William Kircher sitting on his 1950s Massey Ferguson tractor with "Black Doris" the chicken in his arms. Photo / RNZ, Sally Round
By Sally Round of RNZ
Actor William Kircher, who played an angry-looking dwarf in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit, is looking a little less ferocious these days.
When not touring overseas, he’s been busy recreating his own patch of Middle-earth on the outskirts of Featherston.
It’s been more than two years since he and his wife, Nicole Chesterman Kircher, were on a Sunday drive and, on an impulse, went to an “open home” viewing.
At the end of the driveway, they found a storybook house with century-old trees, an established orchard, and an historic water race running through the property, which included a large paddock and a cluster of sheds.
“We drove down, and Nicole said, ‘I like this place.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t. It’s never going to happen.’”
It did happen, and the Kirchers have been enjoying rural life, although William has spent many months out of the country performing with a show themed around The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
“Strangely, I feel like this is the gentleman farmer role that I’m taking,” he told RNZ’s Country Life.
Back from touring on a hot, late summer morning, he could be found among a flock of chickens, dressed for the day in khaki work gear and a tough pair of boots.
“I scored these in the film Out of the Blue, which is about the Aramoana massacre. I played a cop."
The 68-year-old has played several policeman and villain roles in his half-century on stage and screen, including time behind the scenes.
Today he’s planning to do some tractor work, there’s fruit to harvest, maybe some trees to trim, and wood to stack.
Getting outside, making things, and problem-solving have been a healthy change and brought balance to his life, he said.
“Doing all this physical stuff that you’re supposed to be doing - bending, crouching, lifting, reaching sideways, back and sideways.
“Because being an actor is, it is a physical profession, you know, like you always touch upon dance, especially when you’re a young actor.
“Even the work I do off, offshore on stage, it is quite physical.”
“The feeling of openness” has also brought a sense of relaxation to his acting work.
“I don’t have that kind of need, of want, anymore.
“It’s to do with taking away the pressures of city living, city life. It’s added a relaxation to my work because I’ve got this to come home to.
“So, I carry that with me, you know, into the audition room, for example.”
Nicole, a jazz and rock singer, has also found her beat: preserving, pickling and provisioning their roadside stall.
Chalking up the sign with the day’s offerings, she said she liked to give people a choice and fair prices.
“It’s hard times out there, and so if we can make it affordable for people as well as not competing too much with the local businesses, it’s actually great in terms of giving and sharing.”
She had always been keen to “live off the land” and found it gave her an extra appreciation for country music.
“I am really digging country music, but I have actually for a while.
“More than ever now, having experienced country life for the past two years, I do understand, and really get, the depth of the love and the fun.”
William has a tongue-in-cheek take on his farm activities, often at the helm of his vintage farm bike, which he calls the mudbug.
“What I do is I come out on my motorbike and make a joke about mustering - ‘I’m going out to fetch the herd!’
“Even the fact that I’ve got a farm bike is ridiculous.”
With a shed housing a shiny red 1950s Massey Ferguson tractor - fit for a children’s book, fairytale sheep with curly horns and ringlets, and a Hansel and Gretel style cottage, the small property has a sniff of theatre about it too.
Even the animals are characters, with names like Dirty Harry and Black Doris.
It’s a joy to come home to, William said.
“Honestly, I come out sometimes, and I think somebody else must own this, and we’re just staying here.”
- RNZ