NBC pilot 'Hawai'i' hits road in Waikiki

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Victor and Maria Martinez had their first full day in Hawai'i all mapped out: a morning of whale watching, lunch back at the hotel, and the rest of the day shopping at Ala Moana Center.

A camera crew for an NBC pilot titled "Hawai'i" towed a Cadillac Eldorado for a scene being filmed in Waikiki yesterday. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Actors Michael Biehn and Sharif Atkins get ready to film a driving sequence on Kalakaua Avenue for the pilot for the proposed NBC series "Hawai'i." Hundreds of curious onlookers crowded the sidewalk to watch. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"We're walking along (Kalakaua Avenue) and we see all these people standing around," Maria Martinez said. "Next thing we know, this truck flies by, dragging a red convertible."

"Then," Victor Martinez continued, "the car comes back and (the driver is) the guy from 'Aliens' and his passenger is the guy from ... from ... "

" 'ER'!" Maria said. "It was the guy from 'ER'."

Needless to say, the whales went unwatched, the lunch reservations went unclaimed, and Ala Moana had to do with two less shoppers for one day.

"Who would believe, our first day here and we end up on a movie set," Maria Martinez said.

The sentiment was echoed up and down Kalakaua as visitors and locals lined up along Waikiki's main strip to get a glimpse of a carefully choreographed car chase being filmed for the NBC pilot, "Hawai'i."

The drama centers on a diverse group of Honolulu police officers. The cast includes Sharif Atkins ("ER"), Ivan Sergei ("Crossing Jordan"), Eric Balfour ("Six Feet Under") and last-minute addition Michael Biehn ("Aliens," "The Terminator").

Biehn was called in to replace Michael Madsen ("Reservoir Dogs," "Kill Bill"), who left the show last week after the first day of filming because of creative differences.

Yesterday's shoot took about 14 hours, with the initial set up around 4:30 a.m., sequence shots throughout the morning and afternoon, and the dramatic "money shot" — five converging cars and a high speed U-turn captured in one hurried take just as the sun was going down at around 6:40 p.m.

"It's not something that's going to happen every week," said Walea Constantinau, commissioner at the Honolulu Film Office. "But this was everything we hope and strive to achieve. It was so well coordinated and so well executed."

Indeed, with 27 police officers and 21 production assistants on hand to help direct traffic and keep bystanders at a safe distance, the day progressed with very little disruption.

"Compared to H-1 in the morning, this was nothing," said Kapahulu resident Kyle Kamemura. "When I found out what was going on, I pulled over at the zoo and walked over."

Location manager Ginger Peterson said the first filming sequence was completed in an hour and a half along Kalakaua Avenue near Royal Hawaiian Avenue.

"That was pretty miraculous," she said.

By the time Terry Duggan passed by on his way to his volunteer job at the visitor information booth across from Queen's Beach before noon, the crew was filming its third take of Biehn and Atkins' convertible speeding through the turn from Uluniu Avenue onto Kalakaua.

"I sat down at Starbucks and watched," Duggan said.

Most of the initial scenes had a film truck pulling the convertible along, allowing cameras to capture Biehn behind the wheel. The last two shots — a chase sequence with two cars weaving in and out of traffic, and the U-turn sequence — were shot near the intersection of Kalakaua and Kapahulu.

By the time those shots were being set up, the sidewalk crowd had swelled to more than 200 people.

Harold DeMello, a Las Vegas resident originally from Honolulu, was in the area with his family and, apprised of what was happening, volunteered his services as an extra.

"I think they need more locals," he said, laughing. "If they like, I can be the big moke on the beach."

Donovan Wong of Manoa and Aina Wago of Papakolea were hanging out by the beach, watching the proceedings and waxing philosophic about the hardships of the acting life.

"That's a pretty cool job," Wong said.

"Yeah," Wago said. "I could do that — get one free trip to Hawai'i and act like I'm driving."

Loretta Painter of Philadelphia was on her way to the Waikiki Aquarium when she got caught up in the action. She said she's happy that with three pilots being filmed here (the others are the hotel drama "O'ahu" and the deserted island adventure "Lost"), Hawai'i could have a series of its own again. She also was happy to see a couple of familiar faces in Biehn and Atkins.

"The aquarium will still be here tomorrow," she said.

Although yesterday's shoot didn't do much for area businesses — managers from Starbucks and ABC Stores said business was the same as usual — Constantinau said having one or more of the pilots picked up would be huge for Hawai'i economically.

It would certainly create more opportunities for people like Sean Remos, an actor, model and production assistant.

Remos will collect three separate paychecks from "Hawai'i" for his work as a casting assistant, art production assistant and general production assistant for two weeks of filming.

Remos also is involved in "O'ahu," which wrapped up filming at Turtle Bay Resort last week. Remos has a recurring speaking role as a cabana boy.

A couple of the series' actors were on hand at different points during the day to watch the filming, including Balfour who arrived just in time to see the final (and most complicated) sequence.

Balfour said he's looking forward to the series being picked up by NBC, in part because that would allow him to spend more time in Hawai'i.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I'm ready to be a kama'aina."

Asked about the abrupt change from Madsen to Biehn, Balfour said he and the rest of the cast accepted the change with little disruption.

He's looking forward to working with Biehn.

"He brings a real intensity to the whole thing," Balfour said. "And he's also very earnest and trustworthy. He's like a father figure."

Reach Michael Tsai at 535-2461 or at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.