On a sunny Saturday morning, “Baywatch” star David Chokachi stood before a group of Fremantle employees, “Baywatch” producers and crew, and partners from Surfrider Los Angeles at Venice Beach in Los Angeles and shared a simple message: “Start small.” “I surf all the time and I stuff [trash] in my wet suit. When I come out, it’s bulging with trash,” Chokachi said, noting that even small efforts can lead to meaningful change. That effect was evident on April 11, when more than 75 volunteers gathered at Venice Beach, where the remake of the cult series “Baywatch” is currently being filmed. Equipped with gloves, grabbers, and trash bags, the group spread out across the stretch of beach between the Venice Pier and the Venice Lifeguard headquarters, which has been renovated and serves as a set for the new version of the famous lifeguard series.
Cooperation with Surfrider Los Angeles
The clean-up was organized in cooperation with the Los Angeles chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, whose mission combines environmental protection with grassroots activism. The partnership has deep roots: “Baywatch” featured Surfrider in a 1995 episode on water pollution, and David Chokachi, who reprises his role as Cody in the remake, has been an ambassador for the organization for decades.
“I’m really happy to be here and help clean up,” said actress Jessica Belkin, who plays Charlie in the “Baywatch” reboot. “We’re cleaning up our beaches, especially the places where we’ll be filming. It’s very important for the environment, for the safety of our cast and crew members, and for all marine life.” Participants even received a bonus: a look inside the Baywatch lifeguard headquarters set, offering insight into the ongoing production.
22 kilograms of trash collected
In total, the volunteers collected nearly 22 kilograms of trash from the beach. For Becky Hartung, Senior Coordinator for the Commercial & International Team at Fremantle and a founding member of the company’s Greenmantle Employee-Led Group (ELG), the impact goes beyond the numbers. “We firmly believe that even one small thing can set something bigger in motion,” she said. “Actions like these remind us that we truly have a great deal of power and agency.”
