Ka’ena Watson remembers the moment she knew she wanted to be an actress, after having seen a traveling theater performance of “The Lion King.”
“I told my mom that this is what I wanted to do… I did my first show when I was six,” said Watson, a UH Mānoa student. “So it must have been when I was four or five.”
Now Watson can be seen on the small screen, as her recurring character, Ocean, takes on a bigger role in a new episode of “Rescue: HI-Surf” on Monday, Jan. 27, on FOX and streaming. Additionally, Watson takes to the theater stage, playing the role of Mimi in Jonathan Larson’s rock opera, “Rent,” opening Feb. 28 at UH Mānoa.
Despite her childhood dreams, Watson’s current career path wasn’t always so obvious.
“I was acting in high school, and I didn’t know that I could really do this as a career, because (Pacific Islanders) just didn’t really have that much representation,” she said. “I’ve never seen a network television show with someone with the main family being Polynesian, the main family being Hawaiian.”
Watson initially went to Pace University in New York to study acting, but returned home in 2023 when she felt a personal calling.
“I feel like I had the calling, and my ancestors and my people were guiding me back home for this exact project to be around people that are like me and that are uplifting me and themselves in this community,” Watson said. “And I just feel so grateful.”
After coming home she soon landed her role in “Rescue: HI-Surf.” She was met with a positive reaction from her community.
“All of the girls that are looking at me and connecting with me and connecting with my story and even me as Ka’ena. You know? It’s insane to me,” Watson said. “It’s literally a dream come true.”
The actors and actresses on set greeted her with similar warmth.
“I’ve been welcomed with open arms,” Watson said. “It’s a community that is uplifting.”
Assistant Professor Joshua “Baba” Kamoaniʻala Tavares, who was born and raised in Hawai’i, is directing Watson in the upcoming production of “Rent.”
“I think that there’s authenticity because we have a Hawaiian girl, a local girl playing the Hawaiian local girl, on TV. So that’s huge for us,” Tavares said.
“She’s grown so much. I mean, seeing her book the role of Ocean on “Rescue: HI-Surf,” you know, feels like a victory for all of us,” Tavares said.
Ka’ena’s agent, Aubrey Lee Staley, echoed Tavares.
“She’s so fun, free spirited, but her work ethic is just great,” Staley said. “She’s a hard worker. She knows how to pull herself in to focus.”
