Biography
Date of Birth
10 December 1988, Auckland, New Zealand
Birth Name
Frances Rose McIver
Height
5' 3¾" (1.62 m)
Mini Biography
Rose McIver is an actress from New Zealand. She is the daughter of John George Whitfield "Mac" McIver and Ann "Annie" Coney. Her father is a professional photographer, while her mother is an artist. Rose has an older brother, musician Paul McIver.
When only 2-years-old, McIver started appearing in commercials. She made her film actress debut in the film "The Piano" (1993), where she was playing an angel. As a child actress, McIver mainly received roles in fantasy television series. She had roles in the television films "Hercules and the Amazon Women" (1994), "Hercules in the Underworld" (1994), "Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur" (1994), the television series "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (1995 - 1999), and the spin-off series "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995 - 2001).
McIver received her first lead roles in television with the post-apocalyptic series "Maddigan's Quest" (2006) and the comedy-drama series "Rude Awakenings" (2007). Both were short-lived. She gained more attention for her role as Summer Landsdown (the Yellow Ranger) in "Power Rangers RPM" (2009). She appeared in all 32 episodes of the series.
McIver had a supporting role in the supernatural drama film "The Lovely Bones" (2009) , as the character Lindsey Salmon. Lindsey is the younger sister of lead character Susie Salmon (played by Saoirse Ronan), and helps investigate the murder of her sister.
McIver had a main cast role in the comedy series "Super City" (2011), and a recurring role in period series "Masters of Sex" (2013-2016). In 2013, she joined the cast of fantasy series "Once Upon a Time" (2011-), where she plays Tinker Bell.
McIver plays the lead character Olivia "Liv" Moore in the comedy-drama series, "iZombie" (2015-). Olivia works coroner's assistant and tries to control the urges of her transformation into a zombie.
Trivia
Attended the University of Auckland and majored in psychology and linguistics (2009).
Her father, Mac, is a photographer, and her mother, Annie, is an artist. She has an older brother, Paul McIver, who is a musician and former actor.
Sister-in-law of Philippa Moyle.
Of Clan MacIver.
Her boyfriend is actress Rose Byrne's brother, George Byrne (January 2020).
Quotes
I always think about the settlers who moved to New Zealand in the 1800s. They hadn't even been to the place before. They just packed their bags and shipped over knowing they'd never see their family again or be able to speak to them - they'd maybe get a letter if they were lucky.
Writing is definitely something that interests me a lot.
Allison Janney, I'm such a big fan of. Especially the way she conducts herself on a personal level, it's so beautiful. She's this fun, gracious person.
I also have a role model back in New Zealand, a woman called Miranda Harcourt. She's an actress and a writer. Her willingness to stay open to material is really great. I read a lot, and I try to watch and listen to diverse material.
Being given a terrible piece of information shouldn't ruin the interactions you have with the people around you or mean that you can't become something, even if it's not the idea of what you thought you were going to be.
I do think of myself very strongly as a New Zealander, but when I moved out to the States, I was aware that I didn't want to just live in a satellite community of only other New Zealanders.
I bring ideas to set, and I'm more than willing for those to be affected and be malleable based on what the other person gives me. I don't know what another actor is going to give me, on the day, and I don't want to be so hard and fast in my technique that I'm not open to what's coming.
I had to do a Northern England accent once, and I didn't have much time, so I went and pored through YouTube. There are all sorts of resources out there. The Internet has made that much more affordable. Don't break your neck to spend your money.
I don't really have a drive toward being a director at all. Not that I wouldn't rule it out, but I just don't think my instincts lie necessarily in a very visual way. But I am very interested in storytelling, narrative and character development, so writing is something that I absolutely want to do.
I love having the laid-back, easy-going, family-priority nature of New Zealand, but I'm certainly enjoying the States in terms of the career opportunities and the enthusiasm I get to find work.
Tinker Bell is a great wing woman. And as somebody pointed out to me, she is also a winged woman.
The best way to study to be an actor is to interact genuinely with the people around you and observe and listen.
Tinker Bell needs a Tinker Bell. She needs someone plotting for her. I certainly think that it's something she wants.
