Masi Oka leaving Hawaii Five-0

[Core 4]

Hawaii Five-0: Masi Oka exiting after seven seasons — exclusive

After seven seasons, Masi Oka will exit Hawaii Five-0 as a series regular, EW has learned exclusively.

Oka joined the series in season 1 as Dr. Max Bergman, the Chief Medical Examiner who has assisted Five-0 in solving crimes since the fifth episode of the series — first as a recurring character, and then as a series regular starting in season 2.

After taking a brief sabbatical to work with Doctors Without Borders at the end of season 6, Max returned for the annual Halloween episode, but will leave in the upcoming 13th episode of the season, moving to Africa with new bride Sabrina (Rumer Willis). Below, the Heroes alum details his decision to leave the long-running CBS procedural and what’s in store for Max’s send-off:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What came with the decision to leave the show?
MASI OKA: I just thought the character went through a major journey. He got married, now he’s going off to Africa, so I think character-wise I felt like Max had done too much of everything he can do. And we’ve been so blessed to work for seven years on a great show, but a lot of my business has been in Los Angeles and Japan and it’s been increasingly difficult to really commute to Hawaii. I’m probably the only one who really commutes to Hawaii, maybe 18 times a year round trip. It got to the point where the producers were very gracious enough to — like we talked about it and we thought Max was entering his journey and they allowed me, kind of like for my health as well, to be able to take a reprieve from being on the show.

So what where your conversations like with executive producer Pete Lenkov about exiting? Anything particular you wanted for Max before you left?
No, I just wanted to give him a nice send-off, and if it helps the ratings, please feel free to kill him off. Do whatever works for Peter and his great writers to come up for a good ending for Max that would also help the show, because I want the show to go on as long as possible. So it was actually a very simple conversation, they were like, “Great, we’ll come up with something.” It was really smooth.

I’m surprised that you wouldn’t have minded for Max to die. Do you think now it’s leaving the door open for you to come back or are you definitely done?
Well, nothing is definite for sure. The fact that Donald Trump has a chance to win too, I guess nothing is 100 percent. [Editor’s note: This interview took place on Election Day, but was published today to coincide with Oka’s final day on set.] But look, I’m definitely not opposed to it. They left the door open with the idea that there’s still going to be technology, of course, in Africa, so I could be tweeting or emailing or Skyping in, so that might happen. Nothing is 100 percent at any time.

What can you tease about Max’s send-off?
It’s going to be a little bit of the greatest hits, so you’re going to see things that really made Max’s character very interesting and unique. You see his relationships with Sabrina, with Commander McGarrett, with some of his working mates. You’ll see a little bit of a — I shouldn’t say a clip show — but as I said, the greatest hits. And there’s a lesson/awakening from an unexpected friend and he wants to take a final journey, not a physical one, but more of an emotional and mental one as he says his goodbye to everybody.

What has it been like filming your final episode?
It’s been great to be honest with you. I love my crew, I love the cast, the writers. Typically, I’m like saddened, but I was actually really happy, because I rarely get to say goodbye on a set. In my past shows, we’ve had the unfortunate situation being canceled many times, so I never got a firm way of saying thank you to the crew, thank you to the cast, and say thank you before I leave, because it’s, “Oh, we’ll see you after the summer break,” and all of a sudden you find out that you’re not going to see them again. So this time it was really nice knowing that there’s a farewell, knowing that this will be my “last day.” It was just nice to know I had that and to really enjoy and kind of reflect on the amazing journey and experience that I had. I mean, seven years is a long time to be on a show and it was just beautiful. It was just a lot of us talking about memories and just going back, a lot of laughter and a lot of crying.

Looking back on your time on the show, what would you say is your point of pride and what would you say is one moment you wish you could have changed?
There was an episode about the Trashman, where Max had to confront the killer of his biological mother. That was kind of my moment of pride, where it was pretty much his storyline. To be able to go through that journey and learn a lot more about Max and make him more three-dimensional, I think that was one of the biggest moments of pride for him as a character and his growth. The thing I would probably change is… I don’t know, he was initially introduced as somewhat of a savant, as tactile. He uses music to figure out things and the piano was broken and out of tune, so one thing I wish was having requested to get that piano fixed earlier on so he could actually try to play it and make use of it in the future. I think we saw the piano twice and that was it. One of the things is for one of the weddings, it would have been nice to be like, “Oh, Jesus. Why wasn’t Max playing at this wedding and they hired another pianist?” I wish that didn’t get lost. That musicality is a fun trait, someone having a gift as well.

What are you going to miss most about the show?
To be honest with you — everything. I miss the crew, the cast, the writing. Hawaii is beautiful, I will definitely go back many times. Seven years is a long time and knowing that you have to create reasons know to go see some of your friends on set is what I’m going to miss. In the past, I’ve been able to maintain contact with a good number of my castmates and my crew folks, but it takes effort now. Right now, I take it for granted that I get to see all these greatly talented people on set everyday and now I have to actually mail them a, “Hey, are you free on Friday? Are you going to be in L.A. or are you going to be in Hawaii?”

