NCIS: Hawai'i season two's finale will see the team fight to save Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) who has been framed for the murder of a former MI6 operative who had a connection to Jane's past life as a CIA agent. The second part of the two-episode finale, which will air May 22, this close-knit team will lean further into the sense of 'ohana', or family, with Yasmine Al-Bustami, who stars as Lucy Tara, sharing that "everyone has their own part to play in solving this".
Ohana is also what Yasmine has found on the show; born in Abu Dhabi to a Palestinian-Jordanian father and Filipina mother, the actress moved with her family to Texas at the age of three, then moved to Los Angeles before heading to Hawai'i, where she has filmed the the last two seasons on the CBS show.
"It was very difficult for me but also nice, because it was a challenge in a positive way," Yasmine tells HELLO! of moving to the island. "There was such a huge growth phase for me, and I learned so much about myself and what I want in life."
As Lucy, the actress has found fan support from the LGBTQ community as she portrays lesbian agent Lucy, who is in a relationship with Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson). Here, Yasmine reveals why she is surprised by the fan love for 'Kacy' - the portmanteau of Kate and Lucy - how living in Hawaii can become like Groundhog Day – and who breaks first on set…
This group of characters are so close, how much fun is it to shoot group scenes?
Yasmine Al-Bustami: They're so fun because everyone is so cool, but then you get us all together and it's just a fun time. It really is. Anytime we get to do things as a group – where we're all trying to solve some things together and we all have to put our heads together – it adds a whole other fun element to it because everyone's so silly and hilarious.
Who breaks first out of the group?
Yasmine: I think sometimes it's me. If I see somebody else breaking then it's me next, and also Noah Mills (who plays Jesse Boone) breaks quickly.. If one of us breaks, then it's hard for both of us to stop.
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Where are we going to find Lucy when the season comes to an end?
Yasmine: Everyone has their own part to play in solving this case, and I think for Lucy, she has that in with Kate who is in Caracas so it adds a different dynamic.
The intel she gets helps the group so much, and that is such a great thing to see with Tori's character where you see that she's doing it because she just cares.
Have you created a backstory for Lucy in your own head that helps inform how you play her?
Yasmine: Yes but it's also so obvious from what the writers give you too, so I take from what the writers and the conversations [we have]. Thankfully, we have the opportunity to have the writers on set any time that we're shooting their episode, so they'll come out and stay for the duration of filming and we build a rapport with them.
We'll talk to them about the episode but also with the future plans, their ideas for what they see in their head and so it's a lot of collaboration in that way; we inform them too, because they get to know us and tailor it for us as well.
What are your hopes for season three?
Yasmine: I'd love to see more of Lucy's backstory. I'd love to see Jesse's family that we talked so much about, and then some of Kate's backstory too, because I know we've touched on that in previous episodes but we haven't really dug too deep into it.
And more relationship stuff. More love! Love for Vanessa''s character, Jane, or for Jason's character Ernie.
Have you been surprised by the fan love for Kate and Lucy aka Kacy?
Yasmine: I wasn't expecting it, so it's very nice. I love it so much, I just wasn't expecting that much love which is so funny to say.
I didn't know how impactful it would be, and it's been really cool to see how people have received it so much. It warms our hearts.
How have you and Tori built this relationship together?
Yasmine: It was so nice for Kate and I to reenact their first date in a recent episode, and be playful. It's actually been so easy with her, and it is such a great friendship; I think we got super lucky.
In episode one of season one, our director Larry Teng was the first to help us build this and mold it. He came back in season two, and it was reminiscent of the very first episode in season one and I told "Larry, if it wasn't for you…" I can't imagine somebody else could [have done what he did] because the way he did it was so delicate.
He never saw it as two women, it was just a relationship. All the notes that he incorporated were just relationship notes, it was very loving and caring. He definitely helped to guide that ship.
You have so many action fight scenes, did you already have experience in that?
Yasmine: I loved boxing, but it was all for workout purposes, I never had training. But the stunt folks are really cool with me, and taught me a lot of things, and they're just badass and have obviously inspired me to continue learning.
Lucy was off island for some of season two; how does it feel to have the support from the crew and the team that allows you to leave and come back?
Yasmine: It really shows how they are as people; everyone is so supportive. If I ever felt that I needed to talk to them about anything it's very much like going to a close friend for advice and we it helps that everyone has a family so they all understand; it's just one big ohana.
How did you first start acting?
Yasmine: It was student films in college. I did the school plays as a child for the holidays, but it wasn't until during college years that I started to venture into trying it seriously. Growing up, I never asked my parents if I could do it, or if I could take acting classes.
They were much more traditional, so I knew they would just say no. But in college, I was able to try it out on my own. I liked it and I continue doing it.
Did entering into acting later in life changed the way your parents approached supporting you?
Yasmine: Oh no. They did not like it! My mom was very supportive about everything but my dad wanted me to go the traditional route. It was the old school way of thinking that it's either business, law, medicine, or engineering. I didn't even know there was like an arts building or a humanities building on my college campus! 'Why would you go there? Who goes into that building?'
But I've always tested the waters; I'd tell my parents some of the things that I was doing and those reactions guided me in knowing if they would be supportive of other decisions. It's been a journey, and it's still an ongoing journey. But they definitely support NCIS Hawai'i because they understand that it goes out into the world – it is a successful show so that makes sense to them.
You grew up in Texas, which is wildly different to Hawai'i, did you struggle with that difference?
Yasmine: It has been very difficult for me but also nice because it was a challenge in a positive way, and I've come to the other side of it. There was such a huge growth phase for me, and I learned so much about myself and what I want in life.
I would talk to the crew and producers and tell them how I was feeling, and they were so understanding and so loving; everyone has a family and so they were all able to make me feel like a part of their family. I didn't have my support system so that was a huge part of trying to adjust.
Hawai'i is such an interesting place because everyone goes there for a vacation and so I'm driving to work, and people are already on the beach, having a margarita. It can begin to feel very much like Groundhog Day.
What's been your favorite memory on the show?
Yasmine: It was probably the recreation of Lucy and Kate's first meeting scene because that incorporates so many things, and it's always different to play with Tori because for my character, at least, all the emotional stuff is there; that's where you see that kind of the more private side of Lucy.
The scene also shows the growth of how far they've come since the beginning, and that's so beautiful. I also remember filming that day and it was a lovely experience – and that's when season three got announced, so I have a lot of fun memories attached to it!