Real cops impressed by reel cops as Isle-based series begins filming
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
KAILUA — Even with a body in the brush and a car in the marsh, cast and crew of the new NBC cop drama "Hawaii" have to be encouraged by their first day of production.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
The series, which will be shot entirely in Hawai'i, got off to an auspicious start yesterday with an early-morning blessing by kahu Franklin Pao and the news that two of its crew had been nominated for Emmy awards.
With cast and crew gathered, kahu Franklin Pao performed a blessing before shooting on the TV series "Hawaii" began yesterday in Kailua.
Producer Jay Benson's "Traffic: The Miniseries" was nominated for Outstanding Miniseries. Art director Jeremy Cassells was part of a team nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series for HBO's "Carnivale."
The "Hawaii" production team set up a base camp at Kawai Nui Park for yesterday's work on the first episode, "Cops and Robbers."
The first scene had principal actors Michael Biehn and Sharif Atkins responding to the discovery of a body in some tall grass at the edge of the park. The second scene involved a car being dragged from the marsh.
Despite some first-day jitters, cast and crew seemed relaxed as the morning progressed under an increasingly intense sun.
Cast members Aya Sumika, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Eric Balfour weren't involved in the scenes shot yesterday, but they did show up for the blessing. Balfour lingered through the morning, at one point doing push-ups and crunches on the grass outside his trailer.
"I'm impressed," said
Honolulu police Lt. Kevin Katamoto, one of two technical advisers contracted by the show to help ensure that the police tactics, dialogue and protocols portrayed in the show look realistic. "They've all been really good to work with. They're really down-to-earth."
For an added level of credibility, the show is using off-duty HPD officers as extras. Yesterday officers Ben Lloyd, Chris Kim and Ryan Ujimori took part in the first shot.
Katamoto said about 200 police officers responded to a casting call coordinated through the department.
"They all want to be movie stars," Katamoto said.
Lloyd, who once appeared on "Baywatch Hawaii," called the atmosphere at yesterday's production "fun and free."
All of the main actors in the ensemble show have received gun training through HPD.
Katamoto said Biehn, who starred in "The Terminator" and "Aliens," looks the most natural handling weapons, while Atkins and Balfour have been diligent in honing their skills.
"Aya never handled guns before, but she's been doing her 100 draws and getting better," he said. "She's really dedicated."
The show will be filming at least 12 episodes in the coming months, and nine more if it gets picked up by the network.
Filming resumes today at the W Honolulu-Diamond Head hotel by Kapi'olani Park.
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2461.
