’Actor Reggie Lee of Filipino descent plays Sergeant Wu in the NBC detective-fantasy series “Grimm”. Lee provided a story for one of the show’s episodes entitled “Mother Dearest” about a scary character in Philippine folklore called the “Aswang”. Screen grab from NBC
LOS ANGELES — “This is a story that has been told over and over again within my family and my friends’ families in the Philippines,” Filipino-American actor Reggie Lee told the Philippine Daily Inquirer about the plot featuring “aswang” in the “Mommy Dearest” episode of NBC’s “Grimm,” which airs on Friday, March 7, at 9:00 p.m. in the United States.
The Quezon City native, a regular on the drama-fantasy-horror series as Sergeant Wu, suggested the story idea on “aswang,” a Philippine mythological monster that steals babies from pregnant women’s wombs.
“I have a great affinity to Philippine folklore,” said the actor whose film credits include “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Here Comes the Boom (with Charice), “Drag Me To Hell” and “Crazy, Stupid Love.”
“And as you know, we believe these things in the Philippines!” he added. “I’m so grateful that the creators of ‘Grimm’ decided to use my actual heritage to introduce my character to the ‘creature world.’ I mean, how often do we have a Filipino storyline on mainstream television? It was probably one of the most fulfilling times I’ve had within my career both because of the connection to the Philippines and the tremendous amount of emotion involved. I am grateful!”
The “Mommy Dearest” episode of “Grimm,” which also stars David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby and Bitsie Tulloch, is directed by Norberto Barba and written by Brenna Kouf.
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