KRIS Aquino’s audition for her role as a princess in “Crazy Rich Asians” involved a luxury suite, million-peso props, couture dresses, and some 20 staff members working on the production design and her in-character appearance.
The 47-year-old actress revealed the great lengths she went to up her chances to bag the role of Princess Intan, a Malay royalty, in an interview with Jo-Ann Maglipon of PEP.ph.
Recalling she was sent a script to act out on film, which would then be sent to the Hollywood-based scouts, Aquino said she made certain her audition piece would look “authentic.”
That involved booking a top-of-the-line suite in The Peninsula Manila which she then transformed into a room that reflected what she envisioned a princess’ lifestyle would be.
She spent the entire day of March 25, 2017 completing the set, as well as deciding and finalizing her look, with over a dozen specialists from different fields: house stylists, technical consultants, hair stylists, and makeup artists, among others.
“There were 20 people who worked on that audition with me!” she recalled. “Lahat ng mga Hermés na plato ko at tea set, ginamit! As in, couture ang sinuot ko talaga!”
That was for the acting role. Introducing herself as Kris Aquino, the entertainment personality and “Queen of All Media,” was a different requirement altogether.
She shared with Maglipon: “My online team did the Kris bio in video format, kasi they needed it for TV, e, with voiceover. Because they need to know who you are, hindi naman nila ako kilala doon. I explained, ‘Ito ‘yung achievements ko.’ As in, parang AVP presentation talaga na, ‘This is Kris.'”
The all-out effort resulted in a finalized audition video, which Aquino sent to the producers the next day, on March 26, 2017. Three days later on March 29, she received word that John Chu, the director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” had already seen her audition.
“My sisters talaga, every day nagsimba!” she said, referring to her older siblings, Ballsy Cruz, Pinky Abellada, and Viel Dee. “Ako, lahat na ng pari, madre na friend ko, tinawagan. Kasi umabot na sa director, so that’s a super big deal!”
“So, hintay kami nang hintay,” Aquino continued. “I finally got word Wednesday night (April 5) – so this was 10 days of torture. And then sinabi, ‘You’re in!’ Oh my god talaga!”
Aquino first hinted at an “international” project on April 6 that same year. A year later, she finally revealed that her role as a princess would consist of two scenes totaling some five minutes of screentime. Subsequently, she announced that her character will appear wearing a creation by renowned Filipino designer Michael Cinco.
As Princess Intan, Aquino plays a “snobbish” royal who “refuses to speak with anyone,” according to a Teen Vogue article published over the weekend.
Kevin Kwan, the author of the book on which the movie is based, referred to Aquino’s role as a “highlight” in a recent interview – a clip of which was posted by Aquino on Instagram.
A still from a “Crazy Rich Asians” earlier shared by Aquino shows her in a scene with Constance Wu, who portrays the main character, Rachel.
She described the scene as “pivotal” in the caption, but didn’t provide further context. In a later post, Aquino teased that “those few sentences of dialogue I got to deliver are a reflection” of what her mother, late former President Cory Aquino, “symbolized and championed.”
“Crazy Rich Asians” will hit Philippine cinemas on Aug. 22. (ABS-CBN News)
