Page 4 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - April 26, 2023

4 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK APRIL 26, 2023
COVER STORY
STORY BY
Yu Shing Ting
PHOTO BY
Anthony Consillio
COVER WARDROBE BY
Lexbreezy Hawai‘i
Who’s delighted with where her acting career
is heading? Try 12-year-
old Mahina Napoleon, the self-described “funny” girl with a luminous personality, who’s been cast in AMC’s The Walking Dead: Dead City.
A t just 12 years old, Mahina Napoleon is already shining bright among the stars.
She recently wrapped filming of NCIS: Hawaii season 2, in which she portrays Julie Tennant, daughter of lead character Jane Tennant, played by Vanessa Lachey. Next up: She’s been cast as Ginny in The Walking Dead: Dead City, which premieres June 18 on AMC.
“I’ve watched The Walking Dead from when I was 4 or 5, so I’m familiar with the show, and when I was auditioning for it and when I found out I got the role, it was mind-blowing,” says Napoleon, who would often watch the post-apocalyptic horror drama television series with her dad. “I watch this show and now I’m on it, so it’s crazy.
“My story, my character Ginny is very interesting and you would never think that would be why I’m in the show. The set there was way different from NCIS: Hawaii because it’s more gory, there are zombies, and more dark, but it was definitely more adventurous.”
Filming took place from July to October in New Jersey and occasionally in New York. Napoleon admits that being away from home for four months while juggling school and work has been the hardest part of her acting career so far, but she’s learned to adapt, especially with the support of her family, including parents Amber and Jeffrey.
“When I was in New York, that was my first year at Kame- hameha Schools (she previously attended Windward Nazarene SEE PAGE 5