How Lea Salonga found her voice—and made space for her son’s

Mother and Son Dynamics

“We don’t have lots of scenes together,” Salonga says about starring with Chien and stressing the need to maintain a certain level of professionalism by not coaching him at all. “I don’t have to,” she says. “That’s not my job. I let Chari [Arespacochaga, director] do that.”

Chien, who sent his answers (complete with emojis) to Tatler’s questions via e-mail, responds: “I’m excited! However, I’m also a little nervous since I’ve never been in a work environment with her. Hopefully it’ll be fun. I have a feeling she’ll keep me in line if I joke around too much, which is completely fair.”

“I already told Nic that he’s handling himself. He was like, ‘Yes mum. Of course, mum,” Salonga comments. And with motherly pride, adds, “Yeah, I don’t have to worry about him.”

The bond between mother and son is commendable, even enviable particularly in light of Nic coming out as a trans man. It didn’t happen, Salonga says, as a sudden announcement; instead, it was a journey of openness between the two of them. 

She relates: “In the beginning Nic said, ‘Mum, I need therapy’. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s find somebody who can help you.’  Another time he said, ‘Mum, I think I am bisexual’. And I was like, ‘Oh, okay, that’s fine. That will not change how I feel about you.’  And finally, ‘Mum, I think I’m trans.’ And I said, ‘Okay, that’s great. What do you need from me? What can I do to help you?’”

It was still uncharted territory for Salonga. “First of all, I have to realise that my son is not going to be the same person that I was growing up. And how I am as a parent is very different from how my mum is a parent to me, because Nic’s a different person with challenges, such as in identity and sexuality, that I didn’t go through. I have seen some of my friends or family members go through these issues and they helped inform me how I should raise my kid,” she explains as she receives a “hi Mum” text from Chien.

She tried to completely understand her son by getting cues from him. She searched high and low for resources that could help him, herself and their situation. “If that means tapping my trans friends who are actors or other people in the industry to talk to my child about their own experiences in their journeys towards authenticity, then yeah, I’m going to bother some people. I’m not above asking for help if it’s for my child,” the fierceness of a caring mother comes out.

While in the middle of domestic chores (she says she is fishing out a pair of socks from her laundry basket), Salonga imparts some tips to other parents who may be going through the same.

“The only advice I can give is to be open to listening to your child. If your child has found the courage to open up to you, it must have been after a very long time of self-reflection, thought, meditation, asking questions, doing research and trying to find answers. So, do not be judgmental of this young person who wants to connect with you,” she says. “Your child is probably extremely terrified of receiving judgment from you, but as a parent, you are the person who is supposed to love unconditionally. And unconditionally means, no questions asked, I love you, period, full stop.”

And yes, a mother dreams of a promising future for her child. She hopes that Chien can one day “play the roles that would be right for him, which is any role that fits his voice, his physical characteristics”. With the current crop of works in theatre today, she thinks a good role for her son after more training would be the lead character of Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending.

Coincidentally, the role is also one of the two dream roles that Chien answered when Tatler asked. The second one is Jason Dean from Heathers.

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Getting into Character

Even without any coaching from mum, Chien has already developed his own approach to character development. “I try to put myself in their situation, imagine what they’ve gone through and are going through. Then I try to see what I might do in that same situation,” he says.

His process not only works for him but is also easy to follow. “A lot of actors go through a big and complicated process to become their character, but I just sort of turn it on and off like a light switch based on what I’ve experienced,” he explains.

After studying Jack, Chien comments: “I can see myself in some of his awkwardness, I suppose. But overall, I don’t see myself doing a lot of the things he ends up doing in the show [inserting a smiling face with open mouth and cold sweat emoji].

“Then again, I might steal a hen or two if I must [inserting a shrug emoji]. Otherwise, I’d say I’m only 30 or 40 per cent Jack, and the rest not so much.”

Salonga, likewise, has studied her Witch role, which she finds to be “a fascinating character” and whom she doesn’t see as “evil”. She elaborates: “She’s not a Ms Goody-Two-Shoes. I think it’s easy to argue that she’s not a nice person ‘coz she says it herself, ‘I’m not nice. I’m not good. I’m just right.’”

