‘Ohana means family and family means everything to this cast!
In our most recent movie obsession, “Finding ‘Ohana” (which just premiered on Netflix!), four unlikely friends, Pili, Casper, E, and Hana, find themselves on an adventurous treasure-hunting journey — and end up finding themselves along the way, too!
To celebrate the epic adventure, we caught up with Kea Peahu, Owen Vaccaro, Alex Aiono, and Lindsay Watson to talk about their experience filming in Hawaii, and how, like their characters, they’ll be carrying the values of that culture with them for the rest of their lives! Here’s what the on-screen thrill-seekers had to say…
Lindsay: I was raised in this culture and every aspect of this movie is what I was taught growing up. The biggest thing that we touch on is this idea of family. And when you’re in Hawaii, family is everything…respect to your family, love for your family, care for your family. We don’t only show the pretty parts of family in “Finding Ohana,” we show the rough parts…the ups and downs…All that matters at the end of the day is your love for your family.
Owen: I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia…so everything that I learned on set was all brand new to me. One thing that I take away from being there was the importance of family. In Hawaii everyone is so close. I remember the first day I met Kea she gave me a huge hug and instantly I felt like I was a part of a group, a part of a family.
Kea: I’m from Hawaii, so it was more of a reminder about how important your family is…For my character Pili…she learns more about her family’s culture and her heritage, but I think she also connects more with each character and realizes how much she truly does care about them.
Alex: The true meaning of Ohana is shown if you look deep enough. It’s not just about blood! It’s not just about ‘I’ve known you for a long time so now I see you as family.’ [For example,] from the first moment, Caspar treats everybody as family…and I hope that we can love each other the same way that he loves all the other characters because we could probably use that in today’s world.
Looking for more behind-the-scenes scoop? Here’s what Lana Condor *really* thinks of the third “To All The Boys” movie!