We caught up with Lindsay Watson (One Million Dolla, Finding ‘Ohana) who stars as Pi’ilani in The Wind & the Reckoning which tells the true story of a Native Hawaiian ranching family in 1893. As an outbreak of leprosy spreads in 19th century colonial Hawai’i, a family sticks together to resist government-mandated exile and refuses to be separated.
Based on the firsthand account of Pi’ilani as described in the 1906 book The True Story of Kaluaikoolau: As Told by His Wife, Pi’ilani, The Wind and the Reckoning is the one of the first movies with international distribution that is primarily in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, a language that was nearly gone by the 1940s. The film was released theatrically during this year’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month on May 12, and also stars Jason Scott Lee (Doogie Kamealoha, M.D, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), Henry Ian Cusick (Scandal, Lost), Johnathon Schaech (Blue Ridge, That Thing You Do!), Kahiau Perreira, Hoku Pavao Jones, Mark Medeiros (Go for Broke, Magnum P.I.), and Ron Yuan (Sons of Anarchy, Mulan).
We asked Lindsay about preparing to play Pi’ilani from an emotional perspective, getting to tell real stories about Hawaiian history, exposing viewers to the Hawaiian language, and more.
Check out our conversation below.
What were some elements that drew you towards the important story being told in The Wind & the Reckoning?
Lindsay Watson (LW): Even though I was born and raised in Hawai’i, surrounded by our culture, I surprisingly had never heard the story of Pi’ilani and Ko’olau until the first time I read the script. When I heard this story of two powerful Hawaiians fighting for their family and freedom during one of the hardest times in Hawaiian history, I knew I had to be a part of this project.
This story reminds us as Hawaiians that we are strong, resilient people and that no matter how hard times get, we can always stand up for what we know is pono. The elements of ‘Ohana and culture really stood out to me, because even as a modern day Hawaiian, those two things are very important to me in my life. My family means the world to me, so I always understood the motivation for Pi’ilani. This film gave me an opportunity to really dive into my culture and our precious language, and also the opportunity to share it with the world!
What can you tell us about the character you play?
LW: I play the character of Pi’ilani. She is the wife to Ko’olau and mother to Kaleimanu. She is a woman who cares most about her ‘Ohana, her culture, and her religion. She is completely selfless, not only with her ‘Ohana, but with her fellow Hawaiians as well. Although she is the only one without leprosy in our story, that never holds her back from being the most caring mother, wife, and friend. I think that alone speaks volumes to her kind heart. She is willing to fight till the end to stand up for what she believes in, especially because she wants to lead by example for her son. Nothing will hold her back from her duties as a mother and wife. Her resilience really is the glue to the story. Without a doubt, she will go down as one of the strongest women in Hawaiian history.
Another important aspect of this film is that it will be of the first movies with international distribution that is primarily in ʻOlelo Hawai’i. What was your knowledge of the language prior to joining the film?
LW: As I stated before, I was born and raised in Hawai’i, so I was definitely surrounded by the language from a young age, but I was never fluent, I fear not even proficient with it. I actually went to a school for Hawaiians, Kamehameha Schools, where we were taught the basics of our language, which actually helped me a ton when I had to prepare me for this film. Since we only had two weeks to learn this language before we began filming, having some past experience with the language really put me on the right track to learn as fast as possible.
I won’t lie, I was very nervous preparing the language for this film, because as a Hawaiian I wanted to make sure I was doing justice to our language, seeing as this was the first film of this size with 80% ‘Olelo Hawai’i being spoken. But with the help and guidance of our kumus, we were able to pull it off thankfully! It was such an honor and privilege to take on this task, and I’m happy to know our Hawaiian language will live forever through our film.
How did you prepare yourself both acting wise and emotionally for your role?
LW: This was definitely a difficult role to prepare for. There were so many layers to this preparation that were foreign to me, like the fact that it occurred in the 1800’s, that she was a wife and mother, that I was speaking a foreign language, that she effortlessly rode horses and shot guns, and so much more. We didn’t have much time for prep on this film, so my time was packed with language lessons, horse riding lessons, weapon lessons, practice of mental stillness to get into the mindset of living in the 1800’s, and a lot of time connecting with the sacred land we were filming on.
Aside from all the physical preparations, getting myself emotionally in the mind of Pi’ilani was extremely important. The only thing I had to work from was her book, and from there I dissected as much as I could to fully understand her motivations and desires. Bringing to life a real woman from our Hawaiian history was something I did not take lightly and wanted to ensure I gave her the utmost respect and dignity. Many days I sat and would mull over what it must have felt for Pi’ilani to know that her husband and son were most likely going to die before her, a pain no mother should have to experience. And yet she endured and fought for them till the end. After all that preparation, I really felt like I had the right tools to jump into this role and bring her to life and best as I could.
When people watch The Wind & the Reckoning, what are some key messages you hope they digest?
LW: For me, one of the biggest things I hope our audiences walk away with is the knowledge and respect for our language. Choosing to do our film in the Hawaiian language was a risk, but truthfully it was the only accurate way to tell this true historical story. In that time, Hawaiians would speak to each other in ‘Olelo Hawai’i, so we wanted to historically accurate for our culture and ancestors. Know that at one point our language was nearly gone, I hope that our film encourages people to learn the language so that we will never fear for the life of our language again.
As Hawaiians, our culture and language is very important, so it’s such a blessing to be able to share it with people inside and outside of our culture. I love to see audiences of all backgrounds discover something new about our culture, history, or language after watching our film. I really hope our film opens the door for other cultures to be able to share their stories and languages. Being a filmmaker and a Hawaiian, this film gave me and opportunity to merge my two worlds and it was such a pivotal moment for me.
Would you like to be part of other projects that tell true stories in the future?
LW: I would definitely love to be a part of more true stories! There’s something so challenging, yet rewarding about bringing a true story to life. I especially love to tell true stories that have important messages and make an impact. I would actually love to tell more Hawaiian stories! We have so many stories to offer in our rich history. My goal is to continue acting, but eventually start to create my own projects and some of those projects will definitely be more true stories from Hawai’i. I would love to bring work to Hawai’i and to be able to cast Hawaiians in these roles!
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The Wind and the Reckoning is available to rent or buy at https://www.windandreckoning.com.
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