Kaliko Kauahi's Big Shift from Superstore to St. Denis Medical
A favorite actress from the Superstore team is sprinkling her comedic gifts upon St. Denis Medical.
For any actor who gets to experience the joy and security of an extended run on a successful comedy that eventually ends, the hope is that they somehow get lucky enough to do it again.
When NBC's hit ensemble comedy Superstore ended its six season run in 2021, actress Kaliko Kauahi was in that exact space. She hilariously embodied self-esteem challenged employee Sandra Kaluiokalani for the entire run of the show. Her arc became a fan favorite. For Kauahi, it was her first extended series on her acting resume and it set a benchmark for what she hoped would come next.
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Less than two years later, Superstore executive producer/creator Justin Spitzer came knocking on Kauahi's door again, first for a guest spot on the series, American Auto. Not long after, Spitzer and fellow co-creator Eric Ledgin reached out again for her to play the no-nonsense veteran's nurse, Val, in their 'mockumentary' series, St. Denis Medical.
During a set visit for St. Denis Medical this summer, NBC Insider sat down with Kauahi to discuss her reaction to the call from Spitzer and Ledgin, the hilarious differences between Sandra and Val, and getting to be on another show that's just fun to make.
Kaliko Kauahi recalls getting tapped by the St. Denis Medical creators
After Superstore, Kauahi remained a familiar face guesting on high profile sitcoms like Ghosts, the iCarly revival and American Auto. Then she got the call from Spitzer and Ledgin about joining the cast of their new NBC medical 'mockumentary,' which would be a new format for the actress.
"Anytime Justin and Eric are doing a project, it's a no brainer," Kauahi said of her immediate reaction to their invitation. "I was happy to get the opportunity. They're so smart and funny and the writing is so good that it makes it so easy. And then when I found out who else was in the cast, I couldn't believe it. It's a dream!"
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The series that also stars Wendi McClendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, and Allison Tolman, is set within the halls of Oregon's fictional St. Denis Medical hospital and spotlights the eccentric staff of doctors, nurses, and administrators who keep the medical miracles coming daily.
Of her new cast, Kauahi said, "We're so fortunate to truly get along, and I mean that when I say it. I feel extra lucky, because this is the second time I get to work with a cast that truly like each other and enjoy each other's company. I hope it translates in the show."
Kaliko Kauahi talks similarities between Superstore and St. Denis Medical Characters
One of the pitfalls of playing a character so well — like Kauahi did with Sandra in Superstore — is that writers often pigeonhole actors to repeat what they've already done before.
Thankfully, Kauahi said one of the great blessings that Spitzer and Ledgin gave her with Val is that from the pilot script, she's always been the exact opposite of Sandra in every way.
"This character is, on paper, very different from the character that I played previously on [Superstore], so that was exciting for me," the actress said. "The guys could see that in me too. They wouldn't just pigeonhole me into playing a character like Sandra from Superstore, who was meek and also just kind of weird."
She added: "Val is very different from that. But I think both of those characters exist inside of me."
Asked how, Kauahi said they reflect the extremes that exist inside of her.
"You have moments where you're a Sandra, where you don't want to ask the waiter to refill your water," she explained. "And then you have times for Val, like, when I just have had it, and I'm like, 'No,' and it's very direct. I really welcomed the opportunity to play something different, and I hope audiences are open to seeing a different character besides Sandra."
She remembers Superstore fondly but welcomes a new challenge
By the time she spoke on the set of St. Denis, the whole production was in the very last days of filming the season. They had already gelled and found their grooves with one another, which allowed Kauahi to assess what uniquely separates the characters of Sandra and Val.
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"Superstore was full of absurd moments, but I lived for those moments," she said with a laugh. "Every week I would read the script, and I sometimes couldn't believe what they would have me do. Or, they would take something that was just a simple premise, like me being up on a ladder, and then introduce my fear of heights and being stuck there. That idea is then a whole episode of one of Sandra's many, many phobias and fears, and making that part of her personality. There were so many fun things with her, like Sandra's capacity to lie so naturally was interesting.
"But Val is such a truth teller in this show," she continued. "Her strength is that she just doesn't care, and she's gonna tell you the truth no matter what. She's the grounding force in a lot of the scenes where some of the others are doing wacky stuff, and Val comes in just to make sure everyone just takes it back down, and gets back to work!"
Catch new episodes of St. Denis Medical when they premiere on Tuesday on NBC at 8/7c. Episodes are available to stream on Peacock the next day.