Between Heroes and Hawaii 5-0, you’ve done two long-running series — what’s next for you? Do you want to continue in the TV space?
Whatever is ahead, I’m very fortunate to be able to do things also behind-the-scenes, creating some TV shows and also producing a lot of movies. I recently finished producing Death Note for Netflix, which I have a part in as well. I also just finished shooting Meg, which is a Jason Statham-starring shark movie for Warner Bros., so that’s a pretty big budget film as well. So Five-0 has been great about letting me pursue other opportunities. I consult for a lot of Japanese companies as well, including the Japanese government, so I’ve always been going back and forth to L.A. to Hawaii to Japan. I’ve literally been doing the shuttle run between those three cities.

So you have a lot of frequent flyer miles?
Definitely. [Laughs] For me, I think it’s about whatever is there. I have a goal to try and go towards directing a movie. That’s definitely where I want to go, but whatever is open, I’m always open-minded. If there’s a great TV, I’d love to do that, if there’s another feature to do, that’s great, as far as producing goes, that’s great. I’ve got like eight projects in development, a couple things that are supposed to come out soon, deals to close, so hopefully [I’ll] announce those soon. I have my game company, so I have a lot of chickens in the fire… No, that’s not right. [Laughs.]

www.ew.com/article/2016/11/17/hawaii-five-0-masi-oka-exit?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

[mandyblue]

Daniel giving Masi farewell dinner

http://instagram.com/p/BM8DcBsBybN

[mandyblue]

Its sad that Masi is leaving. I wonder who will be the next one leaving, seems like the end is getting closer for Five 0 when one leaves another is bound to follow.

[katlyn520]

Nov 18, 2016 0:46:17 GMT -5 mandyblue said:

Its sad that Masi is leaving. I wonder who will be the next one leaving, seems like the end is getting closer for Five 0 when one leaves another is bound to follow.

I wouldn't be too discouraged by one member of the cast leaving. It happens all the time on shows that continue beyond their departure. It doesn't necessarily mean that anyone else is leaving. We know that Alex is around for at least the rest of this season and next and it sounded like he was suggesting that he knew Scott was around for at least the same amount of time. So that sounds like we can at least presume that this year isn't the end. In the grand scheme of things, Masi hasn't been on every week anyway and his lack of presence hasn't really diminished the show. I'm sorry to see him leave because I love the quirky character he's developed ... but I've never considered the character critical to the success of the show. So, just sayin', I think the show will survive his departure.

[rita162]

Sad to see Masi go but he seems to have a lot of projects on the go. He has done a lot of travelling to cover all these and something had to go. I wish him well. You never know he may make a guest appearance on an episode

[Core 4]

New interview with Masi about leaving Hawaii Five-0:


‘Hawaii Five-0’ star leaves show for ‘new adventure’

“Hawaii Five-0” co-star Masi Oka announced in November that he was leaving the long-running CBS series.

Oka, 42, joined the “Five-0” team as Dr. Max Bergman in 2010 (its inaugural season) and was promoted to series regular in Season 2. He’s been a mainstay ever since, and bids goodbye to viewers in Friday’s episode (9 p.m. on Ch. 2).

The Japanese-born Oka, who moved to LA at the age of six, graduated from Brown University (where he majored in computer science and mathematics) and got his start in show-biz working for George Lucas’ renowned visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic.

Oka’s segue into acting included his role as Hiro Nakamura on NBC’s “Heroes” and its 13-episode reboot, “Heroes Reborn,” which aired in 2015. His upcoming projects include a Netflix movie, “Death Note,” and an appearance on the big screen opposite Jason Statham in “Meg.”

Oka talked to The Post about his reasons for leaving “Hawaii Five-0” — which co-stars Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan — and about what’s next on his career menu.

NYP: Is there a specific reason why you’re leaving “Hawaii Five-0”? Did you feel the character of Dr. Bergman “ran his course,” so to speak?
Masi: I was very fortunate to be on a hit show for seven seasons, which was longer than my previous show. I did feel that Dr. Bergman reached a natural arc in his storyline. He got married and was off to new adventures in Africa and, hence, I felt it was time for me to go on a new adventure as well.

NYP: Without spoiling anything, can you tell us if Bergman’s storyline will be wrapped up? Will door be left open for a possible intermittent return?
Masi: In his farewell speech [Bergman] says that he is always available to assist and can be reached by e-mail. So the door is always open for a “telecommute.”

NYP: Do you have a favorite “Hawaii Five-0” memory?
Masi: There are many, but I would say the first days on set will always be memorable. I remember not being able to get through the work day because Daniel, Grace, and I were always just laughing.

NYP: I’m guessing it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to work on a TV show filmed in Hawaii. But now that you’ve spent so much time there, will you take some time off from Hawaii before returning?
Masi: Hawaii is beautiful but I’ve been commuting there about 18 times a year, sometimes staying in Hawaii less than 24 hours. It would be nice to go visit Hawaii again purely for pleasure and for about a week. I still haven’t gotten to explore the other islands fully as well, so I still need to do that.

NYP: What are your future plans? Is there more TV in your future, or will you now focus on the big screen?
Masi: I love TV and film, so it’s definitely part of my future plans. I’m doing a lot of stuff behind the scenes as well and outside of the entertainment industry, so I will try to balance everything.

