ILLUSTRATION BY BRYANT FUKUTOMI / BFUKUTOMI@ STARBULLETIN.COM Stars of "Tropic Thunder," clockwise from left, include Nick Nolte, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Owen Wilson.

The big-budget Ben Stiller comedy "Tropic Thunder" is filming on the island

Harry Kala believes his movie career will begin and end with "Tropic Thunder," a film that started shooting on Kauai last month. But that doesn't diminish the thrill for the 6-foot-5-inch, 220-pound chef at Roy's Poipu Bar & Grill, who responded to a casting call and won a part as a bodyguard.

"Ben Stiller hand-selected me himself," said the 32-year-old Kala, who was born and raised on the Big Island but has lived on Kauai for many years. Though the casting notice invited men of Asian descent, Kala is full Hawaiian.

Stiller, who owns a house on the North Shore of Kauai, is directing and starring in the $100 million-plus comedy from DreamWorks. Other stars include Robert Downey Jr., Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Nick Nolte and Bill Hader. The plot revolves around a group of actors shooting a Vietnam War movie; a series of bizarre events forces them to become "the soldiers they are portraying," according to the Internet Movie Data Base.

"('Tropic Thunder') is a very notable, sizable presence on Kauai," said Hawaii state Film Commissioner Donne Dawson of the crew that began scouting early this year. "They are very entrenched over there."

Private property locations -- mostly north of Lihue -- prevent bystanders from catching a glimpse of the action.

Despite this -- or because of it -- Kauai residents have welcomed the massive production with open arms. "By and large the Kauai community is very receptive to having them there," said Dawson. "And it takes a lot for the community to support a production of this size."

Executives recently told legislators that Act 88, which provides tax incentives to productions visiting Hawaii (with a 5 percent bonus for working on a neighbor island), played a pivotal role in their decision to shoot the majority of the film on Kauai. Hawaii residents comprise approximately 40 percent of the crew. Shooting will continue through October, and the movie is scheduled for release next summer.

"It costs a little more to be there, but we're trying to build up the infrastructure on the neighbor islands," said Dawson. "It's such a word-of-mouth industry. One successful production begets the next.

"We're always concerned here about film production really taking care to treat our people right and treat our environment right," Dawson continued. "These guys have been great to work with, and I believe they are really doing their best to do this the right way."

From a different vantage point, Kala agreed. At first he admitted to feeling star-struck, until he realized "they're just like normal people." All of them are "treating me nice," he said. But he's most impressed with the leader. "Ben (Stiller) has a pretty hard job, but he has it all down."