The Samoan actor who moved audiences with his portrayal of the main character in the Samoan language movie, “The Orator – O le Tulafale,” has died after a short illness.
Tributes in local media and on social media started flowing in as news of the 40 year-old Fa’afiaula Sagote’s passing broke with many remembering his powerful performance on the hit film which made him an instant star.
“The Orator,” funded by the NZ Film Commission, was written and directed by Wellington-based Samoan writer director, Tusi Tamasese, and was the first ever Samoan feature film filmed entirely in the Samoan language.
Those who worked with Sagote remember a humble taro farmer living in a village, on the island of Savaii, who had heard about calls for little people to audition for a new movie – but was too scared to call.
Veteran NZ film producer Catherine Fitzgerald, who produced “The Orator,” said she was shocked and saddened at news of Sagote’s death.
“Fiaula was just a pleasure to work with – someone with grace, intelligence and tenacity affected us all.”
“We are thinking of his (aiga) at this time. He was so loved by so many.”
“The Orator” would be the only film Sagote, who hails from Salelologa and Sasina villages, would act in.
“Everything Saili goes through in the film, Fiaula said he had gone through. He understood because he too had experienced people talking down to him or ridiculing him.
“And that personal experience opened up people’s eyes to what it was like to be a little person.”
That sole performance on the big screen, earned him a coveted nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in the 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Tamasese said the money Sagote earned from the film was used to help his family in Samoa. Because he could not drive, he bought a taxi for his brother so he could work.
“Sometimes people would mistake him for another dwarf, (Toetu) who appeared on local TV ads. I asked him: ‘Why do you still wave to them when it’s not you’? He said he waved because he didn’t want them to feel bad’.”
