Tukuafus are turning Hollywood

By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer

Andrea Gomez Tukuafu won't make Saturday's Rainbow Wahine alumnae volleyball exhibition. She's moving off the rock that day to be with her "Rock".

Former University of Hawai'i mens volleyball player Torry Tukuafu, Andrea's husband, moved to Los Angeles Oct. 22. He has been working as stand-in for The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in the Universal movie originally titled "Helldorado." Torry began the work two months ago, while it was shooting on O'ahu.

Andrea hopes to work as an extra on the film, expected to be released next summer. "They need village people," she says, "and I fit that look of what they want. It'll be fun."

Andrea went to the final four with the Rainbow Wahine in 2000, after transferring from Brigham Young-Hawai'i to be closer to her husband. She has been working as a vocalist with Na Hoku Hanohano winner Daniel Ho since graduating last year. She also did some modeling this summer, along with working two other part-time jobs.

Torry, who went to Kahuku High School before moving to Utah, transferred to UH to be closer to Andrea after his freshman year at Brigham Young-Provo. He played here from 1999-2001 and had been playing professionally on the beach all summer.

He heard about the movie opportunity on the radio and pursued it. Now, Andrea says he's pursuing it much more seriously.

Torry is considered part of the camera crew and usually waits next to the director, but last week he stood in for stunt double Tanoai Reed (a former University of Hawai'i football player) and was kicked by an actor on a 40-foot fall. It is not the only contact he has acquired.

"From this movie Torry got a lot of good contacts," Andrea says. "He's enjoyed it. He was always interested in film-making. He was going to change his major at UH, but he'd been in school too long. He's very creative. This is something he's looking at not so much for an acting career, but behind the scenes."