How do you think audiences in Singapore will react to Unlucky Plaza?
It’s a film that could touch on people’s sensibilities, but we’ll have to wait and see. The intention was not to instigate any reaction; it’s about telling a story. Hopefully people will get the intention of the film, which is to entertain.
Ken Kwek’s previous film was banned in Singapore. Did you have any concerns about what would happen to Unlucky Plaza?
We knew the last film was banned because of people’s sensibilities, so we did have that concern. But that didn’t stop Ken. He wanted to tell a story, to tell his story, and he did not scrimp, he did not edit, he just followed his heart, he followed his mind, he followed his beliefs and told his story.
The film is named after the epicenter of the Filipino community in Singapore. How do you view the complicated place Filipinos have in Singaporean society?
Lately there have been issues around discrimination. People have to learn to accept each other. I feel for my “kababayan”, my countrymen. They’re here trying to make a decent living and they experience these racial slurs. I hope this film can somehow bridge a gap between Filipinos and Singaporeans, that it can open communication, or at least create some kind of an understanding.
What was your favorite scene in the film?
There are a lot, but my favorite scene is when my character is slowly realizing he’s being scammed. That was the car scene with Shane Mardjuki [who plays Pastor Tong Wen]. It was one shot, one take, one go and a scene of real transition for my character.
What was the most challenging aspect of your role?
It’s not any particular scene; it’s more about having the right tone, the right mixture. In tagalog we call it “timpla”, it’s like when you’re making a coffee you need the right amount of sugar, the right amount of milk. It’s really about getting the right balance; it’s a rollercoaster ride, knowing when the character should explode and when to control my temper.
What’s it like working with Ken Kwek?
After this project, Ken is one of my favorite directors. He’s a good “actor’s director”. He knows what he wants from the characters, and from the scene, and he loves to collaborate. He gives the actor the freedom, the room to experiment with the scene. It’s not a one-sided director thinking they’re God saying “do this, do this”, it’s a good balance of being directed and being given the freedom to develop the character.
It seems like the Filipino film industry has a tremendous local following. There seems less loyalty for local film in Singapore. Any thoughts on that?
Singapore has such a wide variety of cultural differences. There are a lot of people, but a lot of different ethnicities. And if you really want to get a big audience share you have to get all of the ethnicities involved… and really communicate with a wider audience outside of Singapore itself.
Screenings of Unlucky Plaza are already sold out but you can get full details of other screenings and events at the Singapore International Film Festival, here.
