By J.K. YAMAMOTO
Rafu Staff Writer
Actress, writer and director Amy Hill has been named parade marshal of the 2024 Nisei Week Japanese Festival and will ride in the Grand Parade this weekend.
Her most recent credits include the reboot of “Magnum, P.I.,” in which she played Teuila Tuileta, better known as Kumu, the cultural curator of the Honolulu estate where Magnum lives. The series, starring Jay Hernandez in the role made famous by Tom Selleck, ran from 2018 to 2024, with four seasons on CBS and one on NBC.
Although fans have urged another network to pick up the show, Hill said, “‘Magnum’ is not coming back. No talk of a movie (to wrap up the story) but (cast member) Stephen Hill is working on a possible spin-off idea.”
Unlike her Pacific Islander character, Hill is the daughter of a Japanese immigrant mother and a Finnish American father and is originally from South Dakota. But she has established herself in Hawaii over the last few years.
“The best thing about being on the show was my being in Hawaii and becoming a part of the community,” she said. “I have a Hawaii state driver’s license and am firmly committed to being a ‘local.’ I had many friends there before I moved and have even more now. I miss my castmates enormously but Stephen Hill is still based there, so that’s great.”
Hill has been dividing her time between L.A. and Honolulu, where her daughter was attending college. “My plan was to be back in L.A. more because my daughter moved back, but now I’m on a new series for Amazon Prime and it looks like I’ll be back and forth through November.”
Hill has extensive TV credits. In the ’90s she played Margaret Cho’s grandma in “All-American Girl” and co-starred with Betty White and Marie Osmond in “Maybe This Time,” among other roles. More recently, she has had regular or recurring roles on “That’s So Raven,” “Jackie Chan Adventures,” “Lilo & Stitch: The Series,” “The Life and Times of Juniper Lee,” “Enlightened,” “American Dad,” “Strip Mall,” “Mom,” “Just Add Magic,” “UnREAL,” “Preacher” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”
Her other recent TV appearances include “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” “Praise Petey,” “Udrive Me,” “Star Trek: Prodigy,” “Mack & Rita,” “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight,” “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” and “Yasuke.”
On stage, she has worked with several theater companies, including Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco and East West Players in L.A., and has done three autobiographical one-woman shows, “Tokyo Bound,” “Reunion” and “Beside Myself.” Her standup was recently featured in the series “Comedy InvAsian.”
“I enjoy theater more than anything,” Hill said. “Can’t wait to go back. Not doing solo work right now but hope to get that going. I’d love to do another multi-camera sitcom if they ever make a comeback.”
Hill, whose 195+ IMDb credits go back to the mid-1980s, believes that portrayals of AAPIs in Hollywood have improved over the years. “The shift has been behind the camera with more production teams, writers and directors in positions of power.”
One recent example is “The Unbidden” (2016), directed by Quentin Lee, a thriller about four women confronted by a mysterious young man who knows a dark secret from their past. Hill stars along with Tamlyn Tomita, Julia Nickson, Elizabeth Sung and Hayden Szeto.
Hill discussed some of her latest projects: “I just finished guest-starring on an Apple+ show where I played a lead detective in the 1960s. Completed filming the live-action ‘Lilo and Stitch.’ (She was also in the animated original, but as a different character.) Starring alongside Maggie Q in a ‘Bosch’ spinoff on Amazon Prime. Keeping busy and extremely grateful.”
The Grand Parade will make its way through the streets of Little Tokyo on Sunday, Aug. 11, starting at 4 p.m.
Hill and Grand Marshal David Ono of ABC 7 Eyewitness News will be among the honorees at the Nisei Week Foundation Awards Dinner on Monday, Aug. 12, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 120 S. Los Angeles St. in Little Tokyo. Online registration is closed but those who are interested can contact [email protected].
Photos by J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo