We have more exclusive behind the scenes pictures from Undercover Special Agent Juliette! On August 23rd our trusty emissary was able to watch Alex O’Loughlin (as Steve McGarrett) filming Hawaii Five-0 episode 3.05 in Honolulu. And thanks to her, we get an up-close peek at the new wardrobe choice. Mahalo, Juliette; we hope you had a great time!
More behind the scenes photos and everything else Hawaii Five-0, can be found on our Facebook page!
More of Michelle Borth’s Q&A from last weeks tweetup!
Are we going to see a back story of how Steve and Cat got together this season? (@WendieJoy)
Good question! I don’t know…
Do you have back story that you created for that? (@WendieJoy)
I have lots of different stories for that, but what I’ve learned is that I try not to get stuck into one because the writers will write something outside of my idea…I’d say that I had a mother, but they’ll say, “Oh no, your mother died five years ago”. So you don’t get stuck into one back story that you created, and you have to be flexible for TV, because they’re constantly rewriting you. You kind of have to go where the writers guide you. Sometimes you’re on the same page and often times, you’re not.
Michelle Borth in "Combat Hospital" (ABC)
Can you tell us a little bit about the difference between your characters in “Combat Hospital” and “Hawaii Five-0″, and the preparation for the two? (@WendieJoy)
It’s completely different, like apples and oranges. In “Combat Hospital”, I put a lot of hard work and my heart and soul into that because it was my first swing at bat with my own show. So that was weeks and weeks of preparation, sitting with the writers, and really being on the same page…making [Major Rebecca Gordon] vulnerable but not too girly, but still making her feminine. Not really like Catherine who’s a little more tough, but making her have thin skin where she’s sensitive, but still be tough when she’s there in the operating room.
To be honest, my story [in Hawaii Five-0] is never going to be as important or developed as that. This is more McGarrett’s story, more Danno’s story, it’s the four. So for me, I’m happy to come on board and join on it. Where I’m going to go and where they’re going to take me with the four I could not tell you right now. I only hope it turns into something much bigger.
Have they ever asked you for feedback or what you want to see in your character? (@WendieJoy)
Peter is fantastic like that. We sat down and talked about doing this. I was actually a little hesitant because I kind of considered Catherine similar to a long distance relationship. The audience loves her because they never see her, and when they do it’s like a honeymoon. I didn’t want to ruin that by having her around all the time. But the way that we’re doing it and the way that we’re going about it is really smart so we’re not going to shove her down your throat. She’s gonna be around but not gonna be around all the time…it’s not gonna be lovey-dovey between them all the time. The integrity of the show will still be what it is, which is a cop procedural, but it will have a little bit more of character development, with me coming in.
How much freedom do you have with ad-libbing and expression? (@RobChiong)
I’ve been on certain sets where anything goes and you can kind of make it up as you go, and I’ve been on other sets where I’ve had to sign releases where I have to go word for word. I’d say this is down the middle…they enjoy our creativity and input, but they also would like it by the book. So we’ll do a shot where it’s word for word, and then they’ll say to do a shot that feels more natural to you. Alex is really good at that, doing one for the team, then doing one for himself.
Do you watch the final product when it’s done? (@RobChiong)
I actually do. I know a lot of actors don’t watch their stuff cause it makes them puke, but I don’t feel that way! I like to watch them, and I enjoy it, and I watch them on purpose to catch myself doing habits. I like to correct myself…I’m my own worst critic.
Did you audition or were you offered this part? (@LisaLisa98)
Good question!
I knew it was going to be a big night, so I had to be ready. I drove down to Celebrity Tuxedos, and picked out the nicest double breasted one, making sure I got the $49 Weekday Rental Special. Then stopped by Longs Drugs to pick up the nicest plumeria corsage that $1.99 can buy. Popped in my mixtape with Glenn Medeiros (“Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You”) in the player to get in the mood, and made the drive over to Big City Diner. It was a big night, because I was going to meet Hawaii Five-0 star Michelle Borth.
Well, me and fifty other fans.
The talented and gorgeous Michelle Borth generously spent time at a fan organized tweetup at Big City Diner in Pearlridge last Thursday. Amy Bakari of @TeamH50 and @LisaLisa98 of @H50Hana rallied up local fans to meet and greet Michelle Borth, whose credits include “Tell Me You Love Me”, “Combat Hospital”, and currently “Hawaii Five-0″.
Michelle arrived early in the evening, with local Hawaii Five-0 publicist Erika Kauffman and was immediately greeted with warm aloha from the fans. She spent a few minutes with everyone there, taking photos and talking to the fans. @LisaLisa98 presented Michelle with a cake that she made, depicting the memorable bedroom scene from season one- which Michelle loved. I suppose that could have very well been a “Tell Me You Love Me Cake (rated Pg-13)” but since this was a Hawaii Five-0 party, I’m pretty sure that was Cat and Steve depicted in the bed.
