As the new year begins, many new things make their appearances. One of those things is entertainment. Hawaii 5-O aired their new episode, Ka Ho’oponopono on January 2, on CBS.

Tony Nickelsen, AP English teacher, got to be in this episode as an extra. He was seen in two short sections where Emily’s dad was called to jury and outside of the “courthouse” (outside was the Hawaii State Library).

Nickelsen was in the background with a group of two other men in suits. His character title was “one of three high priced attorney of New York.” He also got to be an extra in two other episode which are Powa Maua Moana (Season 1) and Mea Makamae (Season 2)

Nickelsen says that being an extra does have its fun, but it also has its downfalls. As an extra, you have to do a lot of waiting around while standing. (There is a lot of waiting around because shooting scenes take a lot of trials, at different angles. On the actual show, you only get to see one or two angles of a scene.) The main actors and actresses have their tents and seats, while extras don’t. Extras are not allowed to talk to the actors or actresses either. Extras are at the “bottom of the totem pole.” B

ut aside from all that, Nickelsen says the “food is really good” and you get to see yourself on TV and say, “There I am! There’s my head!”

Having little experience, Nickelsen tried out for being an extra, when Hawaii 5-O opened a cast for actors in 2010. He got the opportunity the following year and made his first appearance on Hawaii 5-O in January 2011. Nickelsen loves acting.

He says that it’s “fun, you get to play different types of characters, and meet new people.” He first started acting when he participated in the faculty staff theater in 2008. While this was going on, he had also taken a class in Diamond Head Theater and practiced for a year and a half there.

Nickelsen has been a teacher for 13 years. He does not only have a life of being a teacher, but also being an actor as well. It’s interesting that after all the years of being a teacher and an actor, there aren’t much differences between the two. They are actually similar.

Nickelsen says that both are like being “on stage” and that you have to “try to keep the audience’s attention.” Though when acting, you have a script and are being told of what you are going to do and say. Compared to being a teacher, you are not being under control and you say what goes with the flow.

As Nickelsen lives on, he enjoys the best of both worlds and will continue to do so.