Kekoa Kekumano is one of the new stars of Fox's new Hawaiian lifeguard drama, Rescue: HI-Surf.
Rescue: HI-Surf premiered on Fox on September 22. It follows a group of lifeguards from the North Shore of O'ahu on and off the job.
Twenty-six-year-old actor Kekoa Scott Kekumano plays the fearless, fun-loving Hawaiian local lifeguard, Laka Hanohano.
Kekoa Kekumano - Biography Details
Kekoa Kekumano Grew up in Hawaii
Like his Rescue: HI-Surf character, Kekoa was born and raised in Hawaii, on the island of O'ahu.
According to Kapua Wa'a Experiences, Kekoa has a lifelong love of the ocean and graduated from Kamehameha Schools, which gave him an appreciation for his Hawaiian heritage.
MidWeek reported the Fox star is the oldest in his family with two younger brothers. In high school, he wrestled, played football, and trained in mixed martial arts; however, Kekoa found surfing best suited him.
Kekoa Originally Didn't Want To Get Into Acting
In talking with MidWekk, Kekoa admitted his mom encouraged him to act, but he "didn't really care for it:"
"My mom was always wanting me to get into acting, and I didn’t really care for it. She’d tell me, ‘Go! You gotta try out for the part,’ and I’d get irritated and be like — ‘I don’t wanna do it!'"
His tendency toward reluctance also extends off-screen. When asked to bear the Hawaiian flag during his senior year at a halftime show, he said, "I don't want to do it."
According to Kekoa, “I was so scared. I didn’t want to drop the flag." Yet, he agreed to hold the flag and listened to his mom, leading to his current acting career.
Kekoa Previously Played Young Aquaman
Before starring in Rescue: HI-Surf (alongside co-stars such as Zoe Cipres, which readers can learn more about here), Kekoa appeared in Hawaii Five-0, The White Lotus, and 2018's Aquaman, where he played a younger version of Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry.
Kekoa felt he needed one-on-one time with Jason Momoa to deliver a believable performance (shared via MidWeek), so he invited the DCU star to his home for a barbecue where Momoa's "local boy came out," and they discussed "his mannerisms:"
"Jason’s a larger-than-life guy, and he’s super cool. And because he knew I was from the islands, his local boy came out. While we were hanging out at his house, Jason began talking about his own mannerisms. That helped because when I eventually shot my scene, I wasn’t really thinking about me and what mannerisms I might want to infuse into the character; I was thinking about what Jason’s mannerisms were."
Even though Kekoa has a big-screen superhero film credit on his resume, his greatest success has been on television.
While he admitted he "didn't really care too much" about being in Hawaii: Five-0. That changed once, "I started seeing the paychecks," and "I was like, ‘Holy cow! This is awesome.'"
Kekoa Owns a Canoe Touring Business
Kekoa's career isn't limited to acting. He also owns Kapua Wa'a Experiences, a small, local canoe touring company that provides tours along the coastline of Waikīkī (via Kapua Waʻa Experiences).
His touring company website also notes that Kekoa's previous jobs included being a surf instructor and, like his new TV character, being a lifeguard.
How To Follow Kekoa Kekumano Online
Fans can follow Kekoa on Instagram.
New episodes of Rescue: HI-Surf air on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
