Luke Ishikawa Plowden recalls Tondo visit, eyes projects with Pinoy stars
MANILA, Philippines — Luke Ishikawa Plowden’s first visit to the Philippines lasted only two days, but his experience in Tondo and the reception from Filipino fans already have the Thailand-based Japanese-American actor looking forward to returning.
Luke, known to Filipino viewers for such Thai series as “My Dear Donovan,” “Oh My Boss” and “Faceless Love,” came to Manila as a special guest at the ROKID Philippines AI Glass Neo Fashion Show — produced by the House of Yugen and Gen Yu — where he shared the runway with Filipino actress Arci Muñoz.
Besides his appearance at the event, another highlight of his short stay was participating in a charity activity in Tondo, Manila.
“It’s my first time here. I’m only here for two days, a very, very short trip. That’s what we could fit into the schedule, but I’m really glad that I made it out and did some wonderful events here so far,” Luke told The STAR in a one-on-one interview on the sidelines of the fashion show.
“We did some charity work in the Tondo district and gave some food out to a lot of great kids.”
Luke particularly visited the community of Baseco for the outreach activity that also involved the Philippine Red Cross.
“Honestly, I think it was wonderful,” he said. “There’s so much life there — so many people and so much culture. I got to experience just a small, small part of it.”
One of the things that also got his attention during the trip was the Filipinos’ love for basketball.
“I got to go to a basketball court there. You know that basketball is a huge sport here, and I’d love to participate in that more,” he said.
The actor acknowledged that outsiders or foreign visitors might have certain assumptions about communities such as Tondo. His actual experience, however, was marked by the warmth and welcoming energy of the people.
“When people think of an area that might have less money or be less privileged, they might think of something really dangerous or really scary. But that wasn’t my experience at all,” he said in response to a question.
“I felt warmly welcomed, and it was just overall wonderful to be there, wonderful to share what I have, share a smile and share warmth with people.”
According to the actor, it also reflected the importance of working with brands and organizations that have a purpose beyond their commercial interests. “I think most of the brands that I partner with definitely have their own arms of charity, advocacy or community work,” he said.
He added that he would welcome further projects that could make useful technology available to people who otherwise might not have access to it.
While his visit was primarily connected to the fashion and technology event, Luke revealed that he’s game for opportunities to work in the Philippine entertainment industry.
“Yeah, absolutely. I’m hoping to have a much larger-scale entertainment project here sometime soon,” he said when asked about the possibility of appearing in a Filipino film or series.
Luke believes that finding a suitable role would not be that difficult, given his multicultural background and experience working in neighboring Thailand.
“I don’t think finding a role for me would be that hard — either to play somebody who’s interested in something here, or maybe a Thai guy or a half-American guy who comes here,” he said.
More importantly, Luke disclosed that Philippine-based production outfits have already approached him about possible projects.
“There have already been some productions that have reached out to me about doing Filipino projects,” he said.
“I’m excited to engage with that and look for what the best script looks like, who the best actress is and what the project looks like. That’s something I’m really interested in.”
One possible collaborator is Arci. The two have apparently been discussing a potential project, although Luke was careful not to drop details prematurely.
“I’m happy to develop more of a close relationship with Arci Muñoz. We’ve been talking about some stuff, so I’d like to make that happen, if possible,” he said.
“We’ve been talking about a particular project. But I don’t want to announce any more than that.”
He also expressed interest in someday working with Liza Soberano. Luke first went viral among Filipino netizens when he was tagged as the male version of the now US-based Filipina actress.
“There’s also a dream of doing a project with Liza at some point,” he admitted.
“I know that Liza and I had something go viral many years ago. I know there was a lot of buzz about how we kind of look similar and things like that.”
Luke was equally surprised by the number of fans who waited to see him during his first Philippine visit. “There were so many great fans who wanted signatures and photos. There was just so much love,” he recalled.
He also thanked the Filipinos who have consistently supported him through Instagram and other social media platforms. “Filipinos have been an incredible fan base for me,” he said. “I see you. I see your comments. It makes me want to learn more Tagalog.”
“Next time, I definitely want to be able to spend more time here and engage with more people,” he said. “Thank you so much. I appreciate it so much, and I’ll see you soon.”
Meanwhile, Josh Yugen, the organizer of the ROKID fashion show and who was responsible for bringing Luke to Manila, shared that the event was mounted in part to highlight how important AI can be to the country’s future, particularly for young Filipinos who may not have easy access to emerging technologies. The co-founder of Gen U under House of Yugen likewise serves as one of the tech brand’s ambassadors and partners.
He told The STAR, “It’s something that we cannot avoid because, in the near future, everyone will be using AI.” Aside from showcasing wearable AI through fashion, Josh has also established an AI-focused digital company and will be devoting more attention to tech and education-oriented ventures in the coming months.
The Dubai-based Filipino entrepreneur clarified though that he remains involved in the international pageant industry through Miss Universe franchises. He’s still owner and national director of the Miss Universe Sweden, Miss Universe Pakistan and Miss Universe Egypt franchises.
“I’m not forgetting pageantry or moving away from it. I still have multiple franchises that I really have to take care of, but I also want to focus on AI,” he said.
He noted to this paper that House of Yugen is planning to establish an institution that would teach AI to underprivileged children in the Philippines. Josh hopes to launch the initiative within the next two to three years, or possibly sooner.
- Latest
- Trending
