KC Concepcion happy to act again, even though show biz can be ‘very invasive’

KC Concepcion –KC CONCEPCION’S INSTAGRAM

“Art is a universal expression, not bound by race,” said US-based actress KC Concepcion as a reminder to homegrown Filipino artists who are aspiring for a career abroad to not lose hope. KC is the star of the Hollywood indie movie, “Asian Persuasion,” alongside Filipino-American actors Dante Basco and Paolo Montalban, under the direction of Tony and Grammy winner Jhett Tolentino. The romantic comedy premiered at the recently concluded 2023 Soho International Film Festival in New York.

Filipino actors are steadily making a mark abroad, with the success of Dolly de Leon being the most celebrated, after she made history as the first Filipino actress to get a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the Swedish film “Triangle of Sadness.”

“You have all the right to be on that stage or on that set because you are an artist. People can’t stop talking about Korean dramas. Everyone says they’re good, even though we don’t really understand their language. We can only feel them. I’ve had a beautiful experience while making the film. I realized, ‘Yes, it is possible,’” the actress told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview.

“Don’t limit yourself. You cannot control everything that’s happening to you, just like the opportunity to act again that came my way. It was really amazing. Just believe that one day, something really nice will happen to you. I’ve dreamed about this for so long. Now, I’m asking, ‘Is this for real?’” she said.

‘Interesting stories’

KC said that it was when she shot the film in New York in 2022 that she started getting exposed to different stories of Asian-Americans like her. “For the longest time, Filipinos weren’t considered mainstream in the community and then nauuso na. We tell a lot of interesting stories, be it that we are Filipino-Americans, Korean-Americans or Indian-Americans; and that these stories also matter,” she pointed out.

“For me, love is a universal thing. It’s just that it was during my generation that our stories of love were really given the chance to be told,” she added. “Ours is an indie movie, but compared to our commercial films here in the Philippines, the budget is way higher at $2 million.”

The story follows a down-on-his-luck chef named Mickey (Dante), who cooks up a crazy scheme to marry off his ex-wife Avery (KC) in an attempt to avoid his substantial alimony obligations. With the help of his trusted wingman Lee (Paolo), the chef gets off to a hot start, but belatedly realizes he wants a second chance with his ex.

New eras

KC said working on “Asian Persuasion” has inspired her to make more. “It’s just the start for me. We have some exciting things along the way. It’s a new era. Look forward to new eras in your life because they will happen whether you like it or not. I keep saying, ‘This job chose me,’” she began. “A fellow actor told me this: ‘Don’t limit yourself. There’s a reason you were put where you are now. You have to believe that you have what it takes to be placed there and you have to continue learning. The moment you think you’re good is when you stop being good.”

KC, who started her jewelry trading business in the US in 2020, added: “I would love to continue doing this. I’ve missed being an actor. It’s just that here in the Philippines, show biz is more than acting. In the States, there’s still privacy—you could still put up a wall. Here, it can be very invasive. It’s very hard, personally. You have to know how to handle it.”