Release of Princess’ Hollywood film cut short by COVID-19

First, the good news (as she has announced last year): Yes, it’s true that Princess Punzalan (now Mrs. Bernadette Field) is in the cast of Yellow Rose, a Hollywood movie in which she plays the sister of Lea Salonga and mother of Eva Noblezada who, like Lea, played Kim in the Cameron Mackintosh megahit musical Miss Saigon. Also in the cast is American country singer Dale Watson.

The sad news: The movie’s commercial release was rudely interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sony has acquired the rights to the project and it was supposed to have been shown worldwide about two weeks ago,” Princess told Funfare in an e-mail interview, “but I’m guessing that maybe Sony is figuring out when to release it.”

Directed by Diane Paragas who co-wrote the story with Andy Bienan, the screenplay with Annie J. Howell and co-produced it with Cecilia Mejia, Ray Cuerdo and Orian Williams, Yellow Rose is the story of a Filipino girl from Texas whose country music dreams are derailed by a threat of deportation. It was the opening film of the 2019 Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) in New York City and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (APFF).

In a TV interview, Lea said, “It’s a really beautiful film. It’s something that will touch a lot of people’s hearts, beautifully written and something we can be proud of, something that will start a conversation with regard to immigration, especially in the United States.”

Paragas was quoted as saying, “It took some 15 years to make the movie,” referring to the long-drawn process from conceptualization to completion. “The story is for people facing challenges in finding their voice, their dreams and, more importantly, their home.”

Yellow Rose is supported by New York-based Asian CineVision and Cinematografio Originals (ABS-CBN Global), and awarded a Feature Film Grant by the New York Women in Film and Television.

How again did Princess get into that Hollywood project?

“I auditioned for Yellow Rose (YR) and was blessed to have been picked by Diane Paragas (who is YR’s director/producer/writer) to play as Eva Noblezada’s mom and Lea Salonga’s sister.

“I have an online profile on Actors Access and Backstage where I have my resumé, headshots for my types, and video clips that match those types. I look at the casting calls and apply for them.

“I am supposed to start work on another project called The Interview. The director saw my profile and clips, and contacted me. He called me in for an interview and I told him my opinion about the script and what ideas I had. We hit it off well and then he informed me after that that he wanted me to be a part of the project as one of the interviewing officers. We already had a table reading just before the stay-at-home order in California. But now everything is on hold until this pandemic blows over.”

Last February, Princess said she got Aileen Bailin (Connect Entertainment Group) as her agent and, last March, Brandon Cohen (BAC Talent) as her manager just before the stay-at-home order was given.

“We work as a team. We help each other look for opportunities,” said Princess.

Because of the pandemic, the shoot for The Interview has been put on indefinite hold.

At the moment, Princess (who is a nurse) is not holding a regular job.

“I’m taking care of my family and acting as my daughter’s teacher. It’s the most challenging role,” she said, adding with a laugh, “nakakaputi ng buhok.” (Funfare asked for family photos but Princess begged off, saying that she and her husband have agreed to keep their private life private.)

Where they live in L.A., according to Princess, beaches and parks are closed and people get fined if they break in.

“A lot of young people are pasaway,” noted Princess. “They reason that they are young and will surely survive. They don’t take into consideration the fact that they can be carriers of the virus and infect people with weaker immune systems.”

Life in the US is definitely different — “Very different from the way I was used to. I had to learn to accept things the way they are, and adapt and adjust. It has not been easy but I am grateful that my husband is very supportive. I am also grateful for the advance in technology. Maraming salamat at may social media; it has been the prime way for me to stay in touch with my family and close friends back in the Philippines. I thought that I could be an actor only in the Philippines. Hindi po pala. I am ecstatic to find out that I have a chance to do what I love the most where I am right now.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)