Lea Salonga | Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Broadway superstar Lea Salonga revealed that one of her concerns when she agreed to star in the musical “Miss Saigon” was being branded as a “bold star” upon playing the role of Kim.
In the teaser of her interview on PBS’ “Finding Your Roots,” Salonga admitted that the Filipino audience is “conservative,” and her taking up the role of a 17-year-old prostitute might have given a “not so wholesome” impression.
“I was really concerned with how conservative audiences in the Philippines were going to take it, because my career up at that point was just very wholesome. And I was a child entertainer and performer. I was about to turn the page in a really big way. Because back home actors, especially actresses, you were really either wholesome or really not,” she recalled.
“There was no gray area. Yeah, like, am I going to be like what they called a ‘bold star’? Am I going to be branded as that? A bold star, that’s what they were called. And then I realized, in the West, the gray area was where a lot of actors resided,” the theater star continued.
Despite the fear, Salonga eventually took up the role of Kim in London’s West End in 1989, which gave her a historic Best Actress in a Musical win from the 1990 Laurence Olivier Award, followed by a Tony Award after she returned to the role for Broadway, making her the first woman of Asian descent ever to win the trophy.
Salonga was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the Broadway production of “Les Misérables” and Fantine in its 2006 revival.
The 53-year-old actress-singer is also known as the voice of Princess Jasmine from “Aladdin” and Fa Mulan for “Mulan and Mulan II.” For her portrayal of the beloved princesses, she was bestowed the honor of “Disney Legend.”
Salonga recently released a new holiday album, staged a concert in Manila, and starred in the “Request sa Radyo” play alongside BAFTA nominee Dolly De Leon in 2024.