Jacky’s woes are over

Behind many a successful man is a story of struggle. Jacky Woo’s came when he was a little boy growing up in Japan. The half-Chinese, half-Japanese Jacky played with other young half-breeds like him, trusting that what they offer was pure and simple friendship, nothing more, nothing less.

But lo and behold! When he needed these so-called friends in times of trouble, they were nowhere to be found. Jacky was devastated. He chose to live a lonely childhood. But he didn’t escape from it. He held his head high in front of his so-called friends, and never for one moment showed them he was bothered.

“I didn’t let this incident bring me down. I even used it to make me stronger,” Jacky says through an interpreter at the presscon of Half-Blood Samurai, his upcoming movie with Jennylyn Mercado.

But the deep-rooted angst never left him. It lay buried deep within his heart, managing to come out in his songs, and even in the stories he writes, like that of Half-Blood Samurai. Just like lead character Takeru, the half-Japanese, half-Filipino guy he plays in the movie, Jacky’s lineage is divided into two races. And just like Takeru, a humble guy who falls in love with his rich Filipino boss’ daughter Khristine (Jennylyn), Jacky fought loneliness and detractors to be who he is now.

That’s why Half-Blood Samurai, says Jacky, is more than just another love story and a movie with his signature martial arts styles. It is also about the triumph of the oppressed in his battle against prejudice.

Jacky even hopes it will open his fellow Japanese’s eyes about the damage looking down on half-breeds like him inflicts. He saw it as a challenge to prove his detractors wrong. What if others don’t react the same way and go down, down, down to the depths of despair instead?

The film, set for a March 5 playdate, is Jacky’s proof that things don’t look as bad as it seems; that there’s always a proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

“Half-Blood Samurai is autobiographical,” he admits. And he’s glad it also happens to be Jennylyn’s last film before she takes her maternity leave from the movies.

He himself handpicked her as his leading lady because he admires her acting talent. So please, don’t put any personal meaning into it. Jacky just laughs off rumors pointing to him as the father of Jennylyn’s unborn child (Patrick Garcia is).

The movie is just one of the many others Jacky wants to do in the Philippines soon. His recent acceptance as the first foreigner member of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, has inspired Jacky to make more films in the country. After all, Jacky didn’t ask for the membership. It was handed to him on a silver platter.

“I was invited to be a member,” he proudly says, a smile lighting up his face.

After all, Jacky is no stranger to local movies. He has produced, directed and starred in Total Aikido (with John Regala and Aya Medel), the Metro Filmfest entries Alab ng Lahi and Panaghoy sa Suba and Itay May Moomoo with Vic Sotto.

All these have exposed him often enough to Pinoys, he can understand a bit of Tagalog enough to know how to mingle and work with his Filipino co-stars and production crew. Among the words he understands and pronounces right are isa pa, marami, magaling, magkano, ilang milyon and mahal.

And because he is no longer a stranger to Filipino, Jacky balked when someone asked him as producer of Half-Blood Samurai: “Magkano ang ginastos mo sa pelikula?”

Jacky’s chinky eyes disappear into slits as he smiles and replies, “Secret!”

Hmmm, seems the guy spent a fortune to bankroll the film? But that’s beside the point. What matters is that here is one foreigner who cares about the Philippines enough to invest his money in local films and learn the language of its people to boot.