Māori actress Te Ao o Hinepehinga almost turned down the role of a key Native Hawaiian character in the series “Chief of War.” She didn't feel right playing a historical character of a different race.
But after much prayer and conversations with the showrunners and cultural consultants, she found out “this was truly something they wanted.”
And she wanted it, too. She was the right person to play Kupuohi, the wife of warrior and noble Kaʻiana, the main character played by Jason Momoa.
“I sat with this, and at the end of the day, it does not matter what I think,” she said. “The only people who deserve to decide to tell the story are kānaka.”
“Chief of War“ is a highly anticipated historical drama about King Kamehameha's unification of the Hawaiian Islands in the 19th century. But it's told through the eyes of Kaʻiana, a warrior who was the first aliʻi to travel outside the islands. He joins Kamehameha's fight to unite the islands through warfare.
The nine-episode Apple TV+ miniseries makes its global debut with the first two episodes in August.
This has been a passion project for Momoa and co-creator Thomas Paʻa Sibbett for nearly a decade.
While some scenes were shot in Hawaiʻi, most were filmed in New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa.
Several cast members are Māori, including prominent actors Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison. Other cast members are of Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan descent.
Momoa said Māori actors have paved the way and inspired Pacific Islander actors. Aotearoa has a globally recognized film industry and has produced blockbusters like “The Lord of the Rings” franchise and independent films like the cult classic “Once Were Warriors.”
“These Māori actors came here, and they taught our kids, the next generation,” he said.
Veteran Māori actor Morrison is no stranger to playing a high-ranked leader in a historical film.
While filming “Chief of War,” Morrison was also working on the independent film “Ka Whawhai Tonu,” which tells the story of the 1864 Battle of Ōrākau during the first New Zealand Wars in the Waikato region. In that production, Morrison plays the tribal leader Rewi Maniapoto.
He said filming “Chief of War” was “a different kettle of fish.” He relied on cultural advisors and language experts for his role of Chief Kahekili. But he felt immense pressure after an interaction with a Native Hawaiian boom mic operator.
“She says, ‘You’re playing my ancestor,’” he said. “It dawned on me there, but then the responsibility all of a sudden went boom. So I thought, ‘I better do a good job for her,’ otherwise she would whack me on the head with her microphone.”
Morrison, alongside Curtis, has been in the film industry for a few decades.
Curtis credits Pacific Islander documentary makers and filmmakers who came before his time, such as Barry Barclay and Don Selwyn.
Curtis underscored the growing talent pool of Pacific Islander actors, noting that many are cast in massive film franchises such as “Star Wars,” “The Marvel Cinematic Universe,” and more.
“Accumulatively, that means that as people of color, as Indigenous people, that Momoa and Paʻa have leveraged all of that into making ‘Chief of War,’” Curtis said. “That puts us in a whole different category of being able to resource our storytelling at scale.”
Momoa said he hopes the series will create a ripple effect, leading to more Pacific Islanders making films about their culture and history.
“We’ve never had the roles for young actors from Hawaiʻi to have a chance at this,” he said. “Once you see it, and we continue with more seasons, I think we’re going to build at home."
"Chief of War" will debut the first two episodes on Aug. 1, followed by new episodes every Friday through Sept. 19.
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