Actors

Stephen Lovatt – Tim

Key questions:

What does your character contribute to the series?
Is the role of Tim a caricature or a real person?
What research did you do for the role?
What would you say to young people about studying drama at school?

Stephen Lovatt says his character Tim, Eve's father in Being Eve, operates on the premise that as long as his kids love him, everything is fine.

"He's a good dad. I don't think he's one of those dads who are overly ambitious for their children. If he hoped for one thing it would be that they were happy.

"Now Eve's at a pretty hard age, but she's got a good head on her shoulders and she'll be fine. Ned's in a transitional phase – he's well intentioned but he lacks direction – perhaps his parents' marriage break-up knocked him around. Caleb's my favourite. He's a great kid. He's easily influenced but loyal and funny. He's smart but not too smart – Tim can keep up with him."

Tim's a plumber. He's a laid-back kind of guy and is known to be a man of few words but with a heart of gold. He's self-employed but only tends to work when he feels like it – which, according to Eve's mum Vivienne (Alison Bruce), isn't often enough. She decided that he wasn't driven – and that's one of the reasons they ended up going their separate ways. Since then, Tim has hooked up with Alannah Lush (Tandi Wright) much to Eve and Viv's disgust.

"Tim just happened on her when looking for a house – she's a real estate agent," explains Lovatt. "She was pretty keen on him. She's fun, bubbly, tidy, probably a little highly strung. She's a whirlwind of activity – she picks his clothes, decorates the house, bosses him round. However, he does still hold a candle with Viv's name on it – although he'd never admit it."

Lovatt has graced New Zealand screens and stages for over a decade.

He has had roles in many of New Zealand's major television productions including Shortland Street, Cover Story, Duggan, Lawless, Marlin Bay, Fallout, Hercules, and Xena.

His extensive theatre experience includes roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Foreskin's Lament, Titus Andronicus and he wowed audiences as Puck alongside Tandi Wright in a recent hit tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He first met his Being Eve co-star Alison Bruce when the pair performed in a play called The Seagull in Wellington.

Stephen Lovatt plays Tim.