While it might be hard to imagine Hunt for the Wilderpeople renegade Ricky Baker tearing up the dancefloor, it’s not unusual for a now-23-year-old Dennison. Painting, writing and spending time with whānau are just some of the things that keep him busy and mindful when he’s not acting.
“I’ve been really lucky to have a job that I enjoy. It is still work, but I find the joy in it,” he says of acting.
He’s starred alongside the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Sir Sam Neill, Minnie Driver, Goldie Hawn and Gerard Butler, and will soon reunite with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown in the romantic comedy Just Picture It.
Off screen though, Dennison is living out his own romantic storyline, planning a wedding with his fiancée, Christian. The pair shared photos of the proposal and party afterwards to social media this September.
“We’ve been engaged for about six months, which has been great. We have a date set, and we’re letting family know and sending out invites,” the usually private Dennison says.
“It’s very exciting, like with any wedding with your friends or family or cousins, to celebrate love.”
It means he treasures his time at home even more than usual. For Dennison (Ngāti Hauā), it’s his family and friends who continue to keep him grounded at home, near Piha beach.
“I think for me, that’s why I haven’t moved overseas to America, because I want to be here. I want to be here with family. That’s an important thing to be close to my parents, close to my siblings, close to my cousins, close to my home and close to my whenua.”
Being in the movie business since his 2013 debut in the Kiwi film Shopping (he was 10), Dennison says he’s been blessed with great mentors and has taken his career “quite seriously” as he’s grown as a young man and an actor.
“I think with a lot of actors who started quite young, they would feel a similar thing. There’s a lot more competition for roles around my age now,” he notes.
He’s had starring roles in Hollywood heavy hitters including Deadpool and Godzilla v Kongbut it was during filming of the Dunedin-set Uproar in 2023 that Dennison credits with helping him realise the full power of storytelling.
“That was telling an important story, and a story that my parents and my grandparents were a part of,” he says, referring to the film centring around heightened political tensions in the 1980s around the Springbok Tour.
Reflecting on his early roles, Dennison says he honestly didn’t think he’d ever be in the position he’s in today.
“I was young, and I was enjoying what I was doing. I was having fun and getting time off school – I never saw it as work. I’m so blessed to be in this position that I am in.”
He hopes other aspiring creatives, be it DJs, actors or painters, strive not to lose sight of the reason they wanted to get into the craft in the first place.
“I think for me it was understanding my ‘why’, like why you’re doing something. The reason I’m an actor is because I want to express myself creatively, and that might look different to everyone.”
And for those heading to Rhythm and Vines, expect Dennison’s high-energy set to well-and-truly bring the noise – Ricky Baker is ready to up the BPM (beats per minute).
“I thought I’d play something different this time and play a little bit more higher BPM music, a little bit more drum and bass,” he teases.
Rhythm & Vines, starts December 29 at Waiohika Estate, Gisborne. Visit rhythmandvines.co.nz for tickets.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.
