Exclusive: Magnum P.I.'s Amy Hill

Amy HillMagnum P.I. has gone through many changes throughout the years, including a new station! However, one thing that remains consistent is the presence of actress Amy Hill, who plays Kumu on the show. Her role has been iconic since day one and she shows no signs of slowing down!

Kumu was in and out doing a lot of crazy stuff, fun, fun stuff, and some really meaningful things,” she said in a recent SciFi Vision interview. “There are a lot of little surprises that come along in the season.”

While she could not give anything away at the risk of revealing spoilers, Hill did say that playing Kumu has been nothing short of amazing. One of her favorite things was shooting the Uzi, which even led to her creating her own cartoon character in honor of the moment. It was something incredibly special for her and a moment that she will never forget.

Read the full transcript below and watch an all-new episode, tonight on NBC:

SCIFI VISION:   
How do you think your character has evolved since the beginning?

Amy HillAMY HILL:   Well, I came into the show not knowing exactly what a cultural curator was, but I did a lot of research, and I've shadowed a lot of Kumus around on the island. I was ready for anything, but I wasn't ready for being kidnapped so much and shooting an Uzi or working heavy equipment [laughs] or all the other crazy things that I'm not sure other Kumus on this island are asked to do, but I love it. I love being surprised by the things that they throw at me, and I'm thrilled that I get to do all the fun things that I do.

SCIFI VISION:   And without giving too much away, what can we look forward to seeing this season?

AMY HILL:   Well, there are a lot of little surprises that come along in the season. It's hard to [talk] about stuff without talking about it. There're surprises for TC, things that we're going to be concerned about and worried about that I can't talk about. [laughs] He doesn't die, but he gets close to that. So, everybody, watch out. And, of course, Rick's character and his relationship with his baby mama is up and down. So, that's kind of an interesting thing to watch, too. And, of course, Magnum and Juliet, they also have a very complicated relationship, but I think they do a really good job still as partners, even though their relationship can get complicated. And Kumu was in and out doing a lot of crazy stuff, fun, fun stuff, and some really meaningful things. I guess I can't talk about anything! It's really hard.

SCIFI VISION:   That's okay. It's okay…I get it. So far, what has been your favorite thing your character has been done throughout the whole series?

AMY HILL:   I know it's crazy, but I loved shooting the Uzi. It was fun, fun, fun, and I even created my own little cartoon character, just for me. Her ghetto name - her gangster name is Little Ku, and she's in her little outfit, her Kumu outfit, with her hair, beautiful hair, and she's carrying an Uzi. I made little stickers and made hats. I made all kinds of stuff to give away to the crew that season, because it was fun. Nobody ever asked me to shoot anything. I mean, I've held gun guns, but running and shooting an Uzi in the air - not at anybody - was fun.

SCIFI VISION:   That's amazing.

AMY HILL:   Yeah. Those are surprising. Also, I think, maybe the same season, I don't know, they all run together, [but] I was a heavy equipment operator. That's what my dad did for a living for a while.

SCIFI VISION:   Oh, wow.

AMY HILL:   Isn't that weird that I would [get to do that]? He was in construction, so he had was able to do that heavy equipment thing, and I was doing heavy equipment. Dad would be so proud.

SCIFI VISION:   Yes, absolutely. And who are some guest stars we can expect to see this season?

AMY HILL:   Oh, Michael Rady, I think that's his name. You already saw him in the first couple of episodes. He is sort of like the replacement detective for Gordon, Tim Kang's character. I actually worked with him in another show in Vancouver. So, it's nice to see a lot of characters that come in as guest stars are people that I've worked with in the past. Whenever there's an Asian American guest star, I usually know them, because the Asian American acting community is pretty small. Sab Shimono, who was one of my heroes on Broadway…I just love him. I was able to meet him while living in LA. What's great about living in LA is you meet all these people you saw when you're a kid, and you think, “Oh, my God, I should have moved to LA sooner, because these people are amazing.” And they're great mentors. But he came and did a part a couple of weeks ago, or a couple of episodes ago, and he was really wonderful to work with.

SCIFI VISION:   Who are some people you would like to have guest star?

AMY HILL:   Well, we've had some pretty amazing people. I guess I would like in my world, in the Asian American community, I'd love to have Michelle Yeoh. [laughs] Why not? She says yes to most stuff; she could squeeze in a little time, a couple of weeks here. I mean, they maybe only have to get her for three days or something, but that would be lovely. She could just play herself if she wanted to, or whatever. I'd love Margaret Cho to come and do something, because she was [on] the first series I ever did, Margaret and me. That would be fun. It could be me, Bobby Lee, and Margaret Cho in a little special comedy episode. That would be fun. Anyway, there are tons of people, and I hope we're on long enough to be able to bring everybody that I love.

SCIFI VISION:   That would be amazing. What's one storyline you haven't had yet that you would love to have?

AMY HILL:   Well, there're so many local issues that I would like to touch on. I've pitched these just recently, because I didn't want to burden them with too much this season, because it was last minute that we got on NBC, and then they had to put staff together so quick and get all the scripts together really quick with a short staff. But I'd like to talk about some political issues here, some housing issues here, and a lot of the climate change, things that are happening that are affecting Hawaii and a lot of places around the world, but particularly here. I think everybody should be worried about the pollution that's killing reefs and these kinds of things, because I'm so now connected to Hawaii; I feel like I want to deal with all the issues that are happening here, so that people don't think it's just beautiful and it's going to stay this way, because it could all go away.

SCIFI VISION:   Absolutely. And what else are you working on these days?

AMY HILL:   I was working on a series for Freeform, an animation called Praise Petey with Annie Murphy, who was from Schitt’s Creek; she played the sister on Schitt’s Creek. Anyway, it's really, really funny. It has an incredibly funny cast, and I play a cult leader, kind of, in North Carolina. It's really hilarious and really crazy. Then, I'm going to be doing a little independent film soon when we wrap here; I'll be going back to LA. You know, there's always something. I love that I always have something to do.

SCIFI VISION:   And what would be your dream project?

AMY HILL:   I did write a lot before; I did playwriting and screenwriting, and so I need to get back to that, because I feel like I've got a lot of stories that I want to tell, and I need to tell them. So, I guess I have to produce my own stuff.

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