always called Nelson home. I think it says a lot about Chris and Dan, and our part of the world.”
To watch or listen to the episode, go to thenelsonpod.co.nz
