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Filming Hawaii Five-O on location was no walk on the beach, according to series star Jack Lord
Why Lord said the series suffered during early filming.
Shooting a series like Hawaii Five-O on location might feel like a dream come true to any actor, and for Jack Lord, it was. The New York-born actor found a second home in Hawaii.
"Each island has unique values, and they are like children in a family," Lord said during an interview with The Sault Star. "Each island is like a child. You can't love just one child. You must love all of them. Each island is distinctive and has individual qualities."
A wildly popular series, Hawaii Five-O enjoyed a whopping 12 seasons, and Lord was at the helm for each one, playing Commander Steve McGarrett.
However, as Lord explained, in the early days of the series, when cast and crew were still finding their footing, shooting in the tropical islands became quite the issue.
“We were shooting in Hawaii that first season,” said Lord during an interview with The Miami Herald. “But we had no studio. We were the first series done out here, and everything was done by traveling back and forth, islands to the mainland; mainland to the islands.”
The extensive traveling came at the expense of quality. “The series suffered that first year,” said Lord. “Often, it wasn’t very professional.”
Luckily, Lord and series creator Leonard Freeman learned from their mistakes, and the writers were able to focus more on the show’s narrative rather than filming prospects. “We have been a professional series ever since that first season,” said the Lord.
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