Larisa Oleynik, the newest regular cast member of "Hawaii Five-0," feels she's not tough enough to be in the action-oriented police drama, but she can definitely disarm you with a smile.
She's just that nice.
The San Francisco native plays Jessica Kaye, a former CIA analyst sent to Hawaii to help "Five-0" hunt down Steve McGarrett's arch nemesis, Wo Fat. Oleynik shot three episodes this season, including the finale, which airs next week. Ask her about the experience and her enthusiasm bubbles out.
"I am totally loving it," she said during a break in shooting, before production wrapped for the season last month. "I think it's becoming more and more apparent that they are trying to infuse my personality and my sense of humor into the character because clearly I am not the toughest broad on the block."
The 29-year-old Oleynik is perhaps best known for her roles as Bianca in the 1999 movie "10 Things I Hate About You" and Alex in the Nickelodeon series "The Secret World of Alex Mack."
Her "Five-0" character is described by CBS as being more cerebral than the cast's only other regular female lead, the butt-kicking Grace Park, who plays Kono Kalakaua. Jessica Kaye has been quirky, even a tad naive, but otherwise fun to watch.
"Five-0" is no easy gig, though.
"I'll tell you, I'm a bundle of nerves," Oleynik said. "I think it's so exciting and I am happy to be here, and I know what an incredible opportunity it is."
Her solution is to consciously work at relaxing — to "shake out" the butterflies and trust in her ability to arrive on set prepared, she said.
"That's been my greatest challenge, honestly, because I just want it so bad," she said. "I just want to do such a good job, you know?"
"Five-0" executive producer Peter Lenkov recently said Oleynik's character is now a regular part of the cast, but it doesn't sound like he told Oleynik.
"Well, I don't know," she said. "I would be thrilled if that's the way it worked out. But nothing is official until it's official."
No comments:
Post a Comment