“Smash” viewers continue to abandon the show, and return to their respective favorites. Castle and Hawaii Five-0 numbers are both up from last week but Five-0 lands the win in both the overall viewership, as well as the highly-sought 18-49 demo.
Teri Okita of Hawaii News Now caught behind the scenes interviews with Apolo, Alex and Peter. Peter doesn’t rule out the possibility of Apolo returning as a recurring character, Alex talks of the future of the season, and Apolo talks about the transition from athletics to acting. Catch the video or read the transcript below!
Apolo Ohno skates from athlete to actor on Hawaii Five-0
by Teri Okita
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Sometimes, even good guys go bad! Olympic gold medalist, Apolo Ohno, guest starred the February 20th episode of Hawaii Five-0 – as a thief and murder suspect.
But before the Five-0 team could catch him, he sat down with me to talk about the transition from athlete to actor. He’s the first to tell you, it’s not necessarily a natural transition. Ohno hasn’t decided if he’ll go for Olympic gold again, but he is definitely setting his sights this new career. “A new challenge!” he exclaims. And he knew Five-0 would be a perfect fit.
On one of his breaks from shooting, he told me, “When I heard that they were going to remake Hawaii Five-0, I think I was actually still competing at the time. This was before the last Olympics, and I called my manager, and I said, ‘I love the show. I gotta get on the show!’ and finally, finally, we made it happen.”
Mr. All-American loved playing the bad guy and has been taking lessons to hone his acting skills. “My entire life as an athlete, I spent, essentially creating this invisible shield, this invincibility shield – that I never showed any weakness,” says Ohno, thinking back. “I didn’t show any emotion, other than I was happy or I was never tired. And then, you reverse the role and you try to become an actor, and you show your vulnerability side. You show your weaknesses. You show all of your insecurities. So, it’s a big change of pace, but it’s something that I really enjoy.”
Ohno’s role on the show could be recurring – as producers tinker with various storylines down the road.
“I’m always thinking of whole, the big picture,” explains executive producer, Peter Lenkov. “I’m thinking, like when we started the season, I was thinking about what our end game was going to be.”
And for fans who think they know the endgame, plenty of surprises are still in store. “You can bring up a back story that wasn’t there before or you can do all sorts of things,” says the show’s star, Alex O’Loughlin, who plays Steve McGarrett. “So, we have a lot of freedom with that. We’ve still got a lot of juice left in the Wo Fat stuff and the John McGarrett stuff. You know, we’re far from resolution with that.”
Add to that, the continuing rotation of guest stars – drawn to the allure of both the show and the islands – and the show stays fresh. “I love Hawaii,” says Ohno. “Everytime I come back here, I feel so good. It’s like one of the few places that I feel like I can rest and I’m calm. It’s a really good sense of energy here.”
Next on the guest list: legendary actor James Caan – Scott Caan’s father. He won’t be playing Danny’s dad in the show, but just like Apolo Ohno’s character, it promises to go against typecast and expectations.
HNN reporter Teri Okita had the opportunity to visit the Hawaii Five-0 set and speak with Philadelphia Phillies outfielder, Shane Victorino. The Flyin’ Hawaiian landed a role on the hit show, and his episode airs Monday February 20th.
Maui’s own Shane Victorino has never even taken an acting lesson, but when producers of Hawaii Five-0 came calling, the Philadelphia Phillies all-star stepped up to the plate.
We know Victorino can play centerfield … but can he take center stage? In Monday’s (February 20th) episode of Hawaii Five-0″, Shane plays “Shaun” – an employee who’s on Oahu with co-workers on a team-building exercise. Before his scene …”Hope you’re ready. Gotta make sure I look good with my beautiful hair!” says Victorino as he rubs his head.… it’s hair and make-up. And let’s just say, he was in and out of that chair faster than a stolen base. Then, we were driven up to the set in Kualoa.
I ask him, “What’s more stress? Right now … as you get ready to do your scene … or playing in a World Series?” Victorino says, “I’ll let you answer that. What do you think’s easier?” ”I think this would be cake!” I say. ”I would have to argue and say probably not,” answers Victorino. ”Really?” I’m pretty shocked.
He says,”I mean, hey, it’s something that I’m not used to doing. Obviously, playing in the game, playing in the World Series, I played the game of baseball everyday as a kid. And I just saw it as another game. I didn’t think, ‘Okay, I’m playing in the biggest stage of my career or my life’, but I just looked at it as playing another game. So, that definitely kept my nerves down, but I’m definitely a lot more nervous now. Trust me.”
Well, Hawaii Five-0 star – and lifelong Phillies fan – Daniel Dae Kim doesn’t buy it for a second. “You gotta be kidding me!” exclaims Kim. “50,000 fans, bottom of 9th, 3-2, facing an ace closer? You can’t tell me that that’s not more nerve-wracking than being in our little show! I appreciate what he says. Much respect to Shane, but … he’s wrong!” Kim laughs.
