Jacinta Wawatai: New Zealand Actress from The Tribe and King Kong
Jacinta Wawatai is a New Zealand actress. She is best known as Mouse in the youth drama series The Tribe (1999–2003), as the Feral Child in Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005) and for The Killian Curse (2006). All of her screen work came while she was a child. Her most recent listed credits date from the mid-2000s.
Many people still search for Jacinta Wawatai because of King Kong. In that film she played a young Skull Island native who warns the crew of the ship Venture to leave the island. She is also remembered by fans of The Tribe, the post-apocalyptic series where children and teenagers run a world without adults.
Jacinta Wawatai profile
| Full name | Jacinta Wawatai-Woodhouse |
|---|---|
| Born | August 12, 1992, New Zealand |
| Age | 34 (as of November 2026) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2002–2006 |
| Known for | The Tribe (1999–2003), King Kong (2005), Mee-Shee: The Water Giant (2005), The Killian Curse (2006) |
| Profiles | IMDb |
How did Jacinta Wawatai get started?
Jacinta Wawatai started acting as a child in New Zealand television. In 2002 she played Young Waimarama in Mataku, a New Zealand anthology drama series built around Māori stories of the supernatural.
Around the same time she joined The Tribe, the series created by Raymond Thompson. The show ran for five seasons from 1999 to 2003. Its story follows young people forming rival tribes after a virus wipes out the adult population.
Jacinta Wawatai played Mouse, a small, resourceful young member of the cast. She appeared in more than 100 episodes, including episodes from the fifth and final season in 2003. That season brings the tribes face to face with their future as the series moves from order toward chaos.
What is Jacinta Wawatai best known for?
Jacinta Wawatai is best known for two parts: Mouse in The Tribe and the Feral Child in King Kong (2005). Peter Jackson directed King Kong for Universal Pictures, with cinematography by Andrew Lesnie and editing by Jamie Selkirk.
In King Kong, Jacinta Wawatai plays a native child of Skull Island. In her key scene, she and a Skull Island woman cower in fear as the Venture crew opens fire. Her character also urges the visitors to leave the island. It is a short role, but it comes in one of the most intense stretches of the film.
That same year she played Pawnee in Mee-Shee: The Water Giant (2005), a family adventure about a creature living in a lake. In 2006 she played Elizabeth in The Killian Curse, a spooky New Zealand series for young viewers.
What is Jacinta Wawatai doing now?
Jacinta Wawatai has no new film or television projects listed after her mid-2000s work, as of November 2026. Her listed credits also include Out of the Blue (2006), Robert Sarkies’ drama about the Aramoana tragedy. That makes 2006 the last year of her known screen career.
Selected films and series featuring Jacinta Wawatai
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Out of the Blue | — | Film |
| 2006 | The Killian Curse | Elizabeth | TV series |
| 2005 | King Kong | Feral Child | Film |
| 2005 | Mee-Shee: The Water Giant | Pawnee | Film |
| 2002 | Mataku | Young Waimarama | TV series |
| 1999–2003 | The Tribe | Mouse | TV series |
FAQ
– How old is Jacinta Wawatai?
Jacinta Wawatai was born on August 12, 1992. She is 34 years old (as of November 2026).
– Who did Jacinta Wawatai play in King Kong?
Jacinta Wawatai played the Feral Child in Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005). Her character is a young Skull Island native who tells the Venture crew to leave the island.
– Who did Jacinta Wawatai play in The Tribe?
Jacinta Wawatai played Mouse in The Tribe. She appeared in more than 100 episodes of the series, which ran from 1999 to 2003.
– Where is Jacinta Wawatai from?
Jacinta Wawatai is from New Zealand, where she was born in 1992. Most of her screen work was made there, including Mataku, The Tribe and The Killian Curse.
The header image is an AI-generated illustration, not an actual photo or film still.
