Highlights
- Aina Dumlao and Lena Cruz believe their characters mirror the values and persistence that lead OFWs to seek work abroad.
- They both understand the pull of the overseas dream and the guilt of leaving family behind.
- The two look forward to more Filipino representation in the mainstream media.
SBS Filipino sits down with the cast of , a four-part drama comedy series with a main cast that features Filipino-Australian actors.
"We [Filipinos] have so many beautiful stories to tell. I want our stories to be normal - not the unique, odd one out," The Unusual Suspects actor Aina Dumlao (Sanzaru, Ballers, MacGyver) shares.
Aina, along with co-star Lena Cruz (Shortland Street), not only seek to 'normalise' the Filipino story on film but to also give viewers a peek into the many lives and layers of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW).
Aina Dumlao [second to the right] and Lena Cruz [left] star in ‘The Unusual Suspects’. Source: SBS/Joel Pratley
We are more than what we do
"The fun, scary and challenging part about playing [Evie De La Rosa]...is she's so layered. A babushka doll - Evie's like that. Ok here's the doll, but oh here's another doll. There's more," Los Angeles-based actress Aina shares.
Without giving away spoilers, Aina and Lena share that their roles go beyond work representation. Their characters mirror the values and persistence that lead OFWs to seek work abroad.
Miranda Otto and Aina Dumlao in 'The Unusual Suspects'. Source: SBS / Joel Pratley
Lena, who plays Amy shares: "To tell this story of the Filipina domestic helper, that's a lot of social issues right there. [It] involves a lot of sacrifice, of not seeing your family for years and, unquestioned generosity. That's a Filipino trait that really gets me. It's that generosity that is just bottomless...represented by even our balikbayan boxes [repatriate boxes Filipinos abroad fill with food, clothing and others to send as gifts to family in the Philippines].
"I love Amy because she's a hoot. She goes through very tough times, but she's able to - like any other Filipino - transcend that and find joy. She can pull punches when needed. I'm like that in real life [as well]."
Lena on her character, Amy: "She goes through very tough times, but she's able to - like any other Filipino - transcend that and find joy." Source: SBS/Joel Pratley
Aina agrees, adding that she too has a lot of respect for the character she plays.
"I hope I did [Evie] justice. She carries a lot of heart in the story and like Amy, she's representative of the plight of mothers and OFWs."
Family and the dream
Aina and Lena, who also left the homeland due to the pull of an overseas dream, both understand the guilt of leaving family behind and the need to reconnect.
Aina, who was born and raised in the Philippines, shares, "I feel like in a lot of ways because I live in Los Angeles and my only family there is my husband, I'm a lot like Evie. My core family, like my mum, is in the Philippines. It's a constant battle of 'I need to live out my dreams' but 'I miss my mum.' That missing and guilt were easy to channel for me as an actor."
When it comes to missing the homeland, Lena who has been living in Sydney since 1984, shares that visiting the Philippines five years ago helped her reconnect with the "Filipino heart".
The Filipina leads of 'The Unusual Suspects' :[L-R]: Susana Downes, Michelle Vergara Moore, Lena Cruz and Aina Dumlao Source: SBS Filipino/Edinel Magtibay
"I went back home and I was so moved," Lena shares, adding, "I went to our little island called Siquijor because I really wanted to experience an authentic island life. I was moved [by the place and people]. [Life was] so simple. People were really helpful and full of joy."
Someone like me
When it comes to their own joy, Aina and Lena revel in the thought of being part of a mainstream undertaking that sees Filipino actors as part of the central cast.
Aina recalls, "I remember the first time I saw Lea Salonga in a Hollywood movie, Redwood Curtain, with Jeff Bridges. I felt a swell of joy and pride as a little girl, 'Oh somebody like me could be up there.'"
"I feel likeThe Unusual Suspects marks a landmark representation for Filipinos in mainstream media...I'm so excited for Filipino boys and girls in the world, especially here in Australia, to say 'Oh there's me' [when they see us]. [We] become part of the conversation."
"I feel like 'The Unusual Suspects' marks a landmark representation for Filipinos in mainstream media." Source: SBS Filipino/Edinel Magtibay
The Unusual Suspects premieres Thursday June 3 at 8:30pm on SBS, with the full series also available then at SBS On Demand (full-series drop)