There's no use beating yourself up about what you can't change.
My school of thought with going into a character is that you have to understand where they come from, and you have to empathize with them.
My mom used cold cream her whole life, and she's got great skin!
Since I was growing up in New Zealand where there's a hole in the ozone layer above us, we get so much sun damage to our skin, and the thing we can do to look after ourselves is use sunscreen during the day, but making sure your skin is well hydrated while you sleep.
I've been very lucky with my career and don't feel like I'm being typecast in the same role over and over again.
I don't ever want to feel like my whole life is laid out before me and I know exactly what's gonna happen. That would be so boring.
I'll use mascara because I need a little help with my blonde eyelashes. I like They're Real! by Benefit.
I think if I manage to juggle a personal life that I'm really happy with as well, as long as I manage to maintain balance, that's kind of the mark of success to me.
I really like questions. I like people who write scripts because they're asking questions, not because they're giving answers. It's something that I look for.
I work with a stylist called Devon Nuszer and a makeup artist called Aaron Barry, and between those two, I trust them implicitly. I have the things I do over and over again and that I feel safe with, but they inspire me to take risks, and I trust them so much.
I'm really fortunate that I am in continuous work and I love what I do. And I think that there's a reason that it keeps happening. So while that keeps happening, I will be thrilled - and feel lucky - to keep doing it.
I've done a lot of drama, and as a lifestyle, going to work and laughing every day is just great. It's great for your mental health, and it's great for setting up a nice year.
The reason I feel like I act is because you get to live a million different lives in one. I don't have to go about my life, just being easy-going New Zealander Rose. Sometimes I can inhabit a feisty, vicious character. Sometimes I can inhabit a painfully shy British girl, or whatever it might be.
There are many projects that I would have loved to be a part of, but I was not high-profile enough, or I had the wrong look. That's just something you have to expect.
Say a piece of pottery is broken, and it's fixed, and they use gold in the adhesive and in the sealant. It becomes more precious than it was before it was broken in the first place.
The great thing about being an actor in a film is that you're able to start knowing exactly where you're going to finish and really paint something in between. You can work to know the arc you need to build. Whereas in television, it is open-ended, and you're constantly guessing. There are pros and cons to both.
There is humor in the darkest of moments - People who I have loved and passed away, and very high stake situations where you can't help but laugh. I think that's very human.
My brother was scouted for a commercial when he was three, and it was just because he could speak clearly and was well behaved, basically. I don't think he had any amazing acting ability at that age - although he is actually a great actor.
My most vivid memory - it's actually one of my first memories - I was three, and I was the youngest angel in the show production. And I remember being absolutely desperate for the toilet. I needed to wee really badly. So I was crossing my legs when I was walking down.
Really, I'm never much of a goal-setter. Whenever I've tried to make big, solid plans, they don't happen. I'm more into whatever the circumstances are that present themselves, making wise decisions around that.
If you're small and can speak clearly and you're a cute kid, that's the craft, really. The whole child actor thing can be dangerous sometimes. Other kids were taking piano lessons; I did ballet and acting.
My motivation is to get a deeper understanding and exploration of something that I want to know about the human condition. So, that's what I look for in the material I read: if it's asking a genuine question about a concept of the world that interests me. And also, it helps if it's a context that I find interesting.
What I love about my work is the variety and not knowing what's coming next, and being able to embrace something for a period of time and know something new is going to follow.
We can get carried away with our heads in books, and although there's so much to be learned from that, I think sitting in a café and speaking with someone - whatever it is, their mannerisms, their choices, are just as valuable as any class you can go to.
When I was about five, I could do a vaguely decent American accent - straight through kind of decent - and 'Hercules' needed some kids. I definitely wasn't a good actor.
When I look at jobs, one of the most relevant questions I ask is, 'Is this something I've done before, or is it a chance to experience a new context, tone and relationship?' I also ask if it's a story worth telling and a character with a reason to exist... someone who reflects the human condition.
When you overcome a profound loss, or there's some catalyst in your life that shifts everything, if you're able to take it in stride and heal, it can make for much more three-dimensional and empathetic people.
