Posted on: Monday, October 11, 2004
TV's hot new cop
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Before he started turning heads on NBC's "Hawaii," Ivan Sergei was perhaps best known as the eternal boyfriend.
Mario Perez And who can forget his role as Tori Spelling's psychotic boyfriend in the memorably titled TV movie "Mother May I Sleep With Danger?"
These days the versatile actor is enjoying life as the intense, outspoken but romantically unattached detective Danny Edwards on "Hawaii."
It's the kind of role Sergei says he been looking forward to for a long time.
"This character allows me to be a man," Sergei says. "I haven't really had that opportunity to do that yet."
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NBC "In movies, I think you become the character more," Sergei says. "In TV, because it's ongoing, I think the character evolves to take on more of your personality.
"Danny Edwards is basically me being me," he says. "I don't know if I'm brash, but I'm high-energy and I have expectations. Edwards expects people to do their jobs, and he says what he wants."
Sergei says the film's surprising success taught him much about the way music, writing, acting and cinematography can come together to elevate a seemingly unspectacular premise.
Over the next decade, Sergei did what every actor hopes to do: He stayed busy.
Moving back and forth between film and TV, comedy and drama, action and romance, Sergei eventually landed on NBC's "Crossing Jordan," where he played the troubled Dr. Peter Winslow.
Mario Perez "I went to the producers (of 'Crossing Jordan') and said that since they weren't using me as much, 'Hawaii' would be a great opportunity for me to do more work," Sergei says. "And they were gracious enough to let me go."
On the show, Sergei teams with Balfour to offer a stylistic counterpoint to Michael Biehn and Sharif Atkins, who play lead detectives Sean Harrison and John Declan. Sergei says their chemistry on camera reflects their friendship off the set.
A self-proclaimed homebody (particularly since his wife of one year, Tanya, still lives in Los Angeles), Sergei says he does venture out from his rented Kahala home occasionally to play poker, shoot hoops or catch movies with Balfour.
Otherwise, Sergei, a pro-football fanatic, is at home watching the NFL Network.
And what positions might Sergei and his fellow cast members occupy on the playing field?
Sergei said he and Balfour would likely be the first two options at wide receiver, with Biehn at quarterback and Atkins at running back.
"Aya Sumika would be the third wide receiver," he says. "The one no one is expecting to do anything but who'll surprise you."
Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, a real-life 300-plus pound lineman in college, would be the fullback because "he takes care of everything."
And Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who plays Capt. Terry Harada?
"He's the coach, of course," Sergei says.
The "Hawaii" production schedule doesn't leave Sergei much time to devote to his various creative passions. He's a skilled photographer, writer and director.
Sergei wrote, produced and directed a 25-minute short titled "Rebellion." He also wrote and directed one of NBC's One-Minute Movies, "Death Do Us Part." He is slated to direct a future episode of "Hawaii."
"That's where I'd like to see my career going," he said.
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2461.
He played Julianna Margulies' straight but freaked-out fiancé in "The Big Day" and the gay-turned-bisexual lover of both Martin Donovan and Christina Ricci in the acclaimed "The Opposite of Sex." He also played "Jill" to Amanda Peet's "Jack" in the short-lived romantic comedy series "Jack and Jill."
Ivan Sergei, left, plays the intense and outspoken Detective Danny Edwards on NBC's "Hawaii." "In movies, I think you become the character more," Sergei says. "In TV, because it's ongoing, I think the character evolves to take on more of your personality.
Though early reviews of the show were brutal — "It's deficient in plot, intriguing characters, points of interest and the merest tiny hint of taste," wrote Tom Shales of the Washington Post — both writers and cast seem to have found their legs, and Sergei and his on-screen cohort Eric Balfour have been singled out for their sometimes comedic, always high-energy performances.
'Hawaii'
Sergei, 32, grew up in Hawthorne, N.J., and moved to Los Angeles shortly after landing a role on the Michelle Pfeiffer film, "Dangerous Minds."
Sergei was under contract for two more seasons with the show when he was offered the role on "Hawaii."
"Danny Edwards is basically me being me. I don't know if I'm brash, but I'm high-energy and I have expectations. Edwards expects people to do their jobs, and he says what he wants," Sergei says of his character.
