CHRIS Pang, who plays Colin Khoo in the top-grossing Hollywood movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” was in Manila recently before jetting off to Singapore for the film’s Asian premiere.
Australian-born actor Pang is co-producing and co-starring in the independent film “Empty By Design.” This movie is top-billed by Osric Chau of the American series “Supernatural” and Filipina actress Rhian Ramos.
In a recent interview with Preview Magazine, Pang had said that he did not know Kris Aquino when she came on to the “Crazy Rich Asians” set for filming, but that she showed up with 18 assistants.
He observed: “She’s the real crazy rich Asian. All of us were acting and trying to dig deep into this life that we didn’t know, but she was just playing herself.”
This anecdote has since spread like wildfire. In a separate interview, Kris clarified that she brought eight staff members.
Pang thinks this comment got him in some hot water.
“I said Kris Aquino was the real crazy rich Asian and I got in trouble for that,” admitted the Hollywood actor in an exclusive interview with PEP.ph.
“People were like: ‘You shouldn’t have said that!’ But I felt like that was a good thing. She should be in the film. The film benefited from having her in it.”
He said that though he didn’t see Kris at the huge Hollywood premiere, he saw all the magnificent photos later.
“She looked beautiful in the yellow dress that’s her family’s signature color. It was nice. It’s lovely to have her onboard because she is so adored in the Philippines, she is such a big name here.
“To have her as part of a film that we’re trying to put together with an international and important Asian cast, it’s perfect to have her in the film to represent the Philippines. She has a very, very memorable role in the movie.
“I don’t want to give too much away. People are very, very excited to see her in the film. I’m almost jealous of the amount of support. It’s so nice to see, it’s very uplifting to know that the people [here] care so much about their local celebrities.
“That was all the news that was coming out. When casting news was coming out, when they revealed that Kris Aquino is in the film, there were like five million articles. People care. It’s cute and it’s nice to see.” (Pep.ph)