NYP: I know you have a “techie” background. Tell me a little bit about your mobile game company, Mobius Digital, and if there’s anything else you’re psyched about in the tech sector.
Masi: We’re working on an award-winning game called “Outer Wilds” right now [at Mobius Digital] and we’re excited to get that released later this year. Tech wise, there are many interesting new advances in IoT [Internet of Things] and wearables. VR [Virtual Reality] and AR [Augmented Reality] is starting to mature so that’s exciting as well. Also, there’s a lot of technology coming out of Japan, and I’m investing and trying to help bring some of it to the US.

nypost.com/2017/01/08/hawaii-five-0-star-leaves-show-for-new-adventure/

[Core 4]

Interview with Masi and Peter Lenkov. I like this fragment interview with Peter: "He may be departing for now, but I've kept the door open, hoping he would consider coming back at some point, even if it's for a short visit".


The creators of Hawaii Five-0 never expected Dr. Max Bergman to become a regular. But when Masi Oka stepped into the role, suddenly they knew that both the character and actor would become a dependable, creative, and widely loved part of the Five-0 Ohana.

Seven seasons later, Masi is moving on. His final episode as a series regular is "Ua ho'i ka 'ōpua i Awalua (The Clouds Always Return to Alawua)," which airs on Friday, Jan. 13 at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Masi and Executive Producer Peter Lenkov shared their thoughts about his departure, including the great times shared on set and whether we might see him return.

Q: As things are wrapping up, how do you feel about the departure?
Masi: It is definitely bitter sweet. Our Ohana is just that. We are a family, and having been with them for seven years, it is definitely the longest show that I’ve been a part of. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of a successful run but at the same time, the journey for the character has gone through its full arc and like Max, I was ready for new adventures. Hawaii is a beautiful place and full of beautiful people. I am honored to have been welcomed by the islands and look forward to going to visit the islands again.
Peter: This is a tough one for obvious reasons—we all love Masi. He's been with us since Season One, so it will be incredibly tough to see him go. We're not a conventional procedural show, so we really don’t have a need for a full-time Medical Examiner, but Masi did such a good job with Max, it made us all want to write more for him—thus becoming a regular and one of our most beloved characters. He may be departing for now, but I've kept the door open, hoping he would consider coming back at some point, even if it's for a short visit.

Q: What will you miss the most about your Five-0 Ohana?
Masi: I'll miss laughing with the crew, Alex's quirky sense of humor, my intimate dinners with Daniel and Grace, my chess games with Scott and board games with Jorge, improvising with Chi. There are too many to list and I don't think there is anything I can single out to miss the "most," but I am sad that I don't have the luxury of seeing everyone on set regularly. Now to see my friends, there would be a lot of juggling of schedules.

Q: What was it like having Masi on the show?
Peter: A real pleasure. Masi is the consummate professional. Always on time, always professional, and always with an enthusiastic smile.

Q: What were some of your favorite Max moments?
Masi: My favorite Max moments are also hard to pick. Trashman, the Sabrina dates, the Halloween episodes. Those definitely pop in my mind. I liked when he played the piano and got to improvise. A lot of the improv doesn't make it on air, but it was fun knowing that it would make the crew laugh. I just wanted everyone to have fun, so whenever I can get the crew to laugh, I always tried to do so without slowing down the production.
Peter: A lot will be relived in Max's last episode, but anytime we got to see the man behind the M.E. really stood out for me. Learning about his mother's tragedy in the Trashman episode ("Ha'alele (Abandoned)," Episode 20, Season 2), the creative Keanu Reeves costumes every Halloween, and of course meeting and romancing his future wife Sabrina (Rumer Willis).

Q: How have people responded to the news?
Masi: I was overwhelmed with the responses from the fans when Max's departure was announced. It was very touching and I will miss our fans greatly as well. I thank everyone for their support and hope to see them on my next endeavors as well.
Peter: While they will certainly miss Max, they are also supportive of his decision to leave the islands and pursue his passion. He will always be Ohana.

Aloha 'oe, Masi!

www.cbs.com/shows/hawaii_five_0/news/1006388/masi-oka-says-one-final-aloha-on-hawaii-five-0/

[Core 4]

Peter about Masi's exit, Max, Noelani, Alex's contract and his possible exit after season 8, and future of the show:


Hawaii Five-0 boss opens up about Masi Oka's exit

Aloha, Max!

As EW exclusively first revealed, Masi Oka will exit Hawaii Five-0 as a series regular following Friday’s episode of the CBS drama.

Oka joined the series in season 1 as Dr. Max Bergman, the chief medical examiner who has assisted Five-0 in solving crimes since the fifth episode of the series — first as a recurring character, and then as a series regular starting in season 2.

After taking a brief sabbatical to work with Doctors Without Borders at the end of season 6, Max returned for the annual Halloween episode but is moving to Africa with new bride Sabrina (Rumer Willis). Oka breaks down his exit here, and also EW spoke with executive producer Peter Lenkov to get his take on losing a member of the Five-0 ohana, whether Max will ever return, and the future of the show:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did Masi Oka’s exit come about? Did he come to you and say that he wanted to exit. or was it something you decided?
PETER LENKOV: Masi is so very ambitious. He’s producing a movie. He’s spending a lot of time in Japan these days. He wants to produce more, and he’s very entrepreneurial. He actually talked to me the last couple of years, and he said, “When the time’s right, I’d really like you to write me out of the show” because he wants to pursue other interests, so it really just came down to that, and I held onto it as long as I could.

