PHILLIPS: He remembers Nora Aunor.photo: Marc Cartwright
LOS ANGELES — “Nora Aunor was all the rage then,” said Lou Diamond Phillips, recalling his childhood spent in the Philippines. Born to a US Navy officer and a Filipina in the Subic Bay Station in Zambales, Lou surprised us with this tidbit in a recent e-mail interview.
The actor—who also pointed out that he learned to dance the tinikling as a kid growing up in Zambales—is cohosting the first-ever show celebrating Filipino music and culture at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. He joins fellow Filipino-American apl.de.ap in the historic event to be held on July 8.
Among the guests in the show that we’re already jazzed about are Jeremy Passion, The Harana Kings, apl’s Black Eyed Peas bandmates will.i.am and Taboo, the award-winning dance group Poreotics, and many more. More information on www.hollywoodbowl.com.
We saw Lou (who was a Golden Globe nominee for “Stand and Deliver”) in a memorable performance as a father coping with two teenage daughters and an incarcerated wife in “Filly Brown”—one of the standouts in last January’s Sundance Film Festival.
“Thanks so much for your kind words about ‘Filly Brown,’” he wrote us. “The film will also be screening at the Sundance London Film Festival in April.”
Below are excerpts from our interview:
APL.DE.AP during his recent launch as new endorser of San Miguel Beer Pilsen
What’s your relationship to Filipino music? With which Filipino songs and singers are you familiar?
I did spend some time growing up in the Philippines inside the Navy base at Subic Bay. It was part of the curriculum to teach cultural studies. There were a number of traditional songs I learned (don’t ask me to repeat them now!) in addition to actually dancing the tinikling! Nora Aunor was all the rage then.
My greatest pleasure was becoming friends with Jose Llana, Paolo Montalban and Yolanda Tolentino, all amazing Filipino singers who were part of my cast when I did “The King and I” on Broadway. And obviously, I am very proud of the name apl.de.ap has made for himself and how he consistently celebrates his Filipino heritage.
How did you get involved with the Hollywood Bowl show?
I was asked to be a part of the Hollywood Bowl show by my good friend, Ted Benito, who is producing it. He actually introduced me to apl at a music event that apl produced to launch his new label. I had previously worked with Ted through numerous organizations including CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), the Filipino Library in downtown LA, and a fundraiser for the Japanese Tsunami Relief.
What are you looking forward to about cohosting the show with apl.de.ap?
I’m looking forward to the show itself which promises to be an amazing night of music and, certainly, a cultural event that will introduce Filipino artists to perhaps, an uninitiated audience. I’m eager to see the possible range of musical acts that will perform because, at the moment, I have no idea what the program is going to be.
Like you, apl.de.ap is proud of his Filipino heritage. He incorporates bits about the Philippines in his work. Can you talk about why it’s important to celebrate one’s heritage?
As an artist, you have to know who you are and where you come from. You have to embrace what is unique and different about yourself in order to find your voice and certainly, your cultural heritage is a big part of that. I think only recently have young artists realized that it’s very important not to blend in but to proudly assert your individuality and your identity. I’m proud to see more and more young Filipinos making it in the mainstream and doing it by embracing the influences they experienced with their families and communities during their formative years.
As sort of a pioneer in the world of Hollywood Filipinos, I am very proud to stand alongside apl.de.ap and support his mission of bringing an experience to the stage, especially such a renowned stage as the Hollywood Bowl, that will celebrate and support Filipino artists and our mutual heritage.
What are some of the memorable shows you’ve watched at the Hollywood Bowl? Have you appeared on the Bowl stage before?
Believe it or not, I have never actually seen a show at the Hollywood Bowl, so this is an exciting introduction for me. I did, however, attend a sound check for some old buddies of mine from Texas, the legendary swing band Asleep at the Wheel.
You sang in “The King and I” and with the band Pipefitters. Have you always enjoyed singing?
What is incredibly ironic for me today is that I am sort of accepted as a singer. I was told by a college music teacher that I was tone-deaf and would never sing! Having said that, I still do not call myself a singer simply because I have worked with people who are absolutely jaw-dropping, monumental singers. It would be arrogant and delusional to put myself in their league.
