In Cameron Crowe’s romantic comedy “Aloha,” Rachel McAdams plays Tracy Woodside, a former love of Bradley Cooper’s character Brian Gilcrest. A military scientist, she is living at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam with her husband and children when Gilcrest re-enters her life.
The film is her second with Oscar nominee Cooper, who played her caddish fiance in 2005’s “The Wedding Crashers.” The Toronto-based actress’ previous movies include Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and the two “Sherlock Holmes” films with Robert Downey Jr. She will star with Jake Gyllenhaal in this summer’s “Southpaw” and in the second season of HBO’s “True Detective,” premiering June 21.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser interviewed McAdams via email before the controversy over the title of “Aloha,” which some say is disrespectful to Hawaiian culture. She did not answer a follow-up question on the definition of “aloha.” Instead, she expressed her aloha for Hawaii.
Question: Was it difficult to play someone at a possible breaking point while staying true to the playful comic tone of “Aloha”?
Answer: Tonally there was always an interesting line to tow in this film. The characters are all dealing with a lot of emotion, conflict, disappointment, etc. and yet there’s a playfulness to the words and the scenes — a lot of humor. That kind of you-have-to-laugh-otherwise-you-might-just lay-down-and-cry feeling. I think Tracy was living in that headspace a lot.
Q: Did Cameron Crowe’s writing allow for friendship between Tracy and Emma Stone’s character Allison Ng, even if they might be rivals?
A: I wish Emma and I had had more scenes together but yes, it was important to Cameron that what these two characters have was an underlying tone of camaraderie, respect and appreciation for one another.
Q: What was it like to play a character who lives on a military base — someone placed physically in Hawaii yet culturally separate?
A: My mother grew up in the Canadian air force and I’ve gleaned from her that there is always some feeling of separation from the city that you are stationed in. But I think it’s Tracy’s personality to embrace the place she’s in as much as possible and connect to the community around her. We tried to get this across in her wardrobe and particularly in the set design of her home. She’s making poke when Gilcrest comes for dinner, her house is filled with Hawaiian art and furniture. Her daughter is learning the hula.
Q: So she feels connected to Hawaii outside of Hickam?
A: I think Tracy’s life is very connected to Hickam. Her husband is a pilot, she works on the base but she’s got a wild-child inside. She loves adventure and learning and not being limited to the confines of the base, so I imagine she had a curiosity about every aspect of Hawaii. As a Canadian, I knew very little about Hawaii’s history when I came on to the project. Cameron gave me a few books to familiarize myself and I listened to an extraordinary audiobook called “Unfamiliar Fishes” by Sarah Vowell.
Q: Did you have a chance to learn some Hawaiian music?
A: We had a very early rehearsal in Hawaii months before we started shooting and (Crowe) gave me a ton of Hawaiian music to listen to. I was able to keep this connection to Hawaii while I was home in Toronto trying to figure Tracy out. Some of my favorite memories are listening to Cameron’s Hawaiian mixes as I was driving over the Pali or through Kauai and the Big Island. He took us out to listen to live Hawaiian music as well — made for good bonding.
Q: About how long were you here?
A: I was in Hawaii for three months shooting the film, which was such a gift! I fell in love with the people and the landscape and would go back in a heartbeat. I had to leave my house in Kailua about halfway through filming so I rented a spot in Diamond Head and got the best of two different parts of Oahu. And the fact that the drivers are so patient — no one ever honks at anyone — so peaceful!
Q: Other favorite experiences?
A: I loved hiking the Na Pali Coast in Kauai (but not being woken by the wild roosters at 4 a.m.), finding Hawaiian bbq down a little side road, eating at Common Ground and exploring by bike on Kauai … Watching the surf competitions on the North Shore, eating at Mariposa — great view, amazing bread! The night market in Kailua. Acai bowls!! (Ate too many to count.) Kayaking out to the Mokulua Islands, the stars on the Big Island, walking across a crater — felt like being on the moon. The list is loooong, don’t get me started!
