KC Concepcion returns with her comeback Hollywood Indie movie, ‘Asian Persuasion’

Despite being in the entertainment industry for many years and with acting in her genes (her mother is the “Mega Star” Sharon Cuneta, hence the moniker “Mega Daughter”, and her father, the Eighties heartthrob Gabby Concepcion), KC had to take preparations to heart for this project. “I had not gotten back to my fitness regime, and had a student’s mindset when I got the role,” she says. At that time, she was in LA to continue her studies in Gemology. “Thankfully, I had done a few acting classes at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in LA and One on One in NYC a few years back, so I could explore the craft in the ‘American’ way… Once I got this role, despite getting cast as a Filipina, I needed to reverse, and unlearn, more than a decade of working in Tagalog… And relearn acting in pure English! So more than anything, it was the language reversal that was the biggest challenge for me,” the multi-hyphenate shares. 

On top of that, another challenge for KC was tapping on the controversial subject of divorce. As an actor, she made efforts to understand what a woman goes through during and after the process of divorce. “Divorce doesn’t exist in the Philippines, and yet it is fortunately or unfortunately, prevalent in the United States and offered around the world. I have people in my life who have gone through it, and it weighs on them even years after the separation… Many, however, have already truly healed, and have learnt to enjoy life moving forward, because of it.  It’s not a subject to be taken lightly, which is why I absolutely felt it was important to capture the genuine pain and suffering a woman goes through in the process and aftermath of this kind of separation, even if what we’re doing is a romcom,” KC explains as she personally never had experienced this. “I needed to tap into my own heartbreaks, which is always difficult to do. As an actor, we need to access our emotional vaults, where we keep our most vulnerable experiences. So exploring the many emotions of my character was fun, like playing the piano from octave to octave.”

Shot in New York, the Asian Persuasion production took inclusivity seriously, prioritising the onboarding of Asians, female department heads, LGBTQIA+ crew and filmmakers. In fact, a total of 21 Asian countries were represented in the film’s production: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam. “How often do we see Asians and Asian Americans completely take on a whole production in America or the western world? It was incredible to see the community come together,” KC enthuses. 

However, having a pan-Asian team comes with another challenge: ensuring everyone’s safety amidst the Asian hate crisis in the US. “We had production safety officers and a minor incident where a crew member got harassed while filming was ongoing at one of our locations,” she says. 

The Asian Persuasion project also allowed KC to work on a SAG-AFTRA film set. SAG-AFTRA, or Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, is an organisation whose members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century. “The whole of New York City was our movie set… There are some notable aspects of filmmaking that are done differently in America, compared to here [in the Philippines]... The process of filmmaking that we hear about or read about in America is always a point of curiosity for working actors and filmmakers around the world. To experience working on a SAG-AFTRA set, and then finally becoming eligible to be a SAG-AFTRA member is one of the highlights of my career,” KC proudly shares. 

KC is also grateful for the opportunity to be working with Jhett Tolentino, one of the brightest minds in the industry. “Jhett is full of surprises. He is a brilliant producer who not only gets the job done, but he continues to maximise avenues and brings his projects to places no one imagined. It’s great to see Filipinos thrive and shine in the global scene, unafraid to push forward and break through social or economic limitations,” she describes her experience working with the award-winning filmmaker.  “Asian Persuasion is a new concept for the Filipino audience in the Philippines: the core is an adulterated co-parenting between estranged couples. I hope our kababayans will welcome it with open minds. And open arms for KC Concepcion’s comeback after ten years since her last movie. It’s a comedy!” wraps up Tolentino. 

These days, KC continues to go big in the digital world, be it on social media or e-commerce. She is also one of WWF Philippines’ new ambassadors.

NOW READ

Hollywood indie film ‘Asian Persuasion’ gives a glimpse of the Filipino-American life

KC Concepcion: On Her Own Merits

Who are the Queens of Philippine Cinema? 9 Veteran Actresses You Should Know