Meeting Manu Bennett: The Utah connection and culture

November 29, -0001, 11:00 pm

By James Crandall

An amazing encounter you can have at a Comic Con event is meeting celebrities. Generally most news outlets report on the explosive energy at the time. With another successful Salt Lake Comic Con past and another upcoming Fan Xperience on March 24th through the 26th, the masses and stars will come to the Salt Palace. Early in the conceptual time of the Con in 2012-13, Dan Farr met a powerhouse actor, friend, and cultural icon, Manu Bennet, a Maori from Australia and New Zealand. He has spanned a good acting career with very popular roles: Mark Anthony in Xena, Warrior Princess; Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, in the CW series Arrow; Crixus in the Spartacus series; and the brutal orc Azog from the Hobbit movies. Bennett also stars in the most recent works of author Terry Brooks: the Shannara Chronicles as Allanon, a druid who plays an important role helping young adventurerers to save the world from a great evil bent on the destruction of all peaceful races, as seen on MTV.
It's what Manu takes part in off-screen that makes him more of a profound impact on fans and those of many cultures and beliefs, a man who warrants great respect from the media. He took time to meet with the CRJ. We had a humbling meeting at the Salt Lake Comic. During his visits to Utah, Manu has toured the state and took time to meet with members of the Ute Indian tribe. In Salt Lake City many Polynesians visit Bennett and share the pride of island culture. It is well-received and shared with convention patrons. In the panel he has participated in he taught the Hongi, a greeting used by the Maori where you touch noses and foreheads together and share the breath of life as you breath in after contact. In other events he has shared the Haka, an ancient Maori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as when groups came together in times of peace. He stated on a Facebook post : "I love this city (Salt Lake) - maybe it's the collective consciousness of morals & family values led by the LDS faith". This was Manu Bennett's third time to the growing convention.

The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2025 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Meeting Manu Bennett: The Utah connection and culture

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