HAWAII FIVE-0: Sunset Brings Dawn of Season Four

alexoloughlinsunsetonthebeachseasonfourClearly, the Jonas Brothers were a big, LOUD draw at Hawaii Five-0’s Season Four Sunset on the Beach red carpet premiere.

A Reason to Cheer

Whenever the “Jonas” name was mentioned for anything, be it getting in a car to attend the event or stepping onto the red carpet, their every move was accompanied by a tumultuous 8,000 screams that exploded as one very loud voice.

Jonas Brothers aside, this annual event for Hawaii Five-0 was cause to celebrate.

With the series now in its fourth year – no small feat in itself – its leading actors have proven to have a voice of their own, as individual and diverse perhaps as the culture of the Islands.

A Voice to be Heard

Daniel Dae Kim (Chin Ho) is very much into acting on the stage and has been quite active with the Honolulu Theatre for Youth for several years now (along with the National Asian American Theatre Company).

Since the stage is his passion, I asked him about his last play.  He said, “It was a project I produced in Hawai’i called ‘Hold These Truths,’ and it was a one-man show based on the life of Gordon Hirabayashi, who was a conscientious objector to World War II.

“Hirabayashi refused to go into the internment camps when the Japanese Americans were ordered to do so.  And he was, in my opinion, a hero.  I was able to spring Joel de la Fuente from New York to star, and I was happy to do that.”

Time for a Change

The goings and comings – and upcoming crises in Season Four – have kept Michelle Borth busy keeping up with Catherine (Rollins).  Though she revealed that both she and Catherine are both very self-sufficient and know what they want, there are some things she’d change about her character.  For one thing, she said, “I do wish sometimes that Catherine was a little bit stronger.  She’s such a strong, self-sufficient, independent woman.  When you’re in love, sometimes that falls away.  Sometimes I want her to be more assertive.  And it DOES get there this Season.

“Though we both know what we want, I would say a major difference between Catherine and I is that I wear my feelings on my sleeve, whereas she’s much more composed.  I personally am much more sensitive.  Catherine puts on a really tough exterior.”

taylorwileyandpeterlenkovA New Challenge Ahead

New kid on the block Chi McBride (SWAT Captain Lou Grover), whose character was “re-introduced” from the original Five-O in the premiere of Season Four at Sunset on the Beach, got a quick study on challenges Five-0 lead actors face on a daily basis.  He said frankly, “I had to ride a horse today, you know what I’m saying.

“Let me put it like this.  It’s not that I don’t know what I’m doing.  I don’t, but that’s not the problem.  The problem is the horse knows that I don’t know what I’m doing.  Seriously, though, I had a great stunt double for this upcoming episode.  It was really exciting, and it’s going to be a great action sequence.”  The episode will air later this Fall.

Preparation for Challenge

Sometimes challenges have been known to catch leading men off guard.  The work can be quite physically demanding; the hours, long.  Five-0 star Alex O’Loughlin (Steve McGarrett) came to the red carpet directly from the set on the North Shore.

He told me, “I was never prepared for a show like this and the demands of a show like this.  It’s the most demanding show I’ve ever been on, you know.  It’s our fourth year.  I mean, I APPRECIATE it, and I LOVE it, but for the moment, it is what it is, and it fits where it fits.”

Even the Producers of Five-0 have begun the new season facing new challenges.

Executive Producer/Showrunner Peter Lenkov and the K/O Paper Products team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have begun development of a new project, Salvation, for CBS.  Kurtzman and Orci also Executive Produce Fox’s new Sleepy Hollow series, which has just been renewed for a second season.

Projects in the Works

Though none of this is in any way a slam on Five-0, one might think some sort of crossover episode with producers and writers might be nice.  At least, I thought so when I mentioned it to Lenkov and Kurtzman.  Kurtzman even agreed, saying, “I’d love that.  It’d be fantastic – if we could get Peter away from Five-0.”

Lenkov confirmed that, while he can’t speak for Sleepy Hollow, Salvation is very much a stand-alone project.  “We’re (Kurtzman, Orci, and Lenkov) working on that one together.  It can stand on it’s own.  It’s a really big epic story about hope, humanity, and the future of this planet.

“We’re really excited about the story, which is written by Matt Wheeler.  He’s a really good writer.”  Lenkov said he was able to get Wheeler on board by begging profusely.

Kurtzman confirmed the group’s anticipation, “We all got together to talk about the new project and got really excited about it.”  Stay tuned for more information about Salvation from CBS.

Coming up on Five-0

And the Jonas Brothers?  Nick just wrapped a guest spot on Five-0 that will air at a later date in Season Four.

In the meantime, look for the Jonas Brothers to come to your area.  Nick confirmed those October tour dates (http://events.jonasbrothers.com/tour-dates).

Catch Hawaii Five-0 on Friday nights on CBS.