Pua Magasiva's love for acting was inspired by his older brother, Robbie Magasiva, a well-known actor in New Zealand. His brother's support coupled with…more
Before getting his first big break in television on the miniseries Aroha, Pua worked as a receptionist for Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising agency.
Pua is a celebrity supporter of the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, along with several other former Shortland Street stars, Li-Ming Hu and Renato Bartolomei. The initiative campaigns to make people aware of the symptoms of depression and encourages those suffering from it to seek help through medication and counseling.
Pua: (encouraging people to seek help for depression) Don't be afraid of admitting that you are having problems; it is all a part of life. Don't hide it, let the people close to you know you are having trouble so they can support you. Support is the most important thing when dealing with depression and you don't have to be alone.
Pua: (about his family) My brothers, they are very out there and very outgoing. We just like to crack people up really, just like to make people laugh. We're a very happy family, we're not very serious, we like to have a lot of fun. It's good, I like that, I guess that brings the joy out in myself, that influence that my family has on me.
Pua: (about his "Shortland Street" character Vinnie) Personality-wise we're a bit similar, very outgoing sort of characters. Even though he is always playing around, he does get serious at times- especially with his work. He is serious about it and wants to do well. Apart from that he likes to have fun, he likes to tease people and dance around and just have fun.