Jai Courtney reckons he's well overdue for a visit to New Zealand.

It's been nearly a decade since the affable Aussie actor last spent time on our shores, starring alongside the likes of Manu Bennett, Craig Parker and Lucy Lawless on Spartacus: Blood and Sand. And although the 32-year-old has gone onto big-budget blockbusters like Suicide Squad, Terminator Genisys and A Good Day to Die Hard, he admits playing Varro on the sexed-up Auckland-shot swords and sandals TV show is still one of his most memorable gigs.

"It was a special experience and I have a lot of great memories from that time. And it's funny – that show still follows me everywhere. I think because of the passion of the audience it is probably the thing I get recognised for the most."

Lisa Maree Williams Australian actor Jai Courtney describes working on the New Zealand-shot Spartacus: Blood and Sand as a "special experience".

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Jai Courtney hangs out on the Storm Boy set with one of his new avian friends.

Barring a couple of "guest spots" on Aussies dramas like Packed to the Rafters and All Saints, Courtney, whose latest movie Storm Boy opens in New Zealand cinemas this week, says Spartacus was "pretty much my first professional gig on screen".

"It just opened my eyes up to a whole new world of entertainment. I made a really good friend in Andy Whitfield who sadly is no longer with us (Whitfield died in September 2011 after a battle with cancer) – we just had a really good time. We all bonded because we were a whole bunch of people who had to push the envelope for a show that was testing audience's opinions at the time. There was a lot of nudity, a lot of violence and a lot of language," he says, laughing at the suggestion that without Spartacus, global TV phenomenon Game of Thrones might never ever existed.

"We all had to show up every day and be up for that – walking around in loincloths with fake tan and baby oil, having all your body hair shaved, hitting the gym twice a day and eating no carbs. It was pretty tough considering we had to endure nine cold months in Auckland."

2015 documentary Be Here Now details Spartacus star Andy Whitfield's battle with cancer.

However, Courtney admits he did seize the opportunity to "take a roadie" with a mate of his down to Queenstown and liked what he saw.

"I haven't found a chance to get back to New Zealand, but now that you've reminded me I reckon I'm probably well overdue."

The son and an electrician and a primary school teacher, Courtney says part of what drew him home to Australia for Storm Boy was his familiarity with the original story and movie. Colin Thiele's 1964 novel about a boy and his pelican has been required reading in schools across the Tasman every since, while Courtney himself has very particular memories about watching the much-loved 1976 cinematic adaptation.

"It was the movie they used to put on on the last day of term when the teachers are kind of checking out. Having said that, I was always into the story and it's always been a part of my world. My mother probably read it to her students a gazillion times and I think she developed quite a love for pelicans in general."

Jai Courtney says he was particularly impressed by his young co-star Finn Little.

Of course, as part of playing Storm Boy's father "Hideaway" Tom Kingley, Courtney had to work quite closely with the large water birds, which he admits could be "quite confronting".

"They're wingspan is huge! However, they are very smart, beautiful, majestic animals. Admittedly, pelicans are a little harder to train than some others that we've seen on film before, but we had some amazing animal handlers on the job. To get a pelican to come back while there was literally a flock out on the water was pretty incredible."

Courtney was also equally impressed by his young co-star Finn Little.

"Finn first came and visited me with his mother while I was performing Macbeth in Melbourne and I immediately knew how bright he was. I could also see why he was someone they were so keen to cast, he does his homework, comes prepared and was just really talented. It's kind of crazy to be honest – when I was 11, I was just thinking about this [acting] as something I wanted to do. By no means did I have the capacity to put things into action the way he has. I was doing stuff on stage and a bit of drama with schoolgroups, but to see Finn in action playing a lead in a feature film that is kind of important, iconic to our culture – to handle that pressure was nothing short of remarkable."

Storm Boy is a reimagining of the much-loved 1976 Australian movie.

For his own part, Courtney says he really relished the opportunity to stretch himself by playing a grieving father and filming on location, rather than in front of a green screen.

"The more experience I get in this business, the more I'm becoming a fan of doing something for real. In some ways they are completely different crafts, although I also think that's part of the beauty of this profession – getting out of your comfort zone and shaking things up a bit."

"But catching a boat out of set every day added to the beauty of making this film. The world was created around us so it wasn't hard to imagine playing this part at all."

Storm Boy (PG) opens in New Zealand cinemas on January 17.