When did you guys make the ultimate decision that now was the right time?
Last year, at the end of the season, we had discussed it. I wrote him out where he went on sabbatical, and I was going to do that, and then I decided, “No, let me just bring him back for a bunch of more episodes and have a real goodbye.” The character warranted a little more of a buildup of his goodbye. We came up with a great story, a little story for him to build to that place.

What can you tease for Max’s sendoff episode?
For seven years, he’s been this introvert. In this episode, you’re going to find out how he really feels about everybody. He never shared a lot of his emotions. He’s been present in family get-togethers, but you never knew what Max was really thinking. You’re going to get to see what his relationship was with everybody over the course of the seven years, how important they were to his life, and what he really felt about them. It’s just it’s a nice episode where a guy who didn’t really share his feelings gets to do that in the last episode that he’s in.

How does the team feel about Max leaving?
Part of the storyline is he went off at the end of last year and did this Doctors Without Borders. He came back a different person, a little more worldly and wiser, and he got married to Sabrina. I think they’re happy for him to pursue his dream. He worked with dead people for so long that now he’s getting to work with living, breathing people, and it’s expanded who he is as a person. I think they’re happy for him. Of course they’re sad. Nobody wants to see anybody leave, but I think they like what it’s done for him and the journey that he’s been on.

How do you think Masi’s exit changes the show? Do you think it won’t have as big of an impact considering the audience has felt what it’s like to be without Max?
Even since the beginning, he hasn’t been in every episode. I’m hoping people miss him, because that’s a sign that we did our job, but I think the first six episodes or first five episodes of the season did not have him in, and we were able to function pretty well having a new ME come in. But I’m hoping people miss him. I’m hoping people talk about him and want him to come back. We’ve left the door open for that to happen one day. But like any show, it grows and characters change. He’s leaving on a good note. It’s sort of a best kind of exit you want for a character. It’s all on good terms.

Was there anything in particular you wanted to do with Max before he left?
I wanted him to open up. That’s it. I just wanted him to open up. He’s an introvert, and I just wanted to have him share what he thought of everybody. It was just that. They didn’t really get to know him that well. I mean, you think you know him, but they didn’t really get to know him that well, and I think you’re going to in this episode.

Was there ever any consideration of killing off Max?
No. No. No. It’s very much mirroring what’s happening in Masi’s life, which is he’s going off to pursue other interests. And I like the idea of the character being able to come back one day. It just didn’t feel right for that character to have him exit in any other way than have the guy go and grow. He’s sort of like a man-child all this time. It’s like Jerry a little bit, so I like the idea of him maturing and leaving the nest.

So then you do see the door open for him to potentially return.
For sure, I hope so. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. It all depends on how much life we have left in us, which I think we still have a lot. I’d love him to come back someday.

You mentioned Max’s replacement, Dr. Cunha (Kimee Balmier), who we’ve already seen on the show. Is she playing a bigger role moving forward with Max gone?
Yeah, she’s the new ME. So whenever we have a case that involves an ME, she’ll be our ME. So hopefully just like with Masi, we’ll get to know her over time, spend a little more time with her and make her a permanent member of the family.

Do you hope, with this new ME, to have a different dynamic with the team, maybe one that is a little bit more personal?
Yeah, I think already she’s the opposite of Max. Max never got the joke. She gets the joke. She’s a more fully functioning human being. Masi always played things with blinders on. He was sort of based on a friend of mine, this genius savant who had very particular interests and excelled in them — and Masi was that character. This woman is a little more fully rounded in terms of her personality.

Did you ever consider doing a revolving door of people coming into the ME’s office?
No, I told our casting director in Hawaii that I wanted somebody with a really great sense of humor. Masi was funny, his character, Max, was funny, but not intentionally. He didn’t make jokes. I wanted the opposite of him, so I was looking for somebody who had some roots in comedy. I was always looking for somebody specific, but never a revolving door. Although, who knows, it may not work out, and it may be a revolving door, but so far it’s working out fine.

You mentioned you hoped to have a lot of life left in the show, but Alex has said in the past that he sees his final season as being season 8. How do you feel about that?
I think every actor looks at the end of their contract as the end of their run on the show, and then the network comes back, makes them an offer and extends it, and then it’s two years after that, so I don’t know. Right now, I think his contract does end in season 8, but I think people change their minds. If Alex is saying that, it’s partly because it’s true, his contract does end, but I think also when you get to 150-something episodes, there’s a little bit of fatigue. So I think when you’re doing an interview, it’s definitely something that people bring up, and I think the first instinct is, “Well, I’m only contracted to do another 25 episodes,” but who knows, you know? As you very well know, contracts come to an end and they get renewed.

