Tyler does it all, including ‘Five-0,’ by being fearless

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Aisha Tyler and Alex O’Loughlin during filming for “Hawaii Five-0” at Kualoa Ranch. Tyler portrayed a talk-show host embedded with the “Five-0” unit.

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Aisha Tyler with Alex O'Loughlin

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Aisha Tyler and Daniel Dae Kim

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Aisha Tyler and Daniel Dae Kim

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Aisha Tyler, center, joined the "Hawaii Five-0" cast for filming at Kualoa Ranch. From left, Grace Park, Daniel Dae Kim, Tyler, Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan.

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If there’s something Aisha Tyler does not do, then please, point it out.

Her resume on IMDB.com, an online database of films and television, lists a string of credits under actress, writer, producer, director, editor, composer and more. Plus, she’s a Dartmouth College graduate and a regular player on the World Poker Tour.

Still not convinced?

She’s a co-host of the CBS daytime show "The Talk," produces a weekly comedy podcast "Girl on Guy," stars as sexy superspy Lana Kane on the raunchy animated FX series "Archer," and brews her own beer.

The 42-year-old San Francisco native recently added a guest spot on "Hawaii Five-0" to her credits. Tyler trudged through the jungle at Kualoa Ranch in a role that wasn’t far from her own work experience: She portrayed a talk-show host embedded with the "Five-0" crew.

Tyler, who talks a mile a minute, paused between machine-gun-filled scenes and taking smartphone photos of Alex O’Loughlin to talk about life, her goals and why she would be a better Vic Mackey on the dark FX cop series "The Shield."

QUESTION: What’s left on Aisha Tyler’s bucket list?

ANSWER: Well, I kind of believe in revising your bucket list constantly so you don’t get bored. And I never think, "I’ve got it all done.’" I really want to direct a film. I have a new book coming out this summer, which has been a goal of mine for a long time. I want to do another comedy special. … I tell you what I am not going to do is sky dive. Let’s throw that in the trash can right now. I’m not jumping out of a plane. Why tempt fate? I can play a video game if I want to almost feel like I died.

Q: At what point in your life did you say, "I want to do everything"?

A: I have a type-A personality and I’m terrified of irrelevance. No — know what it is? I was a first daughter. You always want to please, you always want to accomplish. And then I also feel that I have a very finite amount of time here. Everything that I want to do I just try it. And I don’t fear failure.

My new book that I have coming out, "Self-Inflicted Wounds," is all about the idea that people always say to you, "I didn’t want to try that because I was afraid that I was going to fail."

I just try things thinking I am probably going to fail and that shouldn’t be a barrier to trying something that you are excited about. If you accept from the beginning that it is probably not going to go the way you want, then you just jump in with both feet, you learn from your failures, you grow from them.

Q: What do you like the most about being Lana? Do you have any influence over the way she’s drawn?

A: Oh, my God, I don’t have any influence over the way she is drawn. Her boobs get bigger and bigger every season and I keep saying that by the end of the show she is going to be dying under the weight of her own breasts like a turtle on its back. So obviously I have no influence over Lana’s body shape or type. But I love her. I think that she is smart, accomplished and flawed and funny and she’s a total bad ass, more of a bad ass than I will ever be. I would love for her to put on a pair of pants. That would be nice, just once in a while. How about a pair of pants, Lana?

Q: If you could have your own prime-time TV drama, what would it be about?

A: Gosh, it’s interesting because TV’s changed so much over the years and I have been super lucky to do so many types of shows.

I did a series that is airing now on Reelz Channel that’s called "XIII" and it’s an action thing and the season is about to start. It’s like a "24" and I loved doing "24." …

I love action. If I could do a funny-smart version of "The Shield," maybe, that would be really cool. If you could do "The Shield" only a little more sarcastic. And with a woman. Yeah, with the Vic Mackey character as a woman. That would be cool. You know I love "The Walking Dead," that’s my favorite show on TV right now but you can’t have two zombie shows, so yes, a female-driven "Shield" would be really cool.

Tyler’s "Hawaii Five-0" episode, "Imi Loko ka ‘Uhane," will air on April 29. And that’s a wrap. …

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Mike Gordon is the Star-Advertiser’s film and television writer. Read his Outtakes Online blog at honolulupulse.com. Reach him at 529-4803 or email mgordon@staradvertiser.com.