'Hawaii Five 0': Behind the Scenes With Masi Oka

While hunting a killer nicknamed the ”Trash Man” in this April 9 episode, the Five-0 come to realize the madman has a connection to their very own quirky medical examiner Dr. Max Bergman (Masi Oka). ”Max has a distinct history with the Trash Man,” Oka says. ”I have yet to see a cut yet, but all the producers seem to be very excited about it, which is a good sign.”

”The entire crew and the cast were very supportive of this episode. They knew this was Max’s episode, and people were very supportive. I really, really appreciated that vibe, and the love and the support I got from my crew and my cast mates on this episode,” says Oka, here with Scott Caan and Daniel Dae Kim.

”We actually filmed at the Dole pineapple plantation, and it’s amazing. Actually, some of the pineapples in the front are planted by us [for the shot], but Hawaii’s amazing. That’s the one thing about Hawaii. Without a doubt, Hawaii itself is the main character of Hawaii Five-0. It’s the culture and the landscapes…. No offense to my LA peeps. Hawaii Five-0 would not be the same if it was Venice Five-0.”

As Doc Bergman, when Oka is not spitting out medical jargon or geeking out (”This place is like my Graceland!”), Oka often finds himself acting as part of the show’s comic relief. But this episode, he says, was a nice departure. ”It’s a great challenge getting to play a really meaty scene that’s not just about giving information.”

For the former Heroes actor, it was a treat to get to explore his character’s thus-far enigmatic past. ”Procedurals are all about getting the audience, entertaining them and giving them something comforting to go back to every week. But at the same time, we want to see more of the background, and of course you can’t have anything emotional or something like dramatic every day,” he says. ”If it’s all these huge character revelations every week, then you don’t have a story. It doesn’t last. Heroes kind of had that, but it was like, that’s the problem: I think it went too fast.”

Even with a number of reveals in this episode, Oka says there will be some aspects left to explore on a later date, but he appreciated that there was a bit of mystery left. ”There are certain things that we still haven’t revealed about Max, which is great for the future in terms of leaving at least a little bit more exploration for the character,” says Oka, pictured here with Kim and Caan. ”But I think that hopefully the audience will see a different side of Max in the episode.”

One of the sides fans will see? Max in action! But don’t necessarily look for him to wield a gun. ”I did wield a weapon… let’s put it that way. And it wasn’t a French bread or a pineapple.”

Masi Oka, Scott Caan, and Daniel Dae Kim

Masi Oka and Daniel Dae Kim