So you’re not looking at these next few seasons as the end?
No. It’s funny because there was this article that called us Resurgent Five-0, and I think as long as the ratings are doing well and we’re doing well internationally, the show could run for more than another year. There’s a lot of life left in it, and I think nobody from our side — I know the crew and us as writers, we definitely have a lot more stories to tell. And it may require bringing in more characters and just expanding the family, which we’ve been doing over the years, but definitely there’s still a lot of stories left with McGarrett and the core group that have been there since the beginning.

ew.com/tv/2017/01/12/hawaii-five-0-masi-oka/?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

[mandyblue]

awaii Five-0 hasn’t officially been given a pickup for Season 8, but if the numbers for the police drama are any indication, CBS should give it at least one more year.

But one cast member won’t be returning as Masi Oka wraps up his role as Dr. Max Bergman after seven seasons — six as a regular – on tonight’s episode.

“To be honest with you, being on a show for seven years, I’m just so grateful,” Oka told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “It is a godsend to be on a long show in this day and age. But, I think, it’s just my body telling me, ‘Okay, you’ve been traveling a little bit too much.’ I’ve actually made 18 roundtrips per year to Hawaii, so that’s what took the physical toll on my body. So, timing-wise the character got married last year and he went to Africa, so it just seemed like the perfect time for him to take that next step as well.”

In the Ua ho’i ka ‘ōpua i Awalua [Hawaiian for The Clouds Always Return to Alawua] episode, Max and his wife prepare to move to Africa, but before they leave, the Five-0 team has to investigate a murder that takes place during a police convention on the island.

“Last year, Max went to Doctors Without Borders and that experience moved him a lot and changed who he is as a person,” Oka said. “So he and Sabrina, his wife, are going to move permanently to Africa.”

In this interview, Oka also talks about his plans for the future, a film he is producing and a movie he is starring in, as well as other projects he has in the works.



So, Max’s tired of working with dead people and he wants to work with live people?

Maybe that’s the case. Doing an autopsy, he’s still helping the living go through grieving. By helping solve cases, he’s helping people. But I think there’s something about helping children in particular and seeing the smiles on people’s faces that affected him.

We talked back when you got your first job on Heroes and at that time your parents wanted you to have a real job. So, having that background, does it make you nervous to walk away from something that’s a hit?

Absolutely. It is always nerve-racking because you never know what’s out there. Fortunately, I have a lot of projects on the burner right now. I’m in a movie called Meg coming out for Warner Bros. in 2018. I’m producing a movie called Death Note. I have my game company going. I have a lot of things going on, but as an actor, it is always nerve-racking because this industry’s constantly changing. You never know when the next one is, so I definitely don’t take that for granted.

How did you become a producer on Death Note?

I worked on a movie called Bleach prior to this, which is from the same publisher, and that was over at Warner Bros. as well. And when Warner Bros. decided not to go forward with that project, the publisher asked us to come in to help out Death Note. Jason Hoffs and I were the producers on Bleach and they asked us, “Hey, can you continue doing this on a different project?” So, that’s how that started.

But in general I’ve always been a big fan of manga and animation. I’m Japanese. I grew up on a lot of Japanese culture. So, when I started working on Heroes, I reached out to a lot of the publishers in Japan and said, “Hey, I’m a big fan. If there’s anything I can help out with, please let me know,” and just started a relationship that way, literally as a fan.

It came from a place of passion. At that time, there weren’t as many Hollywood movies being made out of Japanese animation and I thought, “Wow, I think some of them would make great live action films.”

Who do you play in Meg?

I play one of the operators. I’m not sure how much I can talk about Meg, but I play one of the operators who do a hunt and discovery mission undersea.

Talk a little bit about how you see your career going forward.

It’s interesting because I see every day as a new start for me. I’m always trying to discover new opportunities, discovering new things about myself, and I’m just very excited and open to opportunities. I think careerwise as long as I can create things, that’s what will definitely make me happy. That could be either on the content side, or on the technology side, creating things that way, or even just in business, supporting and creating a relationship between Japan and Hollywood, or the tech industry and games, or whatever.

But at the same time, I still love doing what I do as an actor as well. So, if there’s another great TV show to be a part of, I would love to do that and movies as well. Also, I think, I would love to direct sometime in the future because I feel that’s also an amazing way of telling a story.

The entertainment industry is changing so much and evolving so fast, there’s so so many ways of telling a story out there. So, it’s very exciting and I’d rather not just say, “This is my only path,” because you never know what new technology is going to come out next year.

And I’m doing a lot of stuff for VR right now, because that’s a new frontier and that’s a very different way of telling interactive stories.

Right. Well, you have that technical expertise, right?

Yes. So, I’m trying to reuse everything I’ve learned in all the time I’ve spent on the computer playing games. I can say its research now, though.

When you look back at your time on Hawaii Five-0, what’s the takeaway for you?

Just to really enjoy every moment, because as I said, time flies so fast. It’s unbelievable that I’ve been on that show for seven years and that’s almost twice as long as the time I spent on Heroes. But just don’t take anything for granted. I mean, I miss my crew. I miss my cast mates. So, the fact that I now have to make a big effort to see those guys now, it’s sad. I rememberthe last day of shooting to see that empty ME’s office was so sad. Things can be created so quickly, but can also be destroyed very quickly. So, I think the takeaway is just to really, really savor every day and just don’t take things for granted.

parade.com/539002/paulettecohn/masi-oka-on-why-its-time-to-say-goodbye-to-his-role-on-hawaii-five-0/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Core 4]

And another interview. This time with CBS News.


