Blessing kicks off filming of ‘NCIS: Hawai‘i’

With the sun shining, the wind blowing and heartfelt aloha, the cast and crew of “NCIS: Hawai‘i” began shooting the premiere of what is hoped to be another hit in a long line of successful TV shows set and filmed in Hawaii.

Cultural practitioner Ramsay Taum led an opening ceremony at Mokuleia’s Army Beach with a blessing that he also called a “cleansing.” “We don’t like to bless the mess,” he said. “So the first thing we gotta do, is clean it up.”

“Is there anyone who is needing forgiveness from you? Is there anyone who you need to seek forgiveness from?” he asked the crowd. “Are you carrying within your heart or your mind, any anger, any disease or dysfunction, that we can let go and not bring into this production?”

“NCIS: Hawai‘i” is the latest spinoff from the “NCIS” franchise, which focuses on the crime-fighting Naval Criminal Investigative Serv­ice. The show stars Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tennant, a mother of two and the first women to lead NCIS: Pearl, a unit based at Pearl Harbor. The series is expected to touch on island culture and the personal relationships among team members and within Tennant’s family.

Lachey said she was excited to play a character who could be seen as a role model “not only for young girls but for young people everywhere.”

“I’m honored to play her and delve into the beautiful culture of Hawaii and see some fun storylines,” she said, adding that she “loved” Taum’s blessing ceremony and that it “gave you a lot to think about.”

Lachey, a former Miss Teen USA, was already experiencing some of the pratfalls of working on an action show. “The stunt coordinator was here the other day. His girlfriend is a physical therapist and I needed her to fix me,” she said with a laugh.

She is expecting her real­-life husband, actor/singer Nick Lachey, to come out to Hawaii in July with their children. “I have to be with them, it’s my No. 1 priority,” she said.

Jason Antoon will play Ernie, a cyberintelligence specialist with NCIS: Pearl. He described his character as being the one with “no family, no friends, doesn’t know anyone on the islands,” who insinuates himself into the lives of his team. He said it was an easy decision to try for a role in the show, given that it was in Hawaii and a spinoff of “NCIS,” one of the most successful franchises in television. “I’m very grateful to be joining this team,” he said.

Yasmine Al-Bustami will portray Lucy, a junior field agent under Lachey’s Tennant. She said she was especially proud that two Asian American women had lead roles in the show. Both she and Lachey are part Filipina. “I especially like the humor in the show,” she said.

Noah Mills portrays Jesse, an agent from Washington, D.C., who comes out to Hawaii to join Tennant. The reason for the move, he said, will be a mystery that will unfold as the season progresses.

Personally, Mills sees the move to Hawaii as an opportunity to expand his horizons. “You realize how far, how isolated Hawaii is,” he said. “I’m really excited for the experience of just letting go of the mainland and really focusing on this island and the culture and the history. It’s going to be a really interesting chapter in my life.”

Tori Anderson, who plays Kate Whistler, an agent with the Defense Intelligence Agency, praised the show’s multidimensional characters. “In procedurals, sometimes it can get stagnant, but these were exciting, full people that I decided I wanted to dive into.”

She said her character is “aggressive, a little callous, sort of hardened by the job. She knows exactly where she wants to go.”

Executive Producer Christopher Silber said it would be important for the show to respect the island culture while telling exciting stories. “We are so grateful to be guests here and to do a show that not just celebrates the franchise, but the island itself, and doing justice to both,” he said.

For Director Larry Teng, Wednesday’s blessing brought back memories of his first trip to Hawaii 12 years ago, when he came to direct an episode of “Hawaii Five-0.” “The experience changed who I was at my core, especially as an Asian American,” he said. “I had a crew member come up to me and say, ‘You don’t realize how important it is that someone who looks like you sits in this chair that says “director.” It gives us hope.’”