The gracious Dennis Chun also stopped by to meet and greet fans as well (more on Dennis in an upcoming post).
After meeting everyone present, Michelle took a seat and fielded questions from the fans for a very informal “talk story” session. Over the next few days, I’ll be transcribing the conversation, so enjoy!
What was the most challenging role that you’ve had so far?
The most challenging role…if any of you have seen it before, was way back in 2007, a show called “Tell Me You Love Me”. For those of you who haven’t seen it, you’re going to get a shock when you look it up. It dealt with stuff of a… graphic nature. As an actress and as a young one and a green one, it was difficult to overcome. But I’m so grateful because it was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had on the set, and the most creative and liberating one. My hardest role was one of my favorite ones, and that was playing Jaime on “Tell Me You Love Me”.
Do you deliberately mess love scenes up so that you can do it over again with Alex?
The lack of TicTacs on the set made this scene work.
[Laughs] Unfortunately, no. We’re so time crunched shooting in a day. Alex and I [had to] make things not so serious, because we had just met each other, and we were half naked…it was awkward! When you first meet someone, it’s like “Hi, I’m Michelle”, “Hi, I’m Alex” …and then “Let’s make out”. It’s really like that! It’s no secret, we meet and then we had to make out. He ate a tuna fish sandwich, and I smoked a cigarette, because I hate tuna and he hates the smell of smoke. So it was an awesome combination when we then made out, ’cause it had made everything funny and very light and we could do it over and over again, and it wasn’t weird, or awkward, at all! I’m sorry it’s always weird and awkward, but we have a lot of fun doing it. We genuinely do have that connection that people see that Alex and I we really do work like that , we get along really well, we have a kindred spirit. I’m grateful for that, and I think it shows when we work together.
So that’s your favorite scene then?
Oh God, yes! Coming up we have a lot more, but I really haven’t done that much. I think I’ve only done six episodes. The scenes where I work with Alex are my favorite because he’s a really funny Australian man, and it’s much more fun than the scenes where I’m by myself. That racy one? That was probably the most fun ’cause they let us ad-lib…the scene where the phone is vibrating? That was all ad-lib. It was a little more sexual than I thought it was going to be. But it’s all fun cause we work on the fly.
Tell us about shooting that scene on the beach, with the sunset. (@WendieJoy)
Oh by the way, that scene on the beach started at 4 AM. It was not sunset, it was sunrise, it was freezing. Oh my God it was so early, we had to get it right when the sun’s touching the ocean, the steaks had to be on the grill, and everything had to be just right. And every plane that was flying to Hawaii was flying into the island at that moment. It was one of those things where it was “rush, rush, rush, hurry up, shoot!” because you have a window of only ten minutes to get it all in. It looks super romantic and glamorous when you see it, but it wasn’t at the time…it wasn’t as romantic as you think.
Can you guys tell when we shoot a sunset and it’s not a sunset? [The fans chimed in that they could] Interesting…
That’s good to know. I’m gonna tell them that! It’s not worth the 4 AM call!
You play a lieutenant on screen. How do you prep for that? (@NeilYamamoto)
Thankfully the way that the show aligned for me, I was shooting another show called “Combat Hospital” where I played a major in the Canadian army, so I had a one on one crash course about being in the military. And what we also do on Five-0 is have military experts. We have a couple of ex-Navy SEALS on set. We try, but we’ve been told there are certain things that are not so accurate, but we do make a valiant effort in trying. So to answer your question, we just have a conversation with someone who actually was a navy SEAL, about certain protocols and procedures about how you would speak to someone higher, or lower…everything from how you would wear your uniform properly to how I would wear my hair, because it’s really specific.
I think both you and Alex pull it off very well. (@NeilYamamoto)
Thank you very much, we do want to pay homage and respect. It means a lot to us when we get it right, and when we do get it wrong, tell us, because I want to be as respectful as possible and I do want to get it right.
So along those lines what skill set does LT Rollins bring to the show? (Officer 808)
Her badass-ness!
[I have to pause right here to let you know that my inner voice man-squeed when she said that.]
Well, she has the background of intelligence, so when it comes to digging up information, or getting some undercover scoop other than means that McGarrett can use, that’s where I come into play, ’cause I have all the fancy ways of getting information. So I can help him out with my spy intelligence.
So, basically she’s good at google searches? (Officer 808)
I can google really well! She does bring a certain spy intelligence that he doesn’t have access to. I think also you’re going to see a physical side of her. You’ve never really seen her in combat or in action, there’s going to be another badass side of her that you’re going to see. So you’ll see she’s tough in action. You’re going to see a side of her you haven’t seen yet, that is kind of comparable to a female McGarrett, which is why you can kind of see why they’re together, that they’re similar.