Masi Oka talks about leaving "Hawaii Five-0," diversity on TV and movie "Death Note"

After five seasons on “Hawaii Five-0,” Masi Oka is saying goodbye to the beloved series as his character, Dr. Max Bergman, moves to Africa with his new wife. The actor talked to CBS News about his post-”Five-0” career plans, Asian-American representation on TV and what he would do with a notebook that had the power to kill anyone in the world.

What brought you to your decision to leave “Hawaii Five-0”?
It’s never an easy decision because it’s Hawaii, first of all, and it’s a great show with a great cast, great crew, great writers, but I think at the end of the day Max kind of ran his course. He was in a great part of his life: He got married, went to Africa, got affected by wonderful people there and what he was doing there and it made me think about my own life and how it’s time for me to go on an adventure as well.

As much as I’m grateful to be part of a hit show, there’s definitely a lot of travel that had to be done, and because of that I think my body started to take a physical toll from doing 18 roundtrips to Hawaii every year. I wanted to be in L.A. or Japan and be more in control of my schedule, and my mother is not in the best health so I want to be here for her. If the show were in L.A., I’d love to stay on forever because it’s the greatest gig in the world.

Now for the other side of the same coin -- what did you like about working on the show that made you stay on for so long?
Even as a procedural, the writers always made it so interesting, and there’s a lot of great action. They always had my character do something interesting, so that was always great, and I just had a great rapport with my castmates. I love hanging out with them. It’s a great crew and it’s Hawaii. If you’re going to shoot somewhere, Hawaii is so beautiful and the best backdrop you can ask for. Those are a lot of the reasons why I stayed on for a long time -- and it’s nice to have a job with the market being tough. I’m grateful to be on a long-running show. We’re very lucky for that.

I know it’s a show with a huge international reach. What is it like for you to get recognized all over the world?
It’s amazing. The fact that you get to meet people all around the world is because of shows like this. It’s just great because you go to different countries and people know you -- you have an instant connection and you wouldn’t have those opportunities if you didn’t have a big show with an international following. A lot of fans come from “Heroes,” as well.

It’s not common to see a show with so much Asian representation. How did it feel to be part of a show that was kind of at the forefront of diversifying TV?
We’re very proud of it. I think this kind of diversity wave happens every 10 years. Twenty years ago, there was a wave of African-Americans on TV, 10 years ago, there was a Latino wave and this year, this generation is all about Asian-Americans coming together and moving forward. We’ve been very fortunate because I think “Lost” started that with Daniel [Dae Kim] and Naveen [Andrews] -- brought a diverse cast on a primetime series and because of that, “Heroes” existed and because of that you can have Asians on camera and have diversity in that way.

We had it before but a lot of it was black and white, so we want to have true diversity with all different kinds of representation and we’re very proud to be part of that, to show there can be Asian-Americans on TV. The last two years have been great but we still have a long way to go. We want to see more African-Americans, Latinos, transgender people, more disabled people -- we want to see every aspect of life represented on TV. It’s supposed to represent all of America and all walks of life.

What kind of roles would you like to see open up to more Asian actors?
I think anything. I think in many ways it starts with writing. It also starts with the audience and what people want to see. There are Asians, just like any other Americans, who are blue collar people, there are Asian people who are bad people, too. In the past, they’ve only shown a sliver of truth and stereotypes are based on truth, but they only show one side so it’s nice to have more multifaceted characters.

You can take any character on screen and ask if color is so important. Why not have an Asian-American president in “House of Cards” or an Asian-American baseball player on “Pitch”? An Asian-American guy on “Game of Thrones”? It can be anything. Race should not be an issue unless it’s inherent to the characters.

You were talking before about your “next adventure.” What will that be?
Well, I’m still looking right now, but fortunately it’s pilot season so I’ll find out if there are any great shows to be part of and there are a lot more diverse shows right now. I’m also working on producing “Death Note” for Netflix.

I’m in a movie called “Meg” with Warner Bros. and Jason Statham. I have six to eight projects that I’m producing. I’m consulting for a bunch of corporations in Japan, including the government, and I’m trying to bridge two worlds -- Japan and Hollywood. I invest in a lot of startups. I have my own game company, Mobius Digital, and I’m coming out with my own game, maybe this summer -- our first console game, that is. So a lot of irons in the fire.

There sure are. How do you handle that much multi-tasking and switching on and off between things?
It’s about having a well-prepared excel sheet. No, it’s just fun! Maybe my mind is like Google -- try a bunch of different things and things will work out and connect in the future and a lot of things don’t require 100 percent of your attention, so sometimes it’s good to go back and forth, back and forth because using your left side of your brain and right side approach things in a different way. Having that flexibility of thought allows me to bring in a different perspective to all kinds of projects. Maybe it’s because I have ADD, but it’s nice to be able to bounce back and forth and not just do one thing forever.

Tell me more about “Death Note” -- a lot of big names attached there.
We’re very excited. I saw the first cut and it looks great. I think it’s going to be a great movie and great adaptation of Japanese manga.

