Kristoffer Polaha – Pearl in Paradise

By starrymag | August 18, 2018

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are some of the themes and undertones of the film Pearl In Paradise?

 

A) I would say one early theme of Pearl In Paradise is getting outside your comfort zone, leaving the things that make you feel safe and comfy behind and trusting that change and new challenges can be good things. Also, a major theme in this movie is truth.  Our leads can’t find what they are looking for until the truth comes out. There is also a really powerful theme of faith in this film, which surprised me when I first read the script, actually. There is a scene where my character talks about faith and it’s dead on; faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Which is to say, believing in something you can’t see but know is real. Like having never been to France, but knowing it exists.  Our two heroes are on a search for a pearl that they have never seen, but they KNOW it exists. Then, well…no spoilers here, but watch and you’ll see what I mean. Trust, Truth, and Faith.

 

Q) When you began reading the script, what are some of your character’s traits or aspects that really stood out and resonated with you?

 

A) When I began reading the script, two things popped out at me, one: Fiji, two Fiji. Joking aside, Colin is a fun neurotic, New York novelist who is looking for a new lease on life and he is whisked away on an adventure with a smart, beautiful woman in…Fiji. Sold.

 

Q) The hallmark of Hallmark movies is the great balance of heart and humor as well as love and lessons. How does this film stay consistent with that?

 

A) I love working with Hallmark and Pearl in Paradise is entirely consistent with the Hallmark tradition of love, family and strong moral values with a little humor and a lot of heart mixed in.  If you watch August 18th on Hallmark Channel you’ll see exactly what I mean. More specifically, if you blend your favorite Hallmark movie with the 1980s Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner hit Romancing the Stone you get Pearl In Paradise. Need I say more?

 

Q) What do you think it is about the film that will draw viewers in?

 

A) The short answer, everything about this film will draw viewers in. We are taking you to Fiji with Jill Wagner! Waterfalls! I fall down a huge hill, a very huge hill that has 12-inch centipedes crawling in the dirt at the base of it. I mean, how can this film not draw you in? Also, I may take my shirt off in one scene. Just saying.

 

Q) How does the film build up to feelings flipping from professional to personal as it progresses?

 

A) Technically, every film ever written follows a very specific act by act structure. When we meet the two key players in Act One, they are like oil and water, by Act Two they find common interests. In Act Three they start to like each other. Acts Four and Five we watch as they fall in love. Act Seven, uh-oh, they meet a conflict.  Act Eight they are not going to make it, but by Act Nine, Ahhh, sweet relief, conflict resolution. They made it, happy ending, true love.  Every movie is the same and we love it, but it’s what happens in Act Six that makes Pearl In Paradise so very special.

 

Q) Will you be sharing any special snapshots or behind the scenes moments on social media when the movie airs?

 

A) Yes, I have a few shots I’ll be sharing on my Instagram account @polahaha which will automatically share with my Twitter (@krispolaha) and Facebook (Kristoffer Polaha) accounts.

 

Q) With an extensive career we have seen your characters push boundaries, inspire, and turn pain into power. What is it about these characters that you have carried and kept with you?

 

A) I love characters that are struggling with their unfulfilled potential, the likable loser who tries to make good or the winner, like JFK Jr., who can never meet the expectations of those around him. If you take a look back at my career, most of the characters I’ve brought to life fit in this category. I inform each character and, in turn, they inform me.

 

Q) With filming in Fiji, what was the most surreal moment that stood out for you on or off set?

 

A) Uhhhh…? Filming. In. Fiji. Fiji is beautiful and perfect and everything you’d think it would be. It was also a challenge and rugged and there was a day my crew was slogging cameras and heavy equipment through eight inches of mud along the banks of a gorge. It is not Hawaii; it is a place that exists on its own wavelength and you must submit to it, there is no making it yours. The water is its own thing, the beaches are their own thing, the people (who break into song at a moment’s notice) are their own thing with no regard for what happens off the island.  It’s truly paradise. I met so many amazing people there from Paul, the Surf King of Fiji, who took my family and I out to Cloudbreak to see 25-foot high waves, to Stella who ran the Baka Blues Café and let me sing my heart out on stage, to the kids who swim up the Navua River to go to school. Yes!  They swim upstream to go to school. And to the family who took us up that river and shared a meal with my wife and kids and me and which gave me a great idea that Jill and her friend carried out. There is a generosity of spirit that fills the island.

 

Q) Since the film focuses on travel, what is one place you have yet to visit that you have on your bucket list?

 

A) Australia.

 

Q) What have you taken away from your experiences being a part of this film?

 

A) I’ve taken away some pretty amazing friendships with actors Jill Wagner, Rob Kipa-Williams, Naomi Sequeira and director Gary Yates away from this film. Those guys are like family now. We keep up with each other. I’ll always root for them and I know they will be rooting for me.