Reflection on Pinoy Presence in American Media

For this week’s Signal Boost, I chose to compile a list of Filipino-Americans in American media & quotes from interviews about their cultural experience. From teenage pop star Olivia Rodrigo to wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista, many of your favorite celebrities shared how proud they are of their Filipino heritage and the chance they get, as public figures in mainstream media, to share it. Read below for a conversation on representation, culture, and most importantly, Pinoy pride.

Manny Jacinto, actor, “The Good Place”

Manny Jacinto is arguably one of the most recognizable Filipino faces in Hollywood after his stint as Jason Mendoza on “The Good Place.” Below, he describes what he loves about his Filipino heritage and what it taught him about life.

“I grew up eating adobo and sinigang and when I’d come home, I’d be welcomed by my favorite smells like Filipino spaghetti… You know what it’s like with Filipino parents, and well, parents in general--the lessons they instill in their kids are very much through their actions, through the example that they lead. They may not be very vocal about their love, but you know that they care for you.

With my parents, especially with my dad, I definitely got his work ethic. We all immigrated from the Philippines when I was a kid and it was tough. My dad had to find work in a new kind of world or place that he wasn’t too familiar with… he did it for his family and his kids and I think I definitely learned that work ethic from him, you put your head down and do the work and try to be excellent at what you do” (Esquire).

Vincent Rodriguez III, actor, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”

Vincent Rodriguez III considers it exciting and groundbreaking that he has the opportunity to play Josh Chan, the love interest on mainstream sitcom “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Inspired by Paolo Montalban, who is featured later in this article, he broke barriers for the Filipino community.

“I grew up accepting that my nationality was not depicted on TV or film. To be honest it was something I didn’t acknowledge as a kid. But once I realized my love for acting and the possibility of pursuing a career in it, I quickly noticed the absence of Asians in general and thought, ‘Well, I’m gonna try to change that.’ What really woke me up to the possibility becoming a reality was seeing who I thought was the first Filipino actor on TV in a starring role and that was Paolo Montalban as Prince Christopher in Disney’s "Cinderella" [the 1997 television film of the Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical, starring Brandy].”

“[speaking on the joke featured in “Crazy ex-Girlfriend” about dinaguan, a traditional Filipino stew] Filipino food is not common when compared to your local Chinese food options. It’s cool that now America has this exposure to our native foods and family dynamic” (NBC News).

Jon Jon Briones, actor, "Ratched"

In the hit Netflix show “Ratched,” Jon Jon Briones jumped at the opportunity to play Dr. Hanover, a physician who conducts controversial experiments on the Lucia patients' minds, and happens to be fully & proudly Filipino.

“I believe that’s so important to have that story told by this body — by this person of color. Growing up in the Philippines, I was watching a lot of Hollywood movies and you see how American Indians were depicted. We learned to hate the Indians because they’re barbarians and savages — and we see John Wayne saving the day. You never see them tell their stories. They’re just a tool to tell this other person’s story. They’re never the hero of their story.

No matter who you are, you are always the hero of your story, even if you’re playing a bad person, but there needs to be a humanity and there’s no humanity in a person that you don’t understand. Representation does that. It makes you understand and it gives you empathy” (Deadline).

Olivia Rodrigo, musician, “Driver’s License”

Teenage musician Olivia Rodrigo acknowledges that, just like many young children of color, she only thought pop stars could be white girls. Now she’s breaking barriers (and records) as a young Filipina-American with a huge fan base.

"I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, 'I've never seen someone who looked like me in your position,'" Rodrigo said. "I'm literally going to cry. Like just thinking about it. I feel like I grew up never seeing that. Also it was always like, 'Pop star,' that's a white girl” (ABC News).

Darren Criss, actor, “GLEE”

Darren Criss has been an American public figure for several years. From his breakout in “Glee'' to his recent turn in Netflix’s “Hollywood,” his characters continue to break barriers. Below, he talks about coming to terms with being white passing and the privilege it afforded him.

“Identity and terminology—it’s a new concept that I’ve had to learn, it has always been an interesting point of conversation that I’ve gotten more familiar with in the past two or three years. Because I have a public profile, I have to worry about the term ‘white passing.’ It was something that I was not familiar with because I guess I never really felt that way. I just was always Filipino and white, I was always both. I never thought about it as a concept that you could be passing (as white). That it was a concept that could somehow give more access to things than others” (Inquirer).

Paolo Montalban, actor, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella”

Paolo Montalban broke all kinds of barriers with his lead role in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” In fact, many of the other Filipino actors featured in this article cite Montalban as inspiration for believing they could be a Filipino male lead as well.

“Once Upon a Time... there was a good Asian son who had a Black mother and a White father.
And he fell deeply in love with a Black girl who ‘lost’ her glass slipper.

This story celebrated color-blindness by not calling attention to it. But there’s no Fairy Godmother to wish away racism. It’s up to all of us to take control of our destiny as a society” (Instagram).