Victorino took a tour of the Five-0 set last year, and executive producer Peter Lenkov liked him so much, he nixed the cameo idea and wrote a small part for him.
“I thought it would be more interesting for him and more of a challenge,” says Lenkov. “You know, he’s Shane Victorino 24/7, so I thought it would be interesting for him to come here and play a character.”
Once we got to the set, number 8 put on his game face. ”Ready, and action!” yelled director Steve Boyum. Shaun (Shane) says, “Well, what’s the problem?” Victorino only had three lines …”This trip ain’t about partying. It’s about team-building. So, let’s go!” shouts Shaun.… but the director thought he hit ‘em out of the ballpark. ”Shane did great. I had high hopes, and he exceeded the high hopes,” says Boyum.
After the two-and-a-half hour shoot, Victorino described his day. “Being here today, I think, just being amongst everybody, was something, again, I’ll never forget. It’s one of those experiences I will always cherish, and I had a lot of fun doing it.”
Naturally, we had to ask if he’d ever toss the glove for the glitter of Tinseltown. “I’m focused on the game of baseball right now, and maybe when it’s all said and done, maybe an acting career, but again, I’m in no rush to look that far ahead.” He may not be ready to trade his red cap for the red carpet just yet, but fans could be seeing more of the Flyin’ Hawaiian for years to come.
Sports fans and islanders alike are looking forward to seeing homeboy Shane Victorino on Hawaii Five on Monday. Don’t miss Shane and Apolo Anton Ohno on the 20th.
We’ll be getting a lesson in Hawaiian history when “Kūpale” airs, with McGarrett’s boyhood mentor, Mamo, appearing as one of the participants in a historic battle reenactment. Think grown men running around in red loincloths. OK, never mind – bad idea. Don’t do that. Think totally rad tattoos.
Honestly, I’m a bit apprehensive about this episode given that there are not one, but two instances of stunt casting in it, with appearances by baseball’s Shane Victorino and Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno. I hope it’s an enjoyable, quality chapter unlike last year’s listless P. Diddy outing, which was memorable primarily for McGarrett’s soulful eyes. OK, fine, that’s what I remember. I have no clue if either Victorino or Ohno can act but I’ve got my fingers crossed, and of course, really, there’s always something to enjoy in each Five-0 adventure.
In an impressive use of social media, the fans of both men seemed to have been instrumental in getting them cast on the CBS show, tweeting their pleas to EP Peter Lenkov over a period of several months. I think that Peter is quite a sports fan, so I’m not sure the same technique will work with getting former co-stars of Alex and Scott’s on the show, but I think we should give it a shot. What do ya say, Moonlight fans? Let’s start a twitter campaign to have Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring on Hawaii Five-0. And maybe a spot for Adrian Grenier and the Entourage crew, while we’re at it.
Photo: Norman Shapiro/CBS
“Kūpale*” – Five-0 investigates the murder of a man dressed as a Hawaiian NaKoa warrior found in the jungle near the site of a historical war reenactment, on HAWAII FIVE-0, Monday, Feb. 20 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder and Hawaii native Shane “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” Victorino guest stars as a business executive on a company retreat. Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time, guest stars as a Hawaiian history buff who helps Five-0 with the case.
None of the three major networks brought in a huge win at the 10 p.m. time slot on Monday, with the audience fairly well distributed between them. Although Hawaii Five-0 brought in the most viewers, NBC’s new show Smash had a very slight edge in the 18-49 demographic.
You know it’s Nielsen sweeps time when TV shows leave you wow’ed week after week. Writer Paul Z delivered a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant (did I say it enough?) episode in “I Helu Pū”, in which we see a twist to the typical procedural by telling the story via two timelines.
Storytelling
This episode was a refreshing departure from the normal Five-0 procedural from start to finish. The opening sequence didn’t feature a group of hapless tourists/adventurers/hikers stumbling upon a dead body, who scream in horror right before the title sequence rolls. We’re left with a stunned and bloody Lori looking in on an emergency room where nurses are rolling in a crash cart for that patient on the bed. Is it Steve?!? Based on the previews for this episode, a lot of us were left wondering if it was Steve who went over the edge of the building. This and other huge misdirects really kept viewers on edge and kept the pace of the story high.
Photo EPR
I loved the telling of the story in two separate timelines, and how they finally meet at the end. While the writers have done something like this before, it was a bigger feat to tell the entire episode as such.
The biggest plus was that I felt like we’ve caught up on an entire season of character development with the dialog between the characters at the onset of the investigation. It felt like season 1 all over again! The “winners” versus “uppers” banter was brilliant, and I loved the friendly romantic advice that Kono was giving to her cousin. Danny made a small mention of Gabby, so we know she’s still in the picture of Danny’s life somewhere, and we see the return of Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, who despite her dispassionate “see you later” hug with Steve earlier in the season, seems to have picked up where she left off.
