FEATURED ACTOR

Nakoa showed up to our shoot with a friendly attitude, couple t-shirts and a very colorful leopard-print track suit. That, in my opinion; is the art of Making An Impression.

Nakoa Decoite is an actor hailing from the beautiful island of Maui, Hawai'i. Before venturing into the entertainment world, he made a name for himself as a professional big-wave surfer, a dedicated waterman, and a skilled martial arts practitioner throughout much of his young adult life.

He caught the acting bug after filming a project back in his home state of Hawai'i, and made the significant decision to relocate to Los Angeles, where he could actively explore a career in Hollywood. Since his move, Nakoa has successfully booked several prominent network television shows, including popular series such as S.W.A.T., Magnum P.I. and NCIS Hawai'i.

Most recently, Nakoa achieved a career milestone when he was directed by John Wells (E.R., West Wing, Shameless) on the exciting new show RESCUE: HI Surf.

What was your first impression of LA?

Nakoa: Let’s see…First impression of LA. I hated it haha. It was a huge culture shock for me. Maui is already small and I’m from a smaller town on the island, so a city like LA is the complete opposite. 

How has that changed?

I stopped comparing LA to Maui, and I started to focus on all the good things the city had to offer. Every town has pros and cons, and because I was only focusing on the cons; it made it hard to embrace the culture here. Also, making a good group of friends that all left home to pursue their goals helped a lot. 

Tell me about working with the legend John Wells on Rescue HI Surf?

John wells is awesome! What I liked most is that he knew exactly what he wanted out of a scene. I know a lot of times with network shows, you’re shooting fast and not getting a lot of coverage. because you don’t have time. But with John, we got a lot of coverage in the same amount of time, because he worked so efficiently. That, and he was just genuinely a nice guy. He was always smiling and dabbing me up, which made me feel comfortable. 


What was your favorite part of our shoot?

You some how made me look good! haha. I have a harder time with taking photos than acting, but I liked your direction and ideas. I thought the photos turned out great!

Finally, What is the dream role for Nakoa?

Blockbuster Antihero. Boom.

• Since our shoot, Nakoa has signed with a new manager, theatrical agent and modeling agency.

• Nakoa @nakoadecoite