In casting for the part of ARUSHKA Producer Jonathan Shiff set a difficult task. The part called for a young actress with an array of talents including a strong acting ability, athleticism, a natural horse rider, exotic good looks and a love of all animals n even snakes, rats and lions!
The search for ARUSHKA was a mammoth task, auditions were not only held nationally but extended across the globe to London and New Zealand. After Casting Director, Jo Rippon had auditioned hundreds of young hopefuls a home video tape arrived in her office - that of Mereoni Vuki, a 16 year old Sydney girl with a Fijian/Australian background. When Vuki heard about the role through her agent, she promptly set about staging her own audition - mounted on a friends horse and giving the performance of a lifetime.
As they say, the rest is history! Vuki, a singer, dancer and choreographer had little television experience but proved to have a natural talent. "She is new to the industry but has really fallen on her feet" says Shiff "she's a very physical actress and a very adept performer, she's really found an inner strength that is very evident when she plays ARUSHKA."
During the 7 month shoot Vuki worked with a variety of animals on a day to day basis. Some were film trained, some tamed and others almost wild - roaming wildlife parks. "The animals have been great, we've worked with zebras, giraffes, kangaroos, koalas, elephants - the whole show basically revolves around animals - it's been great fun" says Vuki.
Vuki and the rest of the cast including Jeffrey Walker (winner of the 1997 AFI Young Actors Award) and the legendary Gerard Kennedy can be seen in THUNDERSTONE when it airs on Network Ten early next year and later on The Disney Channel in Australia. The series will also screen internationally on The Disney Channel in the UK and France and in Germany on SUPER RTL.
For Vuki the future looks bright, a second series of THUNDERSTONE is in development for shooting in early 1999. This time she will step into the role with a wealth of experience. "I've learnt so much on THUNDERSTONE just from the basics to the really important things".
