Hawai'i embraces role as film-locale imposter
By Matt Sedensky
Associated Press
In the beginning, Hawai'i was Hawai'i. Think Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr on a deserted beach in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," or a surfboard-straddling Elvis Presley in 1961's "Blue Hawaii."
These days, though, this Pacific paradise is used less often for classic island images of breeze-tickled palms and gem-blue waves lapping a pristine beach. Instead, it's posing as a wide range of locales, from Nigeria and the Congo to Brazil and Venezuela.
Since 9-11, Hollywood has increasingly avoided foreign locations perceived as dangerous.
"Every month, people become more reluctant to go to more exotic, less secure places," said Bill Bowling, a veteran Hollywood location manager who has scouted in Hawai'i. "Hawai'i is situated just extremely well right now."
Hawai'i also is more convenient to Hollywood. And for the state itself, playing various roles is good business.
"Hawai'i — for it to be a player in this business — has to represent itself as more than just Hawai'i," said Chris Lee, an 'Iolani School graduate and former studio executive and producer who is now overseeing a new University of Hawai'i program that includes film and digital arts.
For years, moviegoers have seen Hawai'i act as an impostor, from 1958's "South Pacific," in which it posed as an unnamed Pacific island, to 2000's "Jurassic Park III," which cast the state as Costa Rica.
Last year alone, the Islands saw the filming of "Tears of the Sun," the Bruce Willis flick set in Nigeria; "Die Another Day," the James Bond film set off the Korean Peninsula; and "Welcome to the Jungle," the forthcoming movie with the Rock starring as a bounty hunter in Brazil's Amazon. Films generated an estimated $135 million for Hawai'i's economy last year.
The Islands have also played Tahiti ("Six Days/Seven Nights"), New Guinea ("Krippendorf's Tribe") and Venezuela ("Dragonfly"), among other places.
"It's kind of limitless," said Timothy Hillman, another veteran location manager, whose most recent project brought him to Hawai'i for "50 First Kisses," an Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy. "There's jungles where you can pretend you're anywhere in South America and Africa. There's places downtown that can pass for middle America."
To be fair, Hawai'i does continue to play itself, as in last year's "Blue Crush" and "The Big Bounce." But, more and more, productions that might have previously ventured farther from home are ending up in the central Pacific.
For years, the state-run Hawai'i Film Office has been trying to spread the message that Hawai'i offers a window into faraway worlds.
The office has run ads and inserted posters into trade magazines such as the Hollywood Reporter, promoting the Islands with the slogan, "As close as faraway gets." After the Oscars, it ran an ad, with an image from "Tears of the Sun," that read: "We've landed the roles of the Brazilian jungle, the Korean Peninsula and war-torn Africa, not to mention Venezuela, England and Mars. Is there an Award for Best Location Double?"
The efforts, industry leaders say, appear to be working.
"You're seeing Hawai'i being doubled for other locations more than Hawai'i playing itself," said Donne Dawson, manager of the Hawai'i Film Office.
