Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
Well, this is cool. Epy Quizon is part of the independent Singaporean movie ‘Unlucky Plaza.’ It’s already been premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and this week, the movie is finally having its regular run in Singapore.
According to Coconuts Singapore, “Quizon plays Onassis Hernandez, a down-on-his luck permanent resident who owns a failing Filipino restaurant at Lucky Plaza. He turns into a hostage-taker after being swindled of his last $10,000.”
As you may or may not know, Lucky Plaza is a popular hangout among Filipino OFWs in Singapore. On Sundays, you will see a lot of our kababayans taking their days off at the shopping center on Orchard.
Below is a quick Q/A with Epy about the movie, his experience working with a foreign film crew, and visiting Lucky Plaza on a Sunday.
Does it bother you when people spell your name Epi?
I never got bothered when they misspell my Epy. It is a nickname that did not really have a proper spelling. Epy, Epi, Eppie… etc.
You’re a talented actor and you’ve starred in a lot of movies and TV shows in the Philippines, how was it like shooting overseas with a foreign production? How long did it take?
Like in any production preparation and professionalism are key to efficiency and productivity. The Singaporean crew I worked with were always prepared and ready. The only difference is that we only worked a maximum of 14 hours a day for 6 weeks, unlike the Philippines where in sometimes you are required to work longer hours.
This was an independent foreign production — were there filmic terms or gestures that you had to unlearn during the shoot? Or something that you think Filipino indie cinema people could adapt?
No, I did not have to unlearn anything. I only had the chance to learn more from a production with different ethnicities, mostly cultural.
Onassis Hernandez is an honest guy who thinks with his heart. He’s also proud. When his ex-wife offers to help him after initially turning him down, instead of swallowing his pride, he says no. Do you think saving face is something peculiar to Asians?
It is not just about saving faces but we are a very proud people. This is because of our culture and history. I guess the only thing that makes some of us do otherwise is poverty.
Filipinos are known for being happy-go-lucky and one of the happiest people on earth. Do you think a regular Juan, who is not part of a syndicate really resort to hostage-taking? Or will he just laugh and shrug it off?
I believe any regular Juan will do anything to protect his family and his family’s future. The real question is, how far can you go to protect your love ones? I guess most of us will just shrug it off because we are a resilient race, but who really knows what one can do to protect family?
Onassis called his staff a ‘Chinaman’ and suggests that he’s from a culture that literally eats shit. Racism has no role in real life, but what are its limits in movies or literature?
Racism really has no role in real life but movies and literatures are mediums to tell a story. How can you teach something without reference? It is really just how you will tell your story and your real intention. It only becomes an insult if your intentions are to insult or if the storyteller is just insensitive. This is why we have to always be responsible when we refer to other people’s belief and ethnicity.
Onassis wanted so much to become a Singapore citizen like his son, despite already having legal papers to stay in the country as a permanent resident. Would you ever consider leaving the Philippines and giving up your citizenship?
I would not leave my country for I choose to be a Filipino all my life. I do not blame those people who would give up their citizenship to better their lives. We are a third world country and having a first world country citizenship has it’s perks.
Your house was recently featured in a design magazine in the Philippines and the house where you shot the hostage scenes, Ninety7 Siglap Road, was just as gorgeous. What was your first reaction when you saw the house and what was it like being in that space?
The house where we filmed is just a beautiful resort like house and I would not mind to live in it any day. But my home is where my family is… wherever that may be.
Where are your favorite hangouts in Singapore?
I love to hang out at Holland Drive for happy hour drinks.
Finally have you ever been to Lucky Plaza on a Sunday?
Yes I have been. I was just there to greet my kababayans and promote my film Unlucky Plaza. It was fun.
Reader Interactions