It has a fascinating premise : You write a name in this magic notebook and that person dies.
Well, we don’t call it “magic.” It’s a notebook bestowed upon the death god, a grim reaper, so it kind of poses a moral question: If you had the ability to give the death sentence to anybody, would you do it? What would you do with that power? In this day and age where there’s a lot of crime and uncertainty and you have ISIS, shootings, a lot of evil in the world -- if you could take that in your hands, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

What would you do?
That’s a tough question. It’s a lot of responsibility but I think I might use it for one or two people and just not deal with it after that and just let go of it. Everybody has a different point of view and not that I agree with any of the terrorists, but some of what they’re doing is right to them. It’s just matter of their point of view. Ethically and morally we know it’s wrong, but those people have a different perspective and if you think about the goodness of the world, if you can make one change and save the world, you know it’s definitely something you think about. Especially if you can save millions of lives, you might consider it.

You have a tech background and you used to work in visual effects. What made you get into acting?
It’s something i studied in college. I loved “Star Wars” and I loved the movies, but I never saw it as a career, because how many Asian actors do you see on TV? We had Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Long Duk Dong and Short Round, so those are the characters we looked up to. It was like, “Well, there’s not many options,” but I always loved it because it gave me a different perspective in the world. In college, I hated being stereotyped and labeled: “You can do this; you can’t do that.”

I always strove for harmony of left brain and right brain so having both sides enhance me as a person. Being an artist made me a better engineer, and being an engineer made me a better artist. I think that’s why I loved it -- and I was very lucky to be in the right place and time and get “Heroes” and then “Hawaii Five-0.”

www.cbsnews.com/news/masi-oka-talks-about-leaving-hawaii-five-0-diversity-on-tv-and-movie-death-note/

[Core 4]

Interview of Masi for TV Guide. Great information, he may return in the future.

Will you consider making future guest appearances on the show?
Oka: Yeah, absolutely. I'm definitely not against that. There's a tradition in the Halloween episode, where he dresses up as Keanu [Reeves]. They left it open where, I'm in Africa but Max says, "I'm reachable by Skype or by phone calls." So, I'm sure I could always just literally phone it in at times if they need an expert. I'm definitely not closed to it. It'll be nice for nostalgia's sake at times ... to just pop in once in a while. Definitely not against it, but as a regular, I think the time has come and it's time for a new adventure.


Full interview:

Hawaii Five-0: Masi Oka Reveals Why Now Was the Right Time for Max to Leave

The Hawaii Five-0 team is down a member after Friday's episode.

Medical examiner Dr. Max Bergman (Masi Oka) bid his colleagues a final farewell at the end of the hour, heading off to live a life of domestic bliss in Africa with his new wife Sabrina (Rumer Willis).

TVGuide.com chatted with Oka about the reasons behind his decision to leave the show after six and a half seasons, why he feels Max's story came to a natural conclusion and whether this is the last we'll see of his character.

Max got a really satisfying, albeit bittersweet, sendoff. It was unusual to see so much emotion from him.
Masi Oka: You see him kind of open up. I think this is the first and the last time you'll see Max really open up and speak from his heart. ... We learn what he really thinks about [his colleagues], things that he's never really been able to say. Max is really not the emotional type per se. He thinks out everything logically. So this is kind of the first time he lets his heart do the talking instead of his brain. And we do learn that he actually enjoyed a lot of the banter with Danny and really looked up to McGarrett. It's a nice reveal.

Jerry (Jorge Garcia) discovers that Max has kept a journal every day. Whose decision was it to incorporate flashbacks in that way?
Oka: I actually don't know. I think Matt Wheeler was writing the episode. ... [Showrunner Peter Lenkov] is always the creative guru behind all of this. Peter's great about that. I have a great relationship with Peter, and he always comes up with something great. I think he definitely came up with all the decisions in terms of how to do it. That writing staff is amazing. They had to come up with something really, truly interesting every week for a procedural, and they've been doing it for seven years. My hat's off to them.

Did you have any input in Max's exit storyline?
Oka: I actually told Peter, I was like, "Look, if it helps the ratings, feel free to kill Max off." I want to help the show in any way. That's kind of a joke I told him, but I guess they wanted to keep it open for me to come back, which was very nice of them.
Would Hawaii Five-0 continue without Alex O'Loughlin?

Why was now the right time for you to leave?
Oka: My feeling was that, after seven years, I've been so grateful for the opportunity to be on such a great show that's beloved in the U.S. and around the world. At the same time, Max has pretty much done everything that I think he can do. He's at the high point of his life. He got married. And we're probably not going to see much of his married life, because Rumer has commitments elsewhere and the show has so many main characters. Max is going to be a side story.
So, I felt there was not more exploration that could be done for his character. He's just constantly spewing out medical terms in autopsies. So, I think in terms of a character arc, he's already reached his peak. And it was a good time for him. He went to Africa. He got married. So, it was nice to see him leave on a happy note.

