HONOLULU — Fairai Richmond has been a member of the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA since he was 9 years old. Now 40, he has been a part of almost every aspect of the film industry throughout his life: production assistant, locations manager, stuntman, actor, film director and writer.
“It’s very scary (right now) because I’m an actor in the Screen Actors Guild; I’m a stuntman in the Screen Actors Guild. … the majority of my income comes from that one guild,” said Richmond.
Last year, Richmond was a stuntman on “Chief of War” with Jason Momoa, and this fall, he planned to work on Disney’s live-action “Moana,” but now his next acting role is unknown.
“Unemployment is not going to pay all of my bills,” said Richmond, who provides for his wife, two kids, and his wife’s mother.
Hawaii’s film industry pauses
Across the U.S., the film industry halted as both the screenwriters’ and actors’ unions have gone on strike. The Writers Guild of America’s strike began on May 2, with the hope of getting better pay, especially from residuals for streaming media. On July 14, SAG-AFTRA also walked because studios tried to demand the exclusive rights to extras’ likenesses, which could be replicated with generative AI.
When the WGA strike started in May, previously written shows were still being filmed, according to Irish Barber, the business representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Hawaii branch 665. However, when the actors' union strike started, she said the impact was immediately felt.
“We had approximately 150 to 200 people on the show of ‘Lilo & Stitch’ when they had to shut down because of the actors’ and writers’ strike,” said Barber. “All of them had to quickly button up and put everything away, and they all filed for unemployment.”
IATSE 665 includes 700 members and another 1,400 people working towards membership. The union members do everything that happens “behind the camera,” working on film productions as carpenters, stylists, technicians, grips and more. Now, most of them are collecting unemployment.
“If we don't have anything to point the camera at … then we aren't needed either, but we were happy to stand in solidarity with the writers and the actors,” said Barber.
Disney’s live-action “Moana” had a casting call scheduled for July 15 that was canceled, and now filming of the movie probably won’t start until next year. Whether “NCIS: Hawaii” will start producing its next season this fall is in limbo. A third season of Disney’s “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” may have been filmed last fall, but now its future is unknown too. Many people suspect the writers' strike played a role in convincing NBC executives not to renew the Hawaii-based “Magnum P.I.” for a sixth season.
People working in Hawaii’s film industry lose their jobs
Hair stylist Ralph Malani, who is a member of IATSE 665, was one of the people who lost his job when “Lilo & Stitch” shut down production. He estimated filming for the movie was only about three weeks away from wrapping, but he said now it is unclear when the movie will be finished.
Malani wondered how the set’s indefinite closure would impact the 6-year-old actress Maia Kealoha, who is playing Lilo.
“Kids grow really fast. Hopefully, she still looks the same, so she matches in all the scenes,” said Malani. “She could be way taller.”
Malani, who grew up in Kaneohe, became a member of IATSE 665 eight years ago. At the time, the “Hawaii Five-0” reboot was the only major production filming on the islands.
“It’s progressively gotten busier and busier to the point where I don’t ever have any time off,” said the 50-year-old hairstylist. “I go from one show to another, to another, and it's been really, really good for a while.”
Malani recently worked on “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.”, “Lilo & Stitch,” and “Chief of War.” For each movie or TV show, he usually starts by doing hair and makeup tests a couple of weeks before filming. Once filming starts, he styles hair and makeup all day, every day.
“There's no work because of the strike,” said Malani. This fall, he would have likely worked on upcoming seasons of “NCIS: Hawaii” and “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” as well as “Moana.” Now, the next time he works on-set is unknown. He predicted the hiatus caused by the strikes would lead to some of the aforementioned productions never being made.
Going forward, he plans to spend more time building his namesake fashion line, which debuted at Merrie Monarch earlier this year. He will also style hair and makeup for weddings and professional photoshoots.
“I'm a fortunate one. I have another business, but there are a lot of people that don't have anything else going except their job on set,” said Malani.
Along with all the union members in IATSE 665, the halting of Hawaii’s television and film industry impacts a wide range of people. Actors, location scouts, casting directors, drivers, animal trainers, prop warehouse workers, craft services (the crew that provides food on set), and more.
“A lot of people think that mainlanders come in and do these shows, but 75 to 80% of the crew are local hires,” said Barber. “We have a huge vibrant film industry.”
The local economy is impacted
“The movies, they not only offer high wages for a lot of local people, they also support a lot of local businesses by being here,” said Malani.
Grocery stores, restaurants, hardware stores, lumber yards, gas stations, equipment rental companies, and clothing stores are just some of the places that benefit from Hawaii’s film industry.
Richmond, the actor and stuntman, estimated a TV show like “NCIS: Hawaii” might spend between $3,000 to $10,000 a day at grocery stores and restaurants to feed its actors and crews. Malani described pallets filled with food that would appear on set.
For many of the shows filmed in Hawaii, the sets that are constructed require massive amounts of lumber. Hardware stores stocked their shelves with lumber in anticipation of “Lilo & Stitch.”
“When we built sets for the movie ‘Jungle Cruise' on Kauai, we emptied their lumber stock twice, to the point where they couldn’t ship it in fast enough and they ended up having to mill tree trunks that had fallen and were dried,” said Barber.
Sight and Sound, a local production company, where Richmond works as the Creative Director, will continue to make commercials and music videos with actors who are not in the union. However, the production company will still be impacted by the dual strikes, as it usually earns revenue by renting equipment to “NCIS: Hawaii”, “Magnum P.I.” and big-budget movies.
Malani also mentioned that TV shows like “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.,” which have stunning beach scenes, support the tourism industry by marketing the islands.
“They helped the state economy because they showcase how beautiful it is here, so that people will want to keep coming here,” said Malani.
Hawaii's film industry helps local people stay on the islands
Richmond said the film industry in Hawaii helps the state economically, but also spiritually.
“Little kids in Waianae, Makaha and Kalihi, they say ‘shucks dad, I could work on that show,” said Richmond. “It’s good when you can have bigger dreams … We need more opportunities here.”
Malani lived in Los Angeles for much of his career, working occasionally in Hawaii. But with more and more movies and TV shows filming in Hawaii, he has been able to permanently move back home. He emphasized that the film industry allows local people to stay in Hawaii by providing “good paying jobs in a state that is so expensive to be in.”
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.