She plans to also pull from her life experience, “ground it into the role and make it mine”. It will be interesting to see how differently Salonga’s Witch will be from that of Peters, who originally played the role when the Sondheim musical premiered in 1986.

According to Salonga, there is a valuable lesson to be learnt from the Witch that can be applied in real life. “We also have to learn the difference between what is good and what is nice. You can be both nice and good. You can also be good but not nice or nice but not good. But you should always try to be right,” she says.

When it comes to her child, she also knows what is right. “My job is to make sure that my child is independent, knows how to take care of himself and can handle everything on his own. My job as a parent is to ensure he’s fully independent. So, I’m just gonna be a stage mommy and be supportive. That’s it. That’s my job.”

Chien sees a plus and a minus to having a big star for a mother. “It is good that I have a lot of connections and opportunities at my fingertips. It’s also good that I have my mother’s and my own reputation to uphold, which keeps my expectations and standards for myself high. This makes sure I stay professional, respectful and hardworking.”

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On the downside, he admits that his mum’s “very VERY big name” will always follow him in his career. It’s not a bad thing, he clarifies, but says he doesn’t “want to be remembered just as Lea Salonga’s son but as an actor, who just so happens to be her son”.

Chien’s thoughts align with what his mum believes actors should aim for. “Whatever you do, be the first of who you are, not the second. Be humble enough to know when you need to learn something, when you need to grow, when you need to take advice, when you need to blaze a trail and not follow anybody’s advice. But who you think you are at 18 may be very different from who you’re going to be at 35, or 50. So, be open to change.”

She may just be speaking from experience. “The moment came when I knew I could not be my mum’s tweetums and wholesome Lea anymore. If she had her way, this is exactly how she would want me to be for the rest of my life,” she shares.

From the child thespian in Annie to the toast of West End as the innocent Kim in Miss Saigon, Salonga began to take on roles that portrayed the darker and sadder side of life, such as Eponine in Les Misérables, Grizabella in Cats and the lonely OFW in Request sa Radyo. She tackles a gamut of roles in Old Friends, from Gypsy Rose Lee of Gypsy to Mrs Lovett of Sweeney Todd and yes, the Witch of Into the Woods. Each role she performed perfectly, a word she would quickly correct and offer what to her is a more appropriate one: “excellently”.

“I do not like using the word ‘perfect’ because it is an antiseptic and clinical standard. To be excellent, however, means that you are doing your very best on any given day. How I feel on a Sunday afternoon about to do show number eight is different from how I feel on a Wednesday night about to do show number three. So, the only thing I can promise an audience is that it’ll be an excellent show given what I have.”

An old report from her Miss Saigon days, however, paints her as the picture of perfection. Once, the ensemble of Miss Saigon was rehearsing and everyone thought their star was singing out of tune. After the song, composer Claude-Michel Schönberg approached the team and said to Salonga something like, “Darling, you were the only one who was singing the correct note.” 

This is how she would like to be remembered. “For audiences, I hope to leave a legacy of performing with excellence as well as of trying to amplify and uplift folks like me.”

Salonga can be passionately inspiring. Chien gets a regular dose of this. “She told me that being nervous is good, because it means you care. That will always be something that comforts me and my fellow actors.”

She can also be resolute in her beliefs, such as with her two non-negotiables in life.

The first is failure. “Failure doesn’t exist,” Salonga says emphatically. “If you’re able to learn something [from an error], then how can that be a failure? There’s always a lesson from a failed show, because you learn not to do it again the next time. Failure is not the end of the world, but the beginning of greater wisdom. It is a gateway to learning something new or relearning something that you need to get into your head.”

The other is kindness. “I need to be in a company where everyone is kind to one another, where people treat each other with respect,” she said, citing her present company (during the time of this interview) in Old Friends as a perfect example.

Theatre must be a good teacher not just of the art but of life. As a child actress, Salonga has been immersed in this world since she could probably remember. Yet, she has developed into, if we must use her word albeit grudgingly, the excellent person that she is: a multi-awarded thespian, a helpful soul who helps others reach their star, and an understanding mother who loves her son unconditionally. Period. Full stop.

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In partnership with Facial Care Centre

Special thanks to Theatre Group Asia (TGA) Overall Artistic and Creative Director Clint Ramos, Executive Director Christopher Mohnani and Amplified Entertainment’s Josh Pultz