[New Zealand] New Idea, Jan 8, 2000

Hunky Kiwi actor Kevin Smith is well known for his starring roles in movies, the theatre and on TV in popular shows like Gloss, Xena and Hercules. But if it wasn’t for one fateful blow to the head, we might never have heard of him!

‘It was one game of rugby on a clear Christchurch day that completely changed my life forever. I was in my early twenties and drifting around with no direction in my life whatsoever. I was loading containers with bags of frozen peas.

I remember thinking at 24, "My life is over. This is my lot." I was just bumming around. But little did I know that I’d soon be on the stage.

It was 1987 and rugby was the one thing I loved and was committed to. My wife Suzanne, whom I married when I was 20, wasn’t very happy about me playing because I’d already had a few bouts of concussion the season before. But I was determined to play. Ten minutes into the second half I got someone’s knee in my head and was knocked silly.

The doctor suggested I should flag rugby for awhile to give the old head a rest. Of course, being on the sideline drove me crazy, but I knew I needed to take a break.

I’m sure Suzanne was fed up with my complaining about being stuck on the bench and whingeing about not having a proper job like my accountant and lawyer friends, so without telling me she put my name forward to audition for a touring musical about Elvis Presley.

I used to play in bands, and when I’d had a bit too much to drink I’d sing Elvis Presley songs badly, so she thought I’d be quite good in the role.

One day I came home and Suzanne said, "I’ve got you an audition on Tuesday and you have to try out." So I thought, "What the hell. I’ll give it a go." I ended up getting cast as the Elvis understudy and playing a bodyguard. That was the beginning of my acting career.

When I was on that stage it was like a light went on. I knew immediately acting was the thing I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was great because I knew I had some sort of future. I’d never had a future before.

When the show was over it just happened that the Court Theatre in Christchurch was looking for a new young man for the company. I auditioned. It was so terrible God knows how I ended up getting that job, but I did - and I’ve managed to keep working in the industry since. I’ve been involved in some really great shows, plays and films.

The next year I was in a play and Mark Hadlow rang his agent, Robert Bruce, and said, "There’s some guy in a play I want you to look at." They were just casting for a new series of Gloss at the time and I ended up getting the part and moving to Auckland. It was wild. I also landed Robert as my agent and he’s great.

When Gloss finished I moved back to Christchurch to do a few plays. We were quite settled down there. Suzanne was working as a child care worker. One day I said to her foolishly, "Let’s go to Auckland because it’s all about to bust loose." So we put everything we owned into a Mazda 323, including our huge bulldog, and headed up the island.

As soon as arrived I read that the new show we’d moved to Auckland for had been canned. So we were both unemployed and it was then we found out Suzanne was pregnant.

I couldn’t get acting work so I got a job as a porter for a while. I was embarrassing because Gloss was still playing on TV and I’d be carrying people’s bags and they’d say, "Hey you’re that guy on TV," and want to take pictures of me with their wives.

After a couple of months I started working on Away Laughing and then started at the Mercury Theatre until it was shut down. I’ve been lucky enough since then to work on all sorts of new projects.

I love acting because it’s never dull. The bets thing about it is the fact that I can slip into different skins. I can switch Kev off during the day when I’m at work, and get him back when I’m on the motorway on my way home. It’s nice to hide away and be someone else for a while.

So life is pretty good. I’ve been happily married to Suzanne for 16 years now and we have three great sons Oscar, 8, Tyrone, 6, and Willard,2. It’s full-on with three boys. They’re real boys. It’s rock ‘n’ roll all the time.

If I had to trace back to the very second where everything in my life completely changed it would be that knock on the head. I don’t know what my life would be like if it hadn’t happened.

I’ve always wanted to find the guy who knocked me in the head because if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. I’d like to buy him a beer because things have worked out pretty well for me since then.’

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