Even so, I love music, singing, and the pure joy that comes from performing. I think a beautiful song will move people more immediately and with more lasting effect than a poem or theatrical performance. It is a global language. That is why I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Pipefitters, singing rock ’n’ roll at dive bars across the continent—sweating, dancing and partying right there with the crowd.
I also loved my musical theater experiences in “The King and I” and the national tour of “Camelot.” Like I said, there’s nothing quite like performing for people and trying to share a bit of your heart and soul. I don’t know where my musicality came from because my mother’s voice could curdle milk! She’d tell you that, too, so no disrespect.
What instruments do you play? Will you sing or play an instrument in the show?
I don’t really play any music, but I have been called up on stage to play bongos with Carlos Santana on a couple of occasions. I also shake a mean tambourine. It is truly my hope that my daughters will play and they actually are taking lessons and are showing much more musicality than I ever did. I believe my role during the show will be limited to being a host, unless of course, they plan on dancing the tinikling.
Do you miss playing with The Pipefitters? What were your most memorable moments with the band?
I do miss performing with The Pipefitters but I certainly don’t think the road is an option for me at my age and with my familial commitments. We had some truly amazing times for a band that was never signed to a record label and never recorded an album. We opened for Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, Kansas, Billy Ray Cyrus, Starship, and dozens of other big name acts.
We also had the amazing opportunity to play Farm Aid in front of 40,000 people in Iowa on Willie Nelson’s birthday. The other memorable moments, I can’t tell you about until the Statute of Limitations runs out!
What’s it like to contribute native American vocals to Bon Jovi’s album, “Blaze of Glory”?
Once again, I stumbled into a musical opportunity without any sort of forethought or planning. Jon Bon Jovi had heard me perform a faux Navajo death chant in (the film) “Young Guns II” and it must have stuck with him. He invited me to visit him in the studio where he was recording the soundtrack for the movie and, quite in the spur of the moment, asked me to sing that same chant as a background vocal in one of the songs. It worked incredibly well, so he kept it.
Was it considered, at any point, for you to use your singing voice in the film “La Bamba”?
There was never really any moment where the producers might have thought to use my own vocals in “La Bamba.” David Hidalgo and the Los Lobos had recorded the songs long before I ever came into the picture. In fact, it is my belief, unsubstantiated, that the soundtrack is what really drove the financing and the ultimate greenlight for the film.
I did actually sing and play the guitar in the one scene where I sang “Oh, Donna” in the phone booth. But they ultimately decided that my voice was just different enough from David’s that they couldn’t use it. And I’m sure my guitar-playing sucked too!
Did you, Gina Rodriguez, and the cast break into hip-hop sing-along during breaks on the set of “Filly Brown”?
As you know, my character Jose, the patriarch of the family, carries quite a heavy burden in the film. I felt the need to stay in that headspace during the filming. I’m usually very boisterous on the set and I was, by no means, a bummer on this set but I didn’t cut-up quite as much as I usually do. Still, Gina brought that boundless, joyful energy to her role and, certainly, there were times when we’d just have to bust it out. I think both Gina and Chrissie (Fit), who plays my other daughter, were surprised with how much I’m in touch with contemporary music. Just one of the benefits of having teenage daughters of my own.
How did your role in “Filly Brown” resonate with you, being a father of teenage girls in real life?
When I read the script, my first thought was, this is my character Angel from “Stand and Deliver” all grown up and with brand-new responsibilities. It’s been 25 years since that film and I’ve certainly logged a lot of mileage in that time, including having four daughters. My older three are teenagers or close to it, so it was not difficult at all for me to put myself in Jose’s shoes and understand his thoughts and emotions.
I’ve always said that living a full life informs your work as an actor, and it certainly paid off for me in this film. I knew Jose’s torment down to my bones and I’ve been very gratified that the early reviews for the film have recognized that in my performance.
My wife Yvonne was with me in Sundance and she was truly proud of the work since she knows how deep I had to dig to portray that truth. Now, I can’t wait for my older girls to see it because they will certainly see that I created a character who, on the surface isn’t really me in look, speech, or demeanor, but who shares a very real and palpable love for his girls.
E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.