Conan O’Brien’s Shortland Street cameo: US TV star the ‘perfect foil’ for Dr Chris Warner
- The episode will air at 7pm on December 12 on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
A new doctor will grace the hallowed halls of Ferndale’s Shortland Street Hospital on December 12, this time in the form of Emmy-award-winning comedian and talk show host Conan O’Brien.
The comedy legend, famous for his Late Night and Tonight Show hosting roles, described the experience of playing a “successful surgeon” on the popular soap as “a blast”.
“Now comes the hard part – convincing my parents it was a documentary,” he shared in an exclusive statement to the Herald.
Not much is known about the character O’Brien plays, but we do know he’s called Dr Aiden Archer and is described by producer Oliver Driver as a great character to bounce off Shorty stalwart Dr Chris Warner (played by Michael Galvin).
“Conan was a joy to have on the show,” Driver said, adding that the cast and crew would host the superstar again “in a heartbeat”.
“His interactions with the cast and crew were warm and generous and the character he created for us was the perfect foil for Chris Warner”
Galvin, who plays Dr Chris Warner, described the experience of acting alongside O’Brien as a “real buzz”.
“He was brilliant to work with- very focussed and funny – but probably the part I enjoyed the most was just chatting with him between takes,” the Shorty Street favourite said.
“He’s done so much amazing stuff and is so interesting but also really friendly – he makes a point of putting you at ease. Definitely a contender for my favourite Shorty moment.”