The filming of Season 3 begins with a blessing for those making the action show set in Hawaii
By Steven Mark | Honolulu Star-AdvertiserThe cast and crew of “Hawaii Five-0″ received a Hawaiian blessing for the start of filming of the show’s third season Monday while offering some hints of what lies ahead for characters on the CBS crime drama.
Executive producer Peter Lenkov said the new season promises a “lot of bromance,” referring to the hallmark banter between Steve McGarrett (played by Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny Williams (Scott Caan), but added there will be “complications.”
“We’ve brought in (Steve McGarrett’s) mom, we’ve brought in Michelle (Borth). That’s going to complicate things,” he said.
Lenkov said he wanted to correct an impression about Borth, who has appeared primarily as McGarrett’s romantic interest, Navy Lt. Catherine Rollins. Her character’s military connections have come in handy for the crime-fighting team.
“Michelle’s not a member of Five-0. I think everybody assumes that, because she’s coming on as a regular. But she will definitely be in our life,” he said. “I wanted to clear that up because I think for some reason everyone ran with her being a member.”
Beyond that, Lenkov said, “I think we have some very big episodes and character development.”
Monday’s blessing took place in Manoa Valley District Park, a few blocks from where filming was to occur. With a brisk wind blowing and a light sprinkling from above, Kahu Blaine Kamalani Kia, the show’s cultural adviser, told the crowd of about 100 people to “be mindful of everything that was before you.”
“Man was the last thing created on Earth, so be humbled by all the wonderful nature and all the beautiful elements that Hawaii has to offer,” said Kia, who during the season reads scripts for cultural accuracy and helps the actors pronounce Hawaiian words correctly.
“With all the characters and all that you have to deal with each other, that’s a lot of kaumaha (heaviness). These are the burdens you carry on your shoulders. There are good ones and bad ones. We don’t want the bad ones, we just want the good ones.”
Using ti leaves, Kia sprinkled water mixed with soil and sea salt over the major players in the production, who included Lenkov, O’Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim, Borth and actors with recurring roles, including Taylor Wily, Teilor Grubbs, Dennis Chun and Al Harrington. Series regulars Scott Caan, Grace Park and Masi Oka were not scheduled to be on set Monday.
The show ended its second season in a cliffhanger, with Park’s character, Kono Kalakaua, tied up and thrown into the ocean, Williams in a custody battle, Chin Ho Kelly finding his wife near death and McGarrett uncovering another layer to the “Shelburne” mystery, the subplot that has driven the show for its first two seasons.
That mystery turns out to concern McGarrett’s mother, Doris McGarrett, who was thought to be dead until her son discovered her in the closing moments of the show’s second season. Christine Lahti will portray McGarrett’s mom and is expected to appear in six episodes in the first half of the new season.
The 62-year-old Lahti was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar in 1985 for her role in “Swing Shift.” In 1998 she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role as Dr. Kathryn Austin in “Chicago Hope.” She also picked up an Academy Award for short film in 1996 for directing “Lieberman in Love.”
Lahti has also had recurring TV roles on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “Jack & Bobby.”
“She’s complex,” Lahti said of her new “Five-0″ character, shortly after the blessing ceremony. “It’s going to be challenging but I’m very excited about it. I did ‘Law & Order’ and ‘Chicago Hope,’ which isn’t exactly cops and crimes, but it’s high-stakes.”
Lahti called the blessing ceremony “wonderful,” adding, “I’ve done a lot of shows and never experienced anything like this.”
Kim just returned from a project in South Korea and said it was nice to see everyone again.
“I just flew in yesterday and I’m pretty jet-lagged, but I thought it was important to be here,” he said. “Every time we start a new season, it’s good to get off on the right foot, and a blessing is never a bad thing.”
Kim said last season’s finale both answered questions and created a lot of tension for fans.
“We left the show in a good place, a dramatic place for our viewers,” he said. “I’m looking forward to following up and seeing what happens this year.”
A date for the “Hawaii Five-0″ season premiere in September has not been announced, and show officials have not said whether there will be another “Sunset on the Beach” red-carpet premiere in Waikiki as there was first two seasons.
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