Are we going to see their back story, about how they got together, this season…? (@WendieJoy)
Last year Hawaii Five-0 fans had a chance to meet the new cast members at the show’s season premiere at Sunset On the Beach in Honolulu. Since CBS has not announced that there will be a similar event for Season 3, local fans took matters into their own hands and invited the newest addition to a “tweet-up.” Michelle Borth has previously guest-starred as fan favorite Catherine Rollins, Steve McGarrett’s (Alex O’Loughlin) go-to Navy contact, and occasional lover. This new season sees her addition as a series regular. Fan groups H50hana and TeamH50, linked up with blogger Wendie Burbridge and put together an intimate event at Big City Diner. Besides the attendance of Ms. Borth, the high point of the evening may have been the depiction of the famous McGarrett-Catherine bed scene, custom made by Ninja/Hopper Cakes.
We hope you enjoy the photos, and don’t forget to check back for Officer 808’s upcoming blog on the event!
In this short clip from the recent TCAs, an unusually pensive Alex O’Loughlin discusses the legendary Marilyn Monroe. Thanks to Mizzoh at Alex O’Loughin Rocks for the find!
Many thanks to @Kowagari for his permission to post the photos he snapped during the filming of Hawaii Five-0 on Thursday, July 26th. Happily for Danno fans, they include some oh-so-hot pictures of Scott Caan.
See Behind the Scenes pics and more on our Facebook page!
Please allow me just a quick fangirl moment; Holy cow, Ed Asner tweeted me. For the second time. OK, shake it off girl, and get back to the business at hand.
You may recall the recent TV Guide item reporting that Ed Asner would be returning to Hawaii Five-0 for Season 3. This was fortified when Mr. Asner tweeted that he would soon be returning to the islands. Last week, Five-0 staff writer Joe Halpin arrived in Honolulu, and as I mentioned in a recent update, that means he wrote the episode that is currently being filmed. I asked Joe who was in the director’s chair, and he said that it was his good friend Fred Toye. Looking at Fred’s recent resume, I saw that he directed last season’s “Kālele,” which you may remember as the “August March” episode, and Joe penned that script as well. See where I’m going with this? Hoping for confirmation that this is the highly anticipated return of August March, I tweeted the television legend to see if I could get more information.
Is anyone else happy about this news?
When we last saw August March, we discovered that he wasn’t a contrite, rehabilitated criminal who’d paid his debt to society, but instead, a cold blooded killer who was still very much in the game. We know that McGarrett usually gets his man, and we certainly don’t want a murderer to get away with his crime, but darn, who wants to see Ed Asner arrested, or worse, killed? Ohhhhhh, Mr. Grant!
Last Friday, Hawaii Five-0 producer Peter Lenkov (@PLenkov) tweeted a photo of a surfboard along with the words, “Are those bullet holes in the surfboard? “ Now, we have some pictures taken on set of Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) with the same surfboard. I guess Friday the 13th turned out to be a very lucky day for fans. Thanks to Hawaii-five-o-fans.com for the find. We also see Peter in the background, sporting a big smile. It’s great to see a guy who enjoys his job.
Although we still haven’t received word from CBS as to whether or not there will be a Sunset On the Beach premiere for Hawaii Five-0 this year, we have gleaned a few tidbits of other information in week 1 of production. According to Tannya Joaquin’s (Hawaii News Now) Facebook page, the first episode of the year will have our Five-0 team facing a “one-two punch” of bad guys. Although they have different beefs with our heroes, villains Wo Fat, (Iron Chef Chairman Mark Dacascos) and Frank Delano (William Baldwin) are on hand to open the season, along with Delano’s current mayhem-master, “Toothpick” (Karl Herlinger).
For the fans who have been lobbying Hawaii Five-0 executive producer Peter Lenkov to write McGarrett’s sister “Mary” into another episode, it looks like that just may be a possibility. Taryn Manning (@TarynManning) was asked by a fan as to what her upcoming plans were in September, to which the actress responded by tweeting, “Hawaii!!” Although Taryn didn’t specifically say that the trip to the islands was for the show, it certainly makes sense that Mary would be returning now that it’s been revealed that her mother is still alive, so keep your fingers crossed…
Thanks to a photo tweeted by Peter Lenkov, we know that the resurrected Doris McGarrett returns to Hawaii in episode 301. The photo of a plane with the passenger stairs down was accompanied by the tweet, “Momma McG has returned home… ” We do love it when Peter is in Hawaii because he’s so generous in sharing behind the scenes pictures with us.
One final note, staff writer Joe Halpin tweeted today that he’s on his way to Hawaii which means that he’s the one who penned episode 302. Joe gave us some great storylines last year, so this should be good!
. For those of you who haven’t seen it, you’re going to get a shock when you look it up. It dealt with stuff of a… graphic nature. As an actress and as a young one and a green one, it was difficult to overcome. But I’m so grateful because it was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had on the set, and the most creative and liberating one. My hardest role was one of my favorite ones, and that was playing Jaime on “Tell Me You Love Me”.
helps to support the blog, mahalo!