‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ

This article argues that Rena Owen’s star persona has been constrained, and ultimately undermined, by essentialist definitions of her status as Māori on the part of print media, in particular women’s magazines, in response to her role as Beth in Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 1994), a role that t...

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Autores principales:	Ellen Pullar, Hilary Radner
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Asia Pacific Network 2013
Materias:	Femininity Once Were Warriors Race relations Rena Owen Racial stereotypes Stardom Communication. Mass media P87-96 Journalism. The periodical press, etc. PN4699-5650
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/7cfde4bdc62f475aa5c7d1a170e9840a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:7cfde4bdc62f475aa5c7d1a170e9840a2021-12-02T08:57:09Z‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ10.24135/pjr.v19i2.2161023-94992324-2035https://doaj.org/article/7cfde4bdc62f475aa5c7d1a170e9840a2013-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://ojs.aut.ac.nz/pacific-journalism-review/article/view/216https://doaj.org/toc/1023-9499https://doaj.org/toc/2324-2035This article argues that Rena Owen’s star persona has been constrained, and ultimately undermined, by essentialist definitions of her status as Māori on the part of print media, in particular women’s magazines, in response to her role as Beth in Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 1994), a role that thrust her into the international limelight. These ancillary texts served to emphasise two stereotypes, positioning her either in relation to the traditional Pacific Island female type of the ‘dusky maiden’ or focusing on her criminal past and current scandalous behaviour. These representations of the actress detracted from her considerable talents and were undoubtedly a factor in determining a career trajectory that failed to fulfil its early promise. The scandal mongering of the tabloids expressed the uneasiness with which Aotearoa/New Zealand viewed public personalities that embraced a cultural past that included both Māori and European identities. Unlike the international press, which compared Owen’s performance to that of a range of film stars noted for their dramatic and charismatic capacities and presence, from Bette Davis to Anna Magnani, the New Zealand press portrayed her as ‘Beth’—as a social victim rather than an accomplished thespian.Ellen PullarHilary RadnerAsia Pacific NetworkarticleFemininityOnce Were WarriorsRace relationsRena OwenRacial stereotypesStardomCommunication. Mass mediaP87-96Journalism. The periodical press, etc.PN4699-5650ENPacific Journalism Review, Vol 19, Iss 2 (2013)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Femininity Once Were Warriors Race relations Rena Owen Racial stereotypes Stardom Communication. Mass media P87-96 Journalism. The periodical press, etc. PN4699-5650
spellingShingle	Femininity Once Were Warriors Race relations Rena Owen Racial stereotypes Stardom Communication. Mass media P87-96 Journalism. The periodical press, etc. PN4699-5650 Ellen Pullar Hilary Radner ‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ
description	This article argues that Rena Owen’s star persona has been constrained, and ultimately undermined, by essentialist definitions of her status as Māori on the part of print media, in particular women’s magazines, in response to her role as Beth in Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 1994), a role that thrust her into the international limelight. These ancillary texts served to emphasise two stereotypes, positioning her either in relation to the traditional Pacific Island female type of the ‘dusky maiden’ or focusing on her criminal past and current scandalous behaviour. These representations of the actress detracted from her considerable talents and were undoubtedly a factor in determining a career trajectory that failed to fulfil its early promise. The scandal mongering of the tabloids expressed the uneasiness with which Aotearoa/New Zealand viewed public personalities that embraced a cultural past that included both Māori and European identities. Unlike the international press, which compared Owen’s performance to that of a range of film stars noted for their dramatic and charismatic capacities and presence, from Bette Davis to Anna Magnani, the New Zealand press portrayed her as ‘Beth’—as a social victim rather than an accomplished thespian.
format	article
author	Ellen Pullar Hilary Radner
author_facet	Ellen Pullar Hilary Radner
author_sort	Ellen Pullar
title	‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ
title_short	‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ
title_full	‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ
title_fullStr	‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ
title_full_unstemmed	‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ
title_sort	‘endangered species turned dangerous’: rena owen and celebrity in aotearoa/nz
publisher	Asia Pacific Network
publishDate	2013
url	https://doaj.org/article/7cfde4bdc62f475aa5c7d1a170e9840a
work_keys_str_mv	AT ellenpullar endangeredspeciesturneddangerousrenaowenandcelebrityinaotearoanz AT hilaryradner endangeredspeciesturneddangerousrenaowenandcelebrityinaotearoanz
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‘Endangered species turned dangerous’: Rena Owen and celebrity in Aotearoa/NZ

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