Home and Away star Angelina Thomson shares pride over emotional Kirby scene
"I don't think I've ever felt more vulnerable."
Kirby Aramoana actress Angelina Thomson couldn’t be more proud of herself for performing a spiritual Cook Island song on Home and Away.
In an upcoming UK episode, Kirby keeps a bedside vigil for the hospitalised Remi Carter while he fights for his life after a motorbike accident. Looking to give him strength, she sings in the native language.
Posting a clip of the mesmerising sequence on Instagram yesterday (January 16), Thomson’s lengthy caption began: “This is one of the proudest and most vulnerable moments I’ve had on @homeandaway so far… Well, in my career so far.
“Although I can understand more than I can speak, I didn’t grow up speaking Cook Island Māori fluently. My mum taught me the hula, I listened to her speak the Reo and she often played Cook Island music at home and in the car but I never really made an effort to learn the language as a kid… Which I’m sure many biracial folks share this same feeling of regret I have now.
“Because of this, I was so nervous to shoot this scene,” the soap star admitted. “It wasn’t about the singing or the acting… I was nervous that my pronunciation was wrong and I’d mix up the words.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt more vulnerable performing than this day. It felt like I was shedding layers to reveal more of Angelina rather than wearing more of them to create a character. It felt important. To the storyline. To my culture. To me as a biracial woman now. To baby Angelina never seeing that on TV and in movies. To future Polynesian kids seeing themselves.”
Thomson chose to publicly mention this because she’s “certain there are so many other biracial/mixed folks who understand the feeling of displacement around language. Or even the nerves of not saying the things you do know correctly.
“It can be a lot. I understand!” she added. “I still have so much to learn about my beautiful Cook Island culture and I’m sure that will never end. But I’m excited for this journey! Being able to represent the Cook Islands and Polynesia like this… I am so very proud.”
