MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Am actor-director Ace Cruz said he is working on a new project that aims to further promote one of the country’s tourist gems, Boracay.
Cruz, whose last work was the 2009 Outrage that starred Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill), said that aside from he enjoys the beach life, he also hopes his work will help prop up the country’s tourism profile as he eyes to market the film in Hollywood. “This is a way to show that there’s a paradise because right now, some foreigners are afraid to come here because of the floods, etc.,” he said in an interview.
He also said he’s currently writing the script of the film that will be a comedy-adventure, quite a departure from his previous projects which were more on action, inspired by the success of the likes of the high school comedy Superbad or Napoleon Dynamite, an independent flick that starred no-name actors and yet, became a cult-film.
Cruz, who’s also going to star in it, said he’s doing casting calls here and in L.A., and will be flying in some people, whom he has had worked with in Hollywood. One of the film’s producers is Ariel Abriam, owner of Ariel’s Point in Boracay and president of the Boracay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to his IMDB portfolio, Ace started out in the biz as an actor after graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in theater. He worked for a time in Philippine showbiz in the ‘90s under talent manager Alfie Lorenzo, before deciding to try filmmaking. He returned to his alma mater to study at its film school. He also founded his own production company Spirit Films.
The projects, which he made under Spirit Films, included Fate, which he co-stars with Lee Majors (Six Million Dollar Man) and Philip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice) as well as Last Chance, wherein he co-starred with Todd Bridges (Different Strokes) and Jamie Kailani Bayot, the older sister of American pop star Bruno Mars, who also has Pinoy roots. “I remember Bruno was so young then, but he was already very talented. Their mother is from Cebu,” Cruz said.