Brandon Finn ’11 in character as Prince Kupule of Maui in AppleTV+’s streaming historical series, “Chief of War”.
From Stumbles to Triumph: The Path to Success
by Erin Teruya ’93 Kinney
Rejection letters are usually trashed, not treasured – yet Brandon Finn ’11 has turned his into décor. On the wall of the “Chief of War” actor’s L.A. apartment hang two framed notes: an email from a casting director for a part he didn’t get, and a printed card that begins, “Sorry it didn’t work out this time.” For years, as Finn was relentlessly and steadily pursuing a dream of acting, those reminders of failure doubled as fuel, keeping his goal in sight even when it felt just out of reach.
“It’s a difficult thing as an actor, as a creative, as a performing artist. But I stuck it out. I stuck it out long enough that “Chief of War” said, “Hey, you’re our guy.” Finn’s biggest career break to date came after he was chosen to play Prince Ku-pule of Maui in AppleTV+’s streaming series, “Chief of War,” which premiered this past August. The nine-episode series about the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, created by superstar Jason Momoa, was filmed against dramatic backdrops in Hawai‘i and New Zealand and has been credited with bringing Native Hawaiian stories and language to a worldwide stage.
Finn’s path to television began on the Dillingham Hall stage, where as a Punahou ninth grader seeking to fulfill an art requirement, he discovered a love for performance. “The first spark that I had with the performing arts came from (former theatre director) Paul Palmore in the theatre program at Punahou, from 2008 to 2011.” After graduation, Finn set his sights on Chapman University’s film program, where he attended for one semester.
“I ended up coming back home. I started working at Zippy’s and then as a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines, and for some years, I put my acting dreams aside,” said Finn. It was a difficult time, Finn recalls, as he watched classmates finish college and pursue professional careers. “As an 18-year-old kid, you’re constantly comparing yourself to others, and that comparison still goes on into adulthood,” said Finn.
He recalls a speech Punahou Chaplain George Scott gave at the 2011 Commencement ceremony. “He said something along the lines of ‘I need you to try, and I need you to fail because when you do succeed, that moment of success will mean so much more because of all the times you failed.’ And that has stuck with me all this time, genuinely.”
Deliberate and disciplined, Finn rekindled his acting dreams. In 2018, he transferred to Hawaiian Airlines’ Los Angeles base and used every moment when he wasn’t flying to study at local acting studios. Momentum came slowly, first with one-liner scenes in “Hawaii Five-O” and “Magnum P.I.,” then picked up with roles in “Fantasy Island,” “Three Women,” and then finally the audition for “Chief of War” that changed everything.
So when the call came, he cried – and then he got to work. Finn had six weeks before filming started to memorize his lines, written in ‘olelo Hawai‘i, and to prepare himself physically. “I had to practice constantly, morning to night. I would listen to recordings all day long,” says Finn. AppleTV+’s global reach was not lost on Finn, who realized many audiences were going to hear Hawaiian language for the first time. Stepping onto the set, Finn felt as though he had walked into a Herb Kāne or Brook Parker painting of ancient Hawai‘i – only now, the cast was breathing life into the still images. Because of “Chief of War,” Finn says, there will forever be a TV reference for Hawaiian history and Hawaiian language. “And to be part of that, is the greatest honor of my life.”
Through Hollywood’s ups, downs and near-misses, Finn says he wouldn’t hesitate to face failure again. “The entertainment industry is very much designed for you to feel discouraged. But I’m going to be honest, the position that I find myself in now, I love the fact that it feels like it finally paid off.”