Hollywood Calls Local Boy from Hilo; Still, His Heart Stays in Hawai‘i
By Cynthia Sweeney
Pomaika’i Keko’olani still shakes his head in disbelief. A local boy arrives in Hollywood, and fresh off the plane, he is greeted by a chauffeured limousine that whisks him off to a major studio for an audition with Adam Sandler.
“How’s that for crazy?” said the actor, who played Tattoo Face in the romantic comedy 50 First Dates. “Prior to that, I had no acting experience, had never taken any acting classes, I never even had an interest in acting.”
For Pomaika’i, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. His production company provides entertainment for lu‘au and conventions, and one day he got a call from a group that wanted someone to sing and play ‘ukulele. However, he couldn’t find anyone to fulfill this client’s request.
“The catch was, they wanted someone to play Don Ho’s song ‘Tiny Bubbles’ for 30 minutes straight. I called everyone. No one would take the gig, so I had to take the job myself,” the singer/musician said. The job turned out to be with the game show Celebrity Mole. Two celebrities, who had never been on a surfboard before, tried to catch a wave as he continuously played Ho’s signature song. The show aired several months later and when Pomaika‘i watched it with his kids, they all had a good laugh and thought that was that.
The very next morning, he got a call from a casting director in Los Angeles who saw him on the show, and wanted him to read for a part. “It was crazy. I don’t know how they got my number. I thought it was a prank my friends were playing on me,” he said. “But they faxed me a script and my wife got the video camera. I dressed like I was in Celebrity Mole, read the lines into the camera, and sent them the video. We didn’t hear anything for three weeks and I thought, well, that’s how it goes. Then I got a call. There was a ticket waiting for me at the airport.”
Pomaika‘i auditioned on Friday and on Monday they were making a movie. The 2004 romantic comedy starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. He was to play the role of an overweight cook with Polynesian tattoos on his face and a meat cleaver in his hand—which he uses to cut Spam, can and all—and who is also known to put peanut butter cups in pancakes for breakfast.
“To me, the most important part on the set was the fabulous people I met. The cast and crew were friendly, giving, and down to earth. But the extras really made an impression. I never felt like I should have been there,” he recalled. “I didn’t have any qualifications, and I saw what their (the extras) resumes were, their experience, their background and the training they had. I found out they were real actors with their backs to the camera and not a single line in the movie. It was humbling.”
So Pomaika’i made a commitment to himself that when he returned to Hawai‘i he would learn his new craft. He signed on with three acting coaches, and to this day is still training and taking classes in stage, film, improvisation and auditioning.
“Everything I know about acting I know because it was unfair of me to have such an opportunity to act in a major motion picture. I owed it to them (the extras) to get qualified. So I immersed myself in acting classes. Since then, I have been fortunate to act in commercials and independent films. It’s been a learning experience and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”
Pomaika’i Keko’olani is a man who exudes Hawaiian mana. Shaking his hand is like connecting with the earth you both stand on. His journey began on O‘ahu, where he was raised in Kalihi by his mother, who moved her family to the Big Island in 1972. He credits his mom for instilling the Hawaiian values he continues to embody.
Pomaika’i is an artist who dives head first into all his many talents with joy, devotion and dedication. Aside from acting, he sings and plays about a dozen different instruments including ‘ukulele, drums, bass guitar and Hawaiian steel guitar, his favorite. “For me, this is the most loving instrument. Its expression is individual. Of all the instruments, this is the most refreshing and expressive,” he said.
Earlier on, as a student attending Kamehameha Schools, his musical talents had led him on another fantastic journey.
Donald P. Jacobs was an eccentric entrepreneur from Tennessee who had connections with Kamehameha Schools. He would come to Hawai‘i to recruit talent for a Polynesian show at one of his amusement parks, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. For three summers, Pomaika’i played ‘ukulele and Polynesian drums at the park, while Jacobs provided transportation, housing, two company vehicles and a credit card for the visiting Hawaiians.
“That kicked it over the top. It was an unbelievable dream come true,” Pomaika’i still laughs at the experience. “And it was such a culture shock, to experience the country music side of America, like the Grand ‘Ol Opry, and Southern hospitality.”
Pomaika’i has also played with the Poi Boyz, performed with Tavana’s Polynesian Spectacular—one of the most famous shows in Waikiki—and attended UH and Hawai‘i Pacific University, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in business and entrepreneurial studies in 1986.
Pomaika’i still gets recognized for his role in 50 First Dates, although he has had major roles in more than half a dozen independent films. Most recently he starred in Lychee Thieves, directed by Kathleen Man. The film was shown recently at the Big Island Film Festival and is playing well at film festivals around the country. Unlike a lot of actors who stick with one genre, Pomaika’i feels comfortable in both comedic and dramatic roles. Part of this came early on from the realization that if he wanted work as an actor in Hollywood, he should expect to get typecast.
“I knew I would be typecast as a big jolly Hawaiian,” he said. “I know that now. I wasn’t going to be the one that gets the blue-eyed girl.”
This local boy wasn’t blinded by the bright lights of Hollywood. Although he could have gone on from 50 to continue working in that vein, Hollywood was not in his blood.
“I just couldn’t see myself relocating. I love Hawai‘i and its people,” says Pomaika’i, whose number one priority is his wife Toni, and their eight children, ranging in age from 1-1/2 to 23.
“The last five years I’ve made a conscious effort to learn ‘Na Mea Hawai‘i,’ all things Hawaiian. The language, everything about the culture, crafts, canoeing, ‘ukulele making, coconut weaving…this is more important to me. So I decided I would take the work that came here and keep this lifestyle.”
And work he has. Besides his own production company, Pomaika’i has eight screen roles to his credit, several TV roles and numerous commercials. He is also an advocate for struggling actors, working on getting a venue for them to practice their craft.
“There are a lot of good actors here, and they don’t get a chance to work their craft. Everyone needs to work to get better, so when the work does come you are qualified. To be acting on this level, I have learned you want your performance to be real,” he said.
To this end, he is currently writing a script for a local series. “I want to tell the stories of Hawai‘i rather than be hired to tell someone else’s stories,” Pomaika’i said, keeping it all in perspective. “I gotta say my family is more important to me than music and acting. I want my kids to know who they are as Hawaiians, and know their history and culture. Immersing them in ancient Hawaiian arts, teaching them to know who they are as Hawaiians, to practice the spirit of Aloha. And to make them realize that the place where they are living is amazing.” ❖
Photos courtesy of Pomaika‘i Keko‘olani.
Also see www.pomai.com.
Contact Cynthia Sweeney at sweeneywrites@yahoo.com.
