Netflix launches Down Under
It's a long way from Ramsay Street to the mountains of Kazakhstan and a studio in Malaysia but that's exactly where Remy Hii found himself post-Neighbours.
Hii won the Graham Kennedy award for most outstanding new talent at last year's Logies for his moving portrayal of hanged drug trafficker Van Nguyen in the SBS mini-series Better Man.
He has graduated from playing swimmer Hudson Walsh on Neighbours to star in the epic adventure series Marco Polo, streaming on Netflix from today.
Born in Malaysia to a Chinese father and English mother before moving here as a child, NIDA-graduate Hii plays Prince Jingim, son of Kublai Khan.
In the premiere episode, Jingim has the daunting task of having to satisfy all three of his wives before heading into battle.
"Who keeps count these days," Hii laughs down the line from Sydney, where he has been enjoying some down time before heading abroad again for season two.
"It requires stamina, it requires physical prowess. Yes, that is in the script there."
Hii enjoyed learning about Marco Polo's adventures in the 13th century and a period of history that was glossed over in his school studies.
"Learning about the whole history of the Mongols, of Genghis Khan, of Kublai Khan, that was a huge joy for me.
"Part of the job as an actor is you get to research and involve yourself in the wonderful history of humankind and I think the stories of the Mongols in particular; it is crazy we don't know more about it."
Italian actor Lorenzo Richelmy plays Marco Polo, a young merchant who is given to Mongol emperor Kublai Khan as a servant by his father. Khan is played by British actor Benedict Wong and his wife Empress Chabi is played by acclaimed TV and film actress Joan Chen.
Hii said working on the $US90 million ($115.6 million) Netflix production was a dream come true, especially the chance to work with Chen, whom he had hoped to work with on Australian film The Home Song Stories in 2007.
"I was actually way too old to play her son at the time and I had lied about my age to the casting director to get through," Hii reflects.
"There was just no way, I was about 17 or 18 and the kid needed to be about 12. There was no way it was going to work out.
"But you wait and these things happen."
In his break Hii has been working for two hours a day with a personal trainer. During filming he was training for up to four hours a day doing heavy conditioning, weightlifting, horseriding, archery, martial arts and choreography.
"We've got horses in the family, so I have ridden before but not like this, there is actually a very particular style when it comes to Mongol riding," he explains.
"They have different horses, different saddles, the stirrups are very different.
"Then of course you are riding in full armour, throwing a spear or firing an arrow.
"It is one thing to trot around the dressage arena and another thing to be given a bow and arrow and a target and told 'shoot that and don't hit the cameraman'."
On Marco Polo Hii was reunited with his NIDA classmate Uli Latukefu (Jonah From Tonga) and his Neighbours and Better Man co-star Mahesh Jadu. After filming wrapped he made the movie 2:22 with Teresa Palmer.
Pioneering video streaming service Netflix officially launches in Australia today, joining Presto, Stan and Quickflix in an increasingly competitive market place catering to the new generation of viewers who want to watch programs when they want, not to a schedule.
The world's leading internet TV network says it has more than 57 million members in almost 50 countries watching two billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series, documentaries and movies.
Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
A Choice survey last year estimated more than 340,000 Australians subscribed to the US service by using virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around Netflix's geo-blocking.
In addition to Marco Polo, Netflix original series available for viewing on demand include Kevin Spacey's House of Cards, the Tina Fey-produced comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the Ben Mendelsohn drama Bloodline.
Shows due in coming months include the third season of prison drama Orange is the New Black, the Wachowskis' series Sense8 and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, a prequel to the cult Wet Hot film starring Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine and Jason Schwartzman
Next year there will be Flaked, a new comedy series starring Will Arnett, Jamie Dornan's Jadotville and Baz Luhrmann's The Get Down. Set in 1970 New York City it is the mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-hop.
Pricing was finally revealed yesterday with Netflix confirming it will charge fans just $8.99 per month for standard definition on one screen, $11.99 for high definition on two screens and $14.99 for ultra high definition on up to four screens.
Like other TV streaming services, it will also be offering a free month's trial.
'Part of the job as
an actor is you get
to research and involve yourself in the wonderful history of humankind and I think the stories of the Mongols in particular; it is crazy we don't know more about it.' Remy Hii