And him leaving got me thinking about, "Well, maybe it's time for me to go as well." As much as I love Hawaii, I love the crew, I love the cast, I love the writers and I love the fans, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity, it was time for a new adventure. I'm not getting any younger. I was also concerned about my mother's health as well. She's in Los Angeles. If the show was in LA, I would stay forever. But because it's in Hawaii, it takes a good two days or three days of traveling to Hawaii and back to LA. and I can't plan for anything because of that. And I just needed to be in LA to be able to get to my mother and also to be able to take care of a lot of the business stuff in LA. It took a physical toll on me to make 18 round-trips to Hawaii every year. It's the seventh season, so that's over 100 round-trips to Hawaii in the last six years. And as much as I love Hawaii and I know it's champagne problems, when you're on a plane longer than you are on the ground in Hawaii, it adds up, unfortunately. I love Hawaii and would love to go back maybe on my own terms, on a vacation. But for now, me commuting to Hawaii, the time has come.

How did the conversation go with Peter and the other producers? Did they agree, or did they try to convince you to stay?
Oka: I think it was both. But Peter was very understanding. It's actually something I was asking for maybe a year ago as well. It was the same situation. Peter's been great. He's been so open, and he's like, "Sure. Let's make this work out for you." ... So I'm grateful, because we're all leaving on amicable terms, which is nice. I have a lot of respect for Peter, and vice-versa.

Will you consider making future guest appearances on the show?
Oka: Yeah, absolutely. I'm definitely not against that. There's a tradition in the Halloween episode, where he dresses up as Keanu [Reeves]. They left it open where, I'm in Africa but Max says, "I'm reachable by Skype or by phone calls." So, I'm sure I could always just literally phone it in at times if they need an expert. I'm definitely not closed to it. It'll be nice for nostalgia's sake at times ... to just pop in once in a while. Definitely not against it, but as a regular, I think the time has come and it's time for a new adventure.
Hawaii Five-0's Alex O'Loughlin: McGarrett would be an "idiot" to take Catherine back

We see Max pass the torch of the ME position to Noelani (Kimee Balmilero). Do you know if her character will have a bigger role going forward?
Oka: I hope so. I haven't been keeping up on the scripts, so I can't tell you how much she's in it. ... That would be the assumption. At the same time, they said they didn't need an ME in the beginning, so I'm not sure how much they're going to use her, but I hope they do. She's a good character.

As you mentioned before, Max gave a very heartfelt speech to his colleagues at the end. How much of that was art imitating life?
Oka: A lot of it is true to life. I added some of my own stuff into it. The speech flowed really easily, because it's definitely things that I was thinking about. Ironically, when everything was done, I really didn't have anything to say, because I felt like I said it all on camera to everybody. But it was definitely me saying goodbye to everybody through Max's words.

Now that you have some distance, how do you feel about the goodbye?
Oka: I'm actually very relieved in some sense, just because I never get to say goodbye on some shows, like, on a lot of the guest-starring shows. ... Even with Heroes, we got canceled. So, it was nice to say a proper goodbye before I left. I was happy in the sense that -- I mean, nobody's dying. Nobody's going away forever. It's just, I'm going to have to make an effort to go see these guys, all my friends, now, which is the hard part and sad part. You take that for granted. But, I don't know. I was in a really good place. I was emotional through the [scene], and I didn't want to ruin that moment by letting all the emotions come out beforehand. But it was a really happy moment, because it's something that I wanted. It was, ironically, very happy all around.

Did you take any props from the set as mementos?
Oka: Actually, no. They gave me the leis. I always like to take the chair backings with me. But that's about it. It was a long night shoot, so I also didn't want to drag it on for a long time. Because those guys, everybody had to work the next day, so I didn't want to make it all about me. I'm just grateful to have had the opportunity to say goodbye.
That's why I'm really happy about it. They gave me a really nice farewell, and I think it's a reflection of how much I love the 'ohana and how much 'ohana loves Max as well. So that's why I'm saying I thought it was really well done. That's why I was happy. Nobody was getting fired. Nobody was saying, "Oh, I can't take this anymore, I hate this sh--." It was just a natural flow of things. It was done with such respect on both sides.

What's next for you?
Oka: It's almost pilot season, so I would love to see if there's any other TV shows, hopefully that shoot in LA. That's a big thing for me. But I'm producing a lot of movies. I'm working on Death Note, we're in post [production] with that for Netflix. I have about six other projects I'm working on, in terms of movies and a couple TV shows. I'm also in a movie called Meg, that's coming out 2018 from Warner Bros. It's an action shark movie starring Jason Statham, so that's fun. And then I'm continuing to do some consulting work for a lot of Japanese corporations ... and then I have my own game company. Mobius Digital. We're coming up with our first console game later this year. So, a lot of irons in the fire, fortunately. I'll stay busy. But definitely open to another venture on TV or a movie or whatnot. I'm just grateful to be working. Just, Five-O and Max, it's time for him to retire for now.

Any final words?
Oka: I just want to thank everybody, thank the crew, thank the cast, thank the writers, thank CBS for giving us such a great sendoff, and thanks to all the fans, too. This is why we make the show, and I really appreciate all the love that they've given Max. Hopefully they'll continue to support Five-O and they'll continue to support my endeavors in the future as well.

www.tvguide.com/news/hawaii-five-0-recap-masi-oka-max-final-episode/?ftag=TVG_Twitter