Uge finds ‘instant’ leading man in Hollywood actor

When Japan-born Hollywood actor Yuki Matsuzaki walked into the top-floor function room of the new Cocoon Boutique Hotel (a block away from Timog Avenue, Quezon City), he instantly won the hearts of the movie press with his gentle manner and friendly smile, looking fresh even if he just flew in from L.A. early that Thursday morning.

As soon as he took his seat at the presidential table beside Eugene “Uge” Domingo, his leading lady in Instant Mommy (joint venture of GMA Films and Joji Alonso’s Quantum Films), he greeted everybody in Filipino, “Magandang hapon po. Gusto ko kayong makilala.”

It was a good time as any to know more about Yuki, towering at 6’1” and cutting a figure more of a model than an actor and who could pass for the twin of Renz (Lorna Tolentino and Rudy Fernandez’s son). Before snippets of information started coming out about Uge having found an “instant” leading man in a Hollywood actor, not many people really know who Yuki is.

According to a Funfare research, Yuki was born in Miyazaki, Japan, where he started acting at seven in a small theatrical group that performed for children, appearing in over 50 shows until he was 18 when, after graduating from high school, he packed his bags and headed for New York to seriously pursue an acting career.

“That’s right,” Yuki confirmed it at the presscon which was, as Uge wanted it to be, free-wheeling and fun and at times naughty. Luckily, Yuki is also fluent in English so he didn’t have to hurdle a language barrier in the Big Apple, But unluckily, all his money was stolen upon his arrival in New York and he was rendered homeless. A survivor, he began performing on the streets in Times Square earning a daily take of $4.

Dame Luck was on his side. Before long, he was cast in the Tom Cruise-starrer The Last Samurai (2003) and hired by no less than Clint Eastwood for Letters From Iwo Jima (2006). Yuki had to internalize his role as Nozaki (yes, of course, a Japanese soldier) by going on a crash diet of celery and water for five weeks so that he would look famished, and confined himself inside a dark closet to imbibe that claustrophobic feeling. In 2009, he starred in Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina and Aishwarya Rai (a former Miss World from India), followed by Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011 with Johnny Depp. He also did guestings on the TV shows Melissa & Joey (ABC) and The Newsroom (HBO).

Describing Yuki as down-to-earth and easy to deal with, Joji said that she didn’t have a hard time negotiating with him for Instant Mommy (showing nationwide starting on Wednesday, Aug. 28) in which he plays the Japanese lover of Uge’s character, a wardrobe assistant in TV commercial production who pretends to be pregnant. The movie marks the directorial debut of Leo Abaya who also wrote the story.

“The idea came up when Uge attended the film festival in Osaka (where her movie Do Bi Doo Bi Doo was shown),” related Joji. “We wanted a Japanese actor as Uge’s leading man (after Jacky Woo begged off). The festival programmer helped us by sending e-mails to several Japanese actors and managers. Many of them responded when they learned na si Uge ang bida.”

“They showed me pictures of the actors and made me choose,” said Uge. “I picked Yuki. Then, they googled for Yuki’s resume and that was it. Deal!”

“I told my manager not to go into more negotiations,” added Yuki. “I told him that I wanted to do the movie. I’d been doing projects in Hollywood and in Europe, so I wanted a change by doing a project in Asia.”

A first-time visitor in the Philippines when he was 14, Yuki said that he enjoyed the 10-day shoot (“Equivalent to a one-day shoot in Hollywood,” he estimated) for Instant Mommy.

“We have a love scene and it was shot on the first day,” recalled Yuki. “I checked out Uge at her waiting room and she told me, ‘O, kumusta? ‘We’re having a love scene, you know.’ I was a bit shocked and I said, ‘Yes, we do. Thanks for reminding me.’ She was very calm and very behaved.”

“Talagang tumagos,” Uge jokingly described that love scene (in another scene showing her breast-feeding, she exposes one of her breasts…naturally!!!). Told what tumatagos meant, Yuki blushed and laughed. “Actually, it was a very intimate scene.” When Joji saw the rushes, she commented, “It’s so tender, so tame.”

What about the possibility of him and Uge becoming, you know, an item?

After a little hesitance, Yuki admitted, “I am in a relationship.”

Countered Uge, “So am I. My status is ‘complicated’ (which is the title of her Regal starrer showing in October).”

Tumatagos was not the only Filipino word that Yuki learned during the shoot. The others were mostly “bad” words, which us Filipinos usually teach our foreigner friends when they come here — just for “more fun,” you know.

Thus, Yuki went back to Hollywood with a vocabulary made richer by Filipino words, mostly swardspeak.

Samples:

“They told me that if I have nothing, I should say, ‘Waley’. And I f I have something, I should say, ‘Havey.’ If I say something meant for a joke, I should say, ‘Etchos!’ I learned more words but they are too  ‘bad’ to be repeated here.” You know, something referring to an intimate act that makes Uge’s Instant Mommy character preggy (oops! there’s a twist towards the end, so watch out!).

Having penetrated Hollywood, what pointers (if any) would he give Uge and other Filipino actors so that they, too, might do the same?

“They should make more movies at home so that they may be recognized abroad,” he said.

But Uge stopped him short by saying, “I’m happy where I am. I’m contented with just representing our country in film festivals abroad.”

The same afternoon of his arrival, Yuki helped Kapuso stars pack relief goods for the flood victims. This afternoon, he and Uge will appear as guests on Startalk. Before he leaves, Joji is treating him to a holiday in Misibis Bay in Albay.

“That’s the least I could do for him,” said Joji. “Ang bait niya. Ni hindi siya nagpa-presyo.”