“what I want us as a society is to not walk away from inclusion, diversity, and representation” (The Nerds of Color).

Shay Mitchell, actor, "Pretty Little Liars"

Shay Mitchell is best known for her turn as Emily Fields, one of the leads on hit show “Pretty Little Liars.” However, one of her most recent projects, “Trese,” an animated series created by & starring exclusively people of Filipino descent, tells a distinctly Filipino story. Stream Trese on Netflix now.

“I grew up in Canada, but spent time in the Philippines growing up. No matter how much time I spent there though, it always felt like a visit. But working on this project, it made me feel closer to my mom’s heritage, like I am more a part of the community. More than that, part of what makes this production so special is the representation—and I think this should be a priority across the board on all productions. There are so many talented people in the world, and I fully support extending opportunity broadly.” (Inquirer).

Eugene Cordero, actor, "Kong: Skull Island"

Eugene Cordero has been acting in the industry for a long time. You may recognize him from “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “The Good Place,” “Kong: Skull Island,” or even “Loki.” Below, he answers the question of whether he thinks diversity in the media has improved.

“They’re [the media] getting better as the world itself changes. I wish it [was] because people don’t see color, but it’s because the international market is important to Hollywood now. It’s the business aspect of it.”

He also comments on the hurtful side effects of whitewashing.

“It [whitewashing] hurts. Either no one cares that these parts should be diverse or the people who do speak up get pushed to the side when decisions are made. I hope that the negative attention whitewashing is getting will help open people’s eyes to go forward” (Inquirer).

Nicole Scherzinger, musician, The Pussycat Dolls

Nicole Sherzinger isn’t just known for her award-winning turn as lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, but also as a giant of Filipino representation in America. She comments on her 2017 role in “Dirty Dancing” alongside Abigail Breslin & Sarah Hyland.

“It meant a lot to me that Wayne was open to casting me because I was this color. I’m just really proud to be able to represent my people in Hawaii and the Philippines.”

She also comments on how her cultural heritage affected her singing & dancing capabilities.

“I feel like some of the best voices in the world are Filipino voices. I got my voice from my Hawaiian side, too—my grandmother. I grew up in a family where my grandmother sang and always played the ukulele. My mother was a hula dancer. But we didn’t have the means or the money to help put me through classes or be taught any lessons. So, I think it’s a God-given gift. That’s the only way I knew how to express myself, because I was shy as a kid. Growing up, I just loved music. I wanted to be Whitney Houston” (Inquirer).

Catch Scherzinger in Trese on Netflix alongside Shay Mitchell & Manny Jacinto.

Vanessa Hudgens, actor, “High School Musical”

“I am so proud of my heritage. I love being a Filipina. There aren’t very many Filipino girls in the industry. So being able to stand up and be that girl makes me proud. My mother is so proud. She grew up in Manila. I don’t even think she knows it’s doing that well over there. I’d love to make it over there sometime.” (Inquirer).

Dave Bautista, actor, Guardians of the Galaxy

Dave Bautista, who many of you know best as comedic relief hero Drax from “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the “Avengers” saga, commented below on his recent starring turn in Netflix’s “Army of the Dead.”

“It’s something that isn’t expected of a guy with my frame and stature. Some people would look at my physicality and would never see me as an emotional person—which I am, absolutely. I’m very loving and emotional. I am so Filipino.” (Inquirer)

Bruno Mars, musician, “Just the Way You Are”

"You can't find an interview where I haven't talked about the entertainers who have come before me. The only reason I'm here is because of James Brown, Prince, Michael. This music comes from love and if you can't hear that, I don't know what to tell you” (CNN Philippines).

​​“The woman who taught you to love, showed you what a woman is supposed to be… When that goes away, more than half your heart goes with it. You just gotta know she’s [my mom] with me wherever I go” (SEASIA).

Lea Salonga, musician and actress, “Mulan”

From her original turn providing the voice for Mulan’s hit single “Reflection,” Lea Salonga has been breaking barriers for years. If you get a chance, check out “Yellow Rose,” her most recent feature film about a young Filipina-American who must cope with America after her mother is deported.

“We just see this as an opportunity to tell Filipino and Filipino-American stories, which I don’t think has ever been seen on screen… A lot of the time, people who didn’t think they’d be able to relate to what’s going on actually find something that resonates so strongly and really hits home the point of universality as far as the human experience” (HuffPost).

Nico Santos, actor, “Superstore”

[On the reaction to the queer Filipino character he plays in “Superstore”] I’m super excited!  I also didn’t realize how big a deal it was until I started getting a lot of messages on social media. When I was getting into the business, all I knew was Alec Mapa, the only ever queer Filipino I ever saw on television.  When I saw him, I was like, ‘Oh my god! Yes, there’s hope!’  It actually just made me think, wow there really isn’t a whole lot of us if we’re getting this type of response from everybody.”

“We’re the second largest community in the United States, the largest Asian community in California but we are hardly represented in media at all” (FilAm Creative).