Tongan Star Albert Latailakepa Shines in Disney+ Period Drama The Artful Dodger
Albert Latailakepa never planned on becoming an actor. Like many great origin stories, it started with a couple of mates and a decision that felt low risk at the time.
“I took a leap of faith,” Latailakepa says, recalling his decision to join high school drama classes. “A couple of mates were doing it, so what was the harm, right?” he told the NZ Herald.
That leap would set the Wellington-born Samoan Tongan actor on a path from school drama rooms to Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School, and now onto international screens. Latailakepa is currently two seasons deep into his role as Aputi Savea, a boxing champ turned gravedigger, in Disney+ period drama The Artful Dodger.
A sequel to Oliver Twist, the series follows Jack Dawkins, aka the Artful Dodger, as he navigates life in 1800s Australia. The cast includes Love Actually star Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Harry Potter’s David Thewlis as Fagin, a line-up that left Latailakepa “freaking out a little bit” when he landed the role.
“They eased my nerves a bit when I was on set,” he said. “But yeah, I was stoked. I was happy as,” he told the NZ Herald.
Latailakepa describes Aputi as a highly physical, comedic role that allowed him to lean into slapstick humour. “For me, it feels like a slapstick, very physical kind of comedy,” he said, admitting his Kiwi accent sometimes made him a little “too mumbly”.
Filming The Artful Dodger also marked his first trip to Australia, a milestone that surprised his castmates. “A dream of mine has always been to travel for work,” Latailakepa said. “I’ve always wanted to stay here in Wellington, and hopefully the work allows me to travel, which it has,”
While stepping into the world of Charles Dickens came with its challenges, Latailakepa says he quickly adapted. “I had to learn quickly and on the fly,” he said, adding that “it eventually did come naturally”
Back home, Latailakepa is reconnecting with his theatre roots at Wellington’s Circa Theatre in the comedy show D’Things N Such. The production pokes fun at his growing screen success. “There’s a little gag within the show where they talk about how I’ve changed and gone to be some sort of big celebrity,” he said. “But it’s nice to be back in the theatre,” he told the NZ Herald.
Fellow Pasifika actor and close friend Chris Alosio credits Latailakepa’s authenticity as key to his rise. “A humble Tongan/Samoan kid from Timberlea with a huge heart,” Alosio said, describing him as someone who “was never trying to be anything other than himself”
Alosio says the success of Latailakepa and other Pasifika actors overseas shows a shift in the industry. “They’re not leaving their identity behind,” he said. “They’re taking their culture, values, and stories with them, and that visibility means everything for the next generation,”
Latailakepa continues to balance stage and screen work on both sides of the Tasman, with appearances in Wellington Paranormal and Warren’s Vortex alongside his Disney+ role.
Reflecting on the journey so far, he says trusting his instincts made all the difference. “If you think that you’ve got a knack for it, then by all means you should go for it,” he told the NZ Herald.
All episodes of The Artful Dodger: Season 2 stream on Disney+ from February 10.