Paul Walker, who just turned 32, is both a surfing dude and a Hollywood actor who is treading the seas carefully. His latest movie, "Into the Blue," in which he swims with sharks, premieres nationwide today.

"Hollywood is fast-paced, with things changing so fast," he said in a telephone interview. "I gotta tell you, and it's no secret ... with so many people enamored about what they do, they're all caught up in a sea of sharks."

The sharks he was referring to aren't the watery variety he encountered in the Bahamas during filming.

It's that menacing and biting spirit of Hollywood that prodded him to buy a home in Honolulu four years ago. Now Hawai'i is his refuge from the climate in Tinseltown he tries to avoid; here, he can surf, wind down, find solace and spend quality time with his 6-year-old daughter, who attends school here.

Though he was born in Glendale, Calif., and looks like a sun-kissed Californian, Walker has Island roots. He shies away from discussing his personal life, but he attended Punahou School through third grade, which makes him sort of local.

He now commutes to Honolulu at least once a month, when his work schedule permits.

He has his faves for eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. "But I'm always afraid to mention my spots. Because if I do, they won't be my secret," he said.

Honolulu, he said, enables him to live his fishbowl existence without the probing paparazzi. Which means he can blend in with the crowd, though fans have spotted him ordering up a plate lunch at Zippy's, even dressing up a notch to enjoy a steak dinner at Morton's.

"What I love about Honolulu," he said, "is the real nice people. You can get back to real life. They really leave you alone."

Another reason: "The surf here is much better than California's. I can go swimming and diving with my board, even if I get recognized sometimes."

Walker spends time at Pipeline, Kewalo, Kaiser's. Occasionally, he hops on a longboard.

Though he frequents the North Shore, particularly during the winter when waves are huge, he mostly watches. "Those 20- to 30-footers are way too big for me. I can handle a four-footer. But I leave the dangerous surf, anything with 15- to 19-foot faces or bigger, to the pros."

Movies such as "Varsity Blues," "The Fast and the Furious," "Joy Ride" and "2 Fast 2 Furious" made him a hit with audiences.

But those action films are history, as far as he's concerned. "I'm not in denial — those days are behind me," Walker said. "I can't pull them off anymore. (A 'Fast and the Furious 3' is due, but he won't be involved). But I stay active, with surfing, skating, playing volleyball. And I fish a lot, too. That's a great escape for me. I reeled in a 30-pound ono on a recent trip (here)."

"Into the Blue," an underwater suspense story involving sunken treasure, a submerged plane, drug lords and plenty of live sharks, should elevate his star. His younger audiences should find it appealing because there's lots of Walker — shirtless, swimming, showing off a buff body; older movie-goers will discover a nail-biter that includes romance, underwater glory and a demanding physical dexterity that taps Walker's ocean skills.

Walker plays Jared Cole, a sometimes treasure hunter who wants to strike it rich but is handicapped with a leaky boat. A good buddy, Bryce Dunn (played by Scott Caan, son of actor James Caan), visits and entangles Cole in a quest to make fast bucks. Cole has a conscience, Dunn doesn't.

EASTWOOD FAN

Paul Walker has nothing but respect and admiration for Clint Eastwood, who is directing his latest feature, “Flags of Our Fathers,” based on the best-selling James Bradley book.

Walker portrays Hank Hansen, one of six Marines who raised the first American flag on Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945, and was photographed by Lou Lowrey. A second flag-raising, photographed by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press, is the more enduring and famous image of the war.

“Hansen was a Marine sergeant who died (on March 1, 1945) on Iwo Jima,” said Walker.

Like many of his acting peers, Walker grew up on Clint Eastwood and had a certain perception of him as an actor and director.

“But he is not a tough director,” Walker said of the Oscar-winning Hollywood icon. “When you work for Eastwood, you hope you can be everything you can dream to be — it’s hard not to quake at the knees — but he’s very likeable, calm and collected, quite easy going, considering the scope of the movie.

“He wanted to do some of the filming in Hawaiçi, but they didn’t want mortars and explosions blowing up the beaches and the environment,” said Walker about why plans to do some shooting here fizzled.

Walker also has these projects ahead: