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5.3.4 Simon O'Connor.
Simon O'Connor (Herbert Rieper) is a veteran New Zealand stage actor who has been performing for over twenty years. He has also appeared on many New Zealand television shows including "The Wreck of General Grant," "Goldie," "Close to Home," "Country GP," and "Jocko". His feature film credits include "Should I Be Good" and "Dangerous Orphans" prior to his work on "Heavenly Creatures". Pauline's father, Herbert Rieper, did not prove so easy to find. Bert Rieper was sixteen years older than Honora, and a slightly built man with a kindly face and a jokey sense of humor. "A lot of the actors that auditioned were simply too tall, too humorless, or physically wrong for the part. I was looking for someone sympathetic who could bring a certain amount of dramatic depth to the role," comments Jackson. Two weeks before the start of production, Peter was starting to panic when Simon O'Connor walked into the studio. Within half an hour, Bert Rieper was cast.
