Inquirer man in Hollywood names favorite stars

RUBEN Nepales being interviewed by Radyo Inquirer’s Jay Dones and Chito de la Vega. photo by EMMIE VELARDE

Taking a break from hobnobbing with Hollywood stars, Los Angeles-based Inquirer Entertainment columnist  Ruben V. Nepales is in town for vacation—which, in his case, also means he spent a lot of time checking out the films shown at the recently concluded Cinemalaya indie festival.

In between catching up with friends and attending screenings, Nepales dropped by the Radyo Inquirer 990AM studios in Makati City on Friday, and chatted with Chito de la Vega and Jay Dones in the daily afternoon show “Kumpadres.” He was accompanied by wife Janet and Colombian journalist Mario Amaya, both his colleagues in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

Nepales, whose column “Only in Hollywood” appears in PDI three times a week, talked about his most memorable interviews, most of them  with Filipinos in Hollywood, and his unending quest for foreign celebs with Filipino connections or, as he called it, “FC.”

‘Filipino questions’

Colleagues tease him about the “Filipino questions” that he asks every subject, according to Nepales. Happily, his curiosity and tenacity do pay off.

He discovered that Helen Mirren’s late brother “loved and lived” in the Philippines and that Sofia Coppola could sing “Lupang Hinirang,” thanks to a Filipina nanny.

“Colleagues are always surprised when I find something really interesting. Also, it makes my stories more attractive to Filipino readers,” Nepales said.

He noted that these days, young Hollywood hopefuls with Filipino blood—such as Vanessa Hudgens, Darren Criss, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and Hailee Steinfeld—are talking more and more openly about their heritage.

“Having Filipino roots was something that actors kept to themselves back in the day, or their choices for roles would be limited. Instead, they used to say they were Chinese, Malaysian or Hawaiian,” Nepales related. “But show biz and the younger generation are more accepting of different ethnicities now, so we see the likes of Anna Maria or Darren, who are very proud of their roots.”

Nepales’ interviews with Criss, Hudgens, Tagle and Steinfeld are included in his book “My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood.”

For his story titled “Charlie Sheen after the meltdown,” published July 6, 2012, Nepales won third prize for personality profile in the Los Angeles Press Club’s 55th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards. Besides this interview with Sheen, the Pinoy journalist considers his chats with Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie among his most memorable. He explained, “They’re all big stars and may seem intimidating, but they’re very down-to-earth, honest and candid. They’ll answer all your questions.”

On the other hand, he found Russell Crowe aloof and with a bit of an attitude the first time they talked. “But he’s much better now, more mature,” Nepales said.

Awards nights

Apart from one-on-one interviews, Nepales said the most enjoyable part of his job was attending awards nights, especially the Golden Globes organized by the HFPA, of which he served as chair of the board from June 2012 to June 2013.

“It’s one big party with an open bar!” he said of the Globes. “During commercial breaks, you see celebs like Jolie or Steven Spielberg table-hopping. And just before the show resumes, they scurry back to their tables and it’s like nothing happened. When you line up for the restroom, kasabay mo ’yung mga stars … then you run into Johnny Depp smoking out on the terrace.”

He didn’t start interviewing A-listers right after migrating to the United States in 1985, Nepales pointed out. “When I was starting, people wouldn’t even give me a second look. I couldn’t get interviews … Sometimes I’d have ‘crying scenes’ in the park out of frustration,” he said, laughing. “I remember asking myself, ‘Why did I even come here?’”

Turnaround

But with persistence and hard work, he pulled through. “Kahit matalino ka, bale wala pag mahina ang loob mo,” he said, adding that movie producers now see the value of the international media.

“It used to be really hard landing one-on-one interviews if you came from a small country because they thought you were writing for a small market,” Nepales said. “Things have changed. Now you even see movies like ‘The Fast and the Furious 6’ holding their premiere here. Overseas markets are now given importance.”

Nepales would like to compile enough material for a follow-up book. “I want to use all the great candid photos of celebrities that I’ve taken,” he said.