Young actor Beulah Koale is at the top of his game. He was recently in Scotland performing in a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has now made a return to our screens in Shortland Street, as former runaway Jared Afeaki.
He’s also in one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year, The Last Saint, written and directed by fellow Shorty actor Rene Naufahu and recently released nationwide.
With his career forging ahead, the 22-year-old says it is his relationship with partner of 18 months Georgia Otene (18) that is keeping him grounded.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend before, because I was always scared of girls,” the Samoan actor confides, blushing. “But when I first laid eyes on Georgia, I knew that she was ‘the one’.”
However, the course of true love never does run smoothly and the romance nearly didn’t blossom. Beulah and Georgia first set eyes on each other during Auckland’s annual Round the Bays running event in 2013. Jogging next to each other for most of the course, they felt an attraction, but were too shy to talk to one another.
Beulah went home, disappointed that he had left gorgeous Georgia slip away.
But Georgia was determined to meet her soulmate. She already knew Beulah’s name because of his role on Shortland Street and found him through social media site Facebook.
“I didn’t want to talk to him when I first saw him, because I was scared that I would act all star-struck,” Georgia explains, as she recalls her strong feelings. “But I knew right away we had a connection.”
Beulah says he knew when he first laid eyes on Georgia that she was ‘the one’.
Beulah says he’s glad that Georgia made the first move, because since the race, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.
At first, he “freaked out” when he saw her picture flash up on Facebook, but he messaged her immediately anyway. “We started chatting and found that we had so much in common.”
Georgia, who is a former competitive rhythmic gymnast and now coaches the sport, says she and Beulah are inseparable.
“We have an unspoken love. It’s all about feelings,” Georgia says, holding Beulah’s hand. “I like to make him feel loved, both physically and emotionally.”
The instantly smitten pair come from very different parts of Auckland. Georgia is from the middle-class suburbs of the North Shore and Beulah from Otara in South Auckland. They take turns living at each other’s family homes and Beulah says that it’s been a real culture clash.
“I’ve lived in Auckland my whole life, but I’d only been to the North Shore twice before. It’s like going to a different country,” he laughs. “There aren’t many cops around on the North Shore at night time – that feels pretty different!”
His growing fame has taken this shy boy somewhat by surprise. Beulah began acting at high school and is amazed that his relatively raw talent is now being showcased on television, stage and film. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a boy from South Auckland could act as a job. I thought I’d grow up and play rugby. A lot of stuff is happening and I’m trying not to let it go to my head.
“I was brought up to be humble,” he adds. ”People might recognise me when I go out, but at home, my family don’t care who I am.”
Beulah says starring in The Last Saint, his first film, has been his proudest career moment. He was just 17 when he was cast as Minka – a teenager surviving on the streets and trying to save his mother from P addiction.
The low-budget film took five years to finish, with Beulah joking it was made “with lunch money”.
Beulah’s love interest in the film The Last Saint is played by Sophia Huybens.
And the experience united the young star with writer/director Rene Naufahu, who was like a big brother to Beulah. “It was a challenging film to make, especially because I was in every scene – it took a huge emotional toll on me.”
He says being in a loving relationship with Georgia helped him get through the most painful scenes.
“I went to some dark places making this film. My character’s mission is to save his mother from drugs and he has to do some very bad things.
“There were moments when I walked away from the set and I couldn’t shake off these strong feelings. I was an emotional wreck. Georgia played a huge part in keeping me sane because she understood what I needed. I’d come home, have a cry, go to sleep, wake up and she was always there with a smile,” he says.
And for that reason alone, Beulah knows he has found everlasting love.
“When you’ve found someone who loves you more than you love yourself, it’s a pretty awesome feeling.”
