Actor and comedian Tofiga Fepulea'i has had experience on stage and on the small screen, but his role in the Samoan action-comedy film Take Home Pay marks his feature film debut.

Tofiga Fepulea'i, who once made up half of the comedy duo The Laughing Samoans, is well used to the spotlights of stage but there was one thing missing from his acting resume: a feature film.

Until now, that is.

The 50-year-old actor and comedian is making his feature film debut in the upcoming Samoan action-comedy, Take Home Pay.

In the film two brothers, Popo (ex-What Now star Ronnie Taulafo) and Alama (Vito Vito) travel from Samoa to New Zealand in search of better pay picking kiwifruit. But when Popo steals their wages, enter Fepulea'i, aka Bob Titilo, a relative and wannabe private investigator who's ready to track down the money.

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"The whole thing with doing feature film was sticking to the one character," Fepulea'i said.

Between his time as part of Laughing Samoans and his onscreen experience in the skit show Hamu and Tofiga, he's more used to slipping between a variety of different characters.

"Not having a live audience too, was a bit different. When you're cracking a joke you get the laughs, you get the feedback."

SUPPLIED Fepulea'i is used to slipping between characters in skit shows, so sticking to one character - wannabe investigator Bob Titilo - for the film was a bit different.

But on a film set, getting that same laugh means you can't use the take.

While on the Take Home Pay set earlier this year, Fepulea'i's comedic improv muscles needed flexing and every now and then he'd slip in his own jokes.

If one of his unexpected moments made the crew laugh, they'd have to pause filming briefly.

"The whole fun of it was Stallone [Vaiaoga-Ioasa] the poor director, and the crew, they didn't know when I was going to do something and they'd laugh and I'd have to do it again."

Fepulea'i said Take Home Pay was probably one of the first instances of a Samoan action-comedy movie, as director/writer Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa added a touch of Samoan-inspired martial arts.

"I"m not really built for action. I do a little bit but most of the action is done by my on screen cousins," Fepulea'i said.

Sprinkled throughout the film viewers can also find an unexpected cameo or two - including former boxer David Tua and a Hollywood blockbuster actor Fepulea'i was keeping as a surprise.

This coming weekend, Fepulea'i will have a full plate: he'll be performing his stand up show Sorry Bout It in Lower Hutt, before heading to Auckland for Take Home Pay's world premiere on August 25. The next day he'll be back in Wellington for the capital's premiere of the film at the Embassy.

* Take Home Pay will be released to a select few New Zealand and Australian cinemas on September 5.