The acting was spot on. Alex was intense as always, and I’m sure all the Alex fans’ hearts skipped a beat when we went over the edge to save the jumper. Daniel rocked it with the martial arts against the Russian guards. Grace, Masi and Scott delivered as well. I thought Sarah Habel was especially great as the victim’s sister, Amanda Chase.
Plugging the locals
A lot of local businesses as well as a local musician got a mention in this episode. The most prominent feature was ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro who has a song featured on the Hawaii Five-0 soundtrack album. The Makani Kai helicopter tour company got some camera time, and Haleiwa Joe’s had a mention as well.
McGarrett is indestructible
You can shoot him, shiv him, hit him with a car, send him over the edge of a building, but that braddah will take a licking and keep on ticking. He gets plowed by a car going at least 25 miles an hour and all he needs is a filling! I cry and immediately demand a band aid when I get a paper cut. Airplane black boxes need to be be made from his DNA to make them completely indestructible. And when the case is done, there’s still enough McLovin’ for all tha ladeez. I thought he might sneak in a kiss with Lori, but he saved his box of chocolates for Catherine at the hotel…
Skyrockets in flight... (Photo Norman Shapiro, CBS)
Normalcy?
With the resignation of Lori Weston for failing to perform her duties of keeping tabs on the Five-0 team, along with the character development in this episode, and the return of Catherine Rollins, I would put forth that we seem to be returning to how things were like near the end of season 1.
Lauren German and the Lori Weston character had a monumental task at the beginning of the season. The sides and casting call that were released and leaked called for a sexy, savvy female McGarrett. Media outlets hyped up the possibility of Lori becoming a love interest for Steve. Actress Lauren German had to fill the shoes of being the new member of the team in the midst of a team broken up by Steve’s recent arrest, Kono’s IA investigation, Chin’s possible betrayal of the team, and Danny’s personal distractions. So season 2 started with all that resting on Lori’s shoulder’s.
But the fracture of the team extended into the fandom with the coming of Lori. Some fans, for whatever reason, hated the character from the start, citing a litany of unjust judgements against her, with comments about the character’s appearance, accusations of the character “knowing everything”, and the list went on and on and on.
Fair minded fans gave Lori a chance but found either the character lacking in depth or didn’t see the chemistry with the other characters. And there are still many fans who loved Lauren’s portrayal on the show. I myself loved the character, but am disappointed that Lori never seemed to live up to her full potential. Lori had a lot of great moments with the team, but could never shake off the fan drama that followed.
Photo Norman Shapiro, CBS
Fingers of accusation will fly at the writers, the actors, and the fans as to the reason for the drama that evolved around Lori, and I’m not going to start that discussion here. I asked Peter on the Mike Buck show last year (on a podcast posted to the blog) if fan input has any bearing on the direction of the show. He stated that shows are written so far in advance that fan input, while interesting, has little bearing on the show’s course. Some people will be patting themselves on the back for their perception of a job well done for putting pressure on the writers for removing a character they didn’t like, but I’ve always maintained that as fans, we are on a roller coaster, along for the ride. We don’t tell the ride operator to turn right, left, go up, or go down. We go where they want us to go, it’s up to us to enjoy the ride or not. And like roller coasters, some episodes are more memorable and more thrilling than others, but in all I really love the show.
So with sadness, I say “aloha” to Lori Weston, and Lauren German. The thing about the meaning of “aloha” in Hawaiian is that it can mean “love”, “hello”, and “goodbye”. I bid aloha to Lori and Lauren with the hope that we’ll see her again to help the team.
And now, Things We Learned About Hawaii From Hawaii Five-0, Episode 216, “I Helu Pū”
1) The University of the Hawaii Warrior Football team was formerly known as the Rainbow Warriors. The word “Rainbow” and corresponding logo was dropped in 2000, and a more aggressive “H” logo with a corresponding Hawaiian tribal tattoo design was adopted. I think “Rainbow Warriors” didn’t strike enough fear into the hearts of our opponents, who probably thought that the UH team rode magical ponies and sprinkled cheer and aloha to all in the land.
Fabulous!
Aggressive!
Did you notice…?
Local celebrity Kimo Kahoano played Jake Almeda, the governor’s chief of security. His popular song “Aloha Friday” is the “pau hana” [quitting time] anthem at 5 PM every Friday.
Catherine comments about wanting to drink beers at Haleiwa Joe’s, which is a restaurant chain, one in Kaneohe and one in Haleiwa. The Kaneohe location sits above a beautiful garden, and has an incredible Sunday brunch.
Navy SEALs still wear the old camouflage uniform, since the Navy had not agreed on what woodland pattern the SEALs should wear. The rest of the Navy wears the blue digital print, like Catherine.
helps to support the blog, mahalo!