Casting call draws hundreds with Hollywood ambitions

1/2

Swipe or click to see more

JAMM AQUINO/HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER
WDA - Hundreds of people lined up outside the building and around the corner from 629 Pohukaina Street during an open casting call for a Hollywood film on Sunday, June 2, 2013 in Kakaako. Though not officially announced, the film which hundreds of hopefuls are looking to be cast in is a remake of "Godzilla." (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser).

2/2

Swipe or click to see more

JAMM AQUINO/HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER
Mililani resident Rowena Char, at left, waited just outside the door where a casting call for a "Godzilla" remake was held Sunday. Char was among hundreds who stood in line for hours on Pohukaina and Keawe streets in Kakaako, hoping to be picked for a role in the film.

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

Hundreds of aspiring actors and film extras braved long hours and lines Sunday along Pohukaina and Keawe streets for a shot at being cast in the "Godzilla" remake reportedly planned to be filmed this summer on Oahu.

Ten-year-old Joseph Kanamu of Kaneohe said he was a fan of Godzilla "because he destroys stuff." Kanamu waited with his brother, Elija, 12, and their mother, Alisa, 42, after Alisa’s mother told her about the casting call.

Alisa said she wanted to be in a movie just so she could say she’d been in one.

Charles Sochalec, a 48-year-old musician also from Kaneohe, heard about the casting call on the news Saturday night.

"I’d like to get into the acting field, so being an extra would be a nice start," he said.

He added that he would enjoy acting in a scene where workers inside an office building watch in horror as Godzilla goes on a rampage outside — "or playing in a band and the club is destroyed," Sochalec quipped.

Don't miss out on what's happening!

Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!

By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser's and Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.

Patricia Eleazer, a 52-year-old Honolulu resident, had stood in line for nearly three hours and said the friend she arrived with had left an hour ago — but planned to return.

"She’s letting me stand in line," Eleazer said with a smirk. Eleazer said she hoped to get a role of someone who survives Godzilla’s on-screen onslaught so she could be in any sequel that gets made.

"I’ve got to be a key figure in this script," Eleazer quipped. "No more 9-to-5."

Eleven-year-old Haley Lenander of Honolulu said she hoped she could get a part in an action scene.

She waited with a family friend, Aaron Blakeslee, 42, who said he was cast about six months ago as an extra for the hit series "Mad Men," which opened its sixth season with scenes in Waikiki.

It’s "a fun experience for the summer, to be part of a big movie," Blakeslee said.

Godzilla is a giant radioactive monster that awakens to wreak destruction on its creators.

It debuted as a Japanese film in 1954, and there was an American remake in 1998 starring Matthew Broderick.

The latest version, set for release May 16, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick Ass"), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad," "Argo"), Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of the Olsen twins, and Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai," "Letters from Iwo Jima.").