FUNNY MAN

Actor and comedian Nico Santos reflects on his journey to stardom, his roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Superstore, and his return to the homeland for a roundtable discussion with Filipino filmmakers

- By Angela Nicole Guiral

Nico Santos arrives in Manila with a suitcase full of sharp suits and still sharper stories. It's been seven years since he last set foot in the Philippines—“2017”, he recalls, “when I was on break from filming Crazy Rich Asians.” This time, the actor and comedian returns not as a traveller but as a resource person invited by Lisa Lew, one of the founders of the Manila International Film Festival. Ask him, however, why he's here, and he's quick with a joke: “To keep my mum happy. I mean, she just flew back to the US from the Philippines, heard I was coming and made me buy her another ticket.” With his husband, the three enjoyed a few days in Pangulasian Island, El Nido before work called him back to reality.

The mix of humour and honesty is quintessential Nico Santos. Born in the Philippines and raised in Oregon, Santos has carved out a niche in Hollywood as one of the industry's most prominent queer Filipino voices. But the journey was anything but smooth. “I didn't set out to be an actor,” he says. “I just wanted to pay my bills and do what I loved.” As he reflects on his rise—from a teen navigating American high school to a celebrated comedian and actor—Santos balances gratitude with a healthy dose of humour and self-deprecation.

THE UNLIKELY BEGINNING Santos moved to the US in 1995 at the insistence of his mother. “She said, ‘You'll thank me later for getting you a green card,” he shares. In high school in Oregon, he first discovered his love for the stage. His breakout role? “A Nazi in The Sound of Music. They called it colour-blind casting,” he deadpans. “That was my grand debut.”