Feeling the Filipino Pride with H.E.R and Liza Soberano from ‘Forgotten Island’

This week, Dreamworks Animation and Universal dropped a historic trailer for Filipino film fans everywhere. They revealed the first official look at their latest feature, Forgotten Island; Hollywood’s first Filipino-centric animated feature.

From the directors of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford, the upcoming adventure looks to be another visually stunning, and emotionally grounded story centering on the friendship of two incredible protagonists: Jo and Raisa. To bring these two dynamic heroines to life, Mercado and Crawford sought out the help of two iconic Filipino superstars: H.E.R and Liza Soberano!

While there are several amazing examples of legendary Filipino superstars in Hollywood, part of the reason sites like The Nerds of Color exist are because there are still so few opportunities for many in the Filipino and Asian communities to really take the lead in entertainment. However, thanks to the efforts of stars like H.E.R and Soberano, and filmmakers like Mercado and Crawford, things are steadily evolving for the better.

H.E.R’s incredible talents, for instance, have skyrocketed her to unparalleled success, being honored with an Oscar, an Emmy, and five Grammys before even turning 30 (that’s one Tony away from an EGOT for those keeping score). While Soberano, also under the age of 30, has risen up as one of the most most prolific Filipino icons in Asia, with blockbuster television series like Forevermore, and huge cinematic hits like Just the Way You Are, Everyday I Love You, and Alone/Together. Following her incredible successes in The Philippines, she broke through into the mainstream Hollywood scene, with a scene stealing performance in Lisa Frankenstein, and the lead role in the Netflix anime hit, Trese.

As such, it filled me with incredible pride to be able to sit down with them, as a Filipino American fan, to discuss the monumental impact they’ve had on Filipino pop culture, as well as the Filipino influences that inspired their latest, historical project, Forgotten Island. Take a look at what they had to say right here:

Forgotten Island looks amazing, and incredibly beautiful. However, it’s also culturally important to the entire Filipino community, and a celebration of our culture, our stories, and our history. Therefore, it was incredibly critical that the casting for Jo and Raisa be pitch perfect. Thank goodness, Mercado and Crawford recruited Soberano and H.E.R, because the duo, not only fully encapsulates the spirit of their animated counterparts, but brings a masterful sense of Filipino soul to this monumental moment. We couldn’t be more proud!