Pinoy Pride on the Crazy red carpet

Those (especially Filipinos) who had a grand time star-gazing at the recent red-carpet starry arrival for the premiere of Crazy Rich Asians in Hollywood must have felt mighty proud when Nico Santos showed up in a dapper suit wearing a Philippine Flag pin. That was nice of Nico to have shown Pinoy Pride in such an important event graced by the movie’s other stars that included Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Sonoya Mizuno, Chris Pang, Remy Hii, Pierre Png, Jimmy O. Yang and Ronny Chieng.

Featuring an all-Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians is described in the Warner Bros. Production Notes as a contemporary romantic comedy based on the acclaimed worldwide best-seller by Kevin Kwan, shot around Singapore (Marina Bay Sands, Garden By the Bay, etc.), the setting of the book told in oh-so-hilarious style that when I read it, I couldn’t stop laughing. I could hardly wait to see how director Jon M. Chu recreated all those characters (inspired by real people…reportedly!) on the bigger-than-life screen with the island’s wealthiest in the grand-party scene wearing diamonds that must have dazzled blind those on the set.

…with Michelle Yeoh in a scene from the movie.

According to the Production Notes, the story follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her long-time boyfriend Nick Young (Golding) to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. Not only is he the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families, but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Yeoh) taking aim. It soon becomes clear that the only thing crazier than love is family, in this funny and romantic story sure to ring true for audiences everywhere.

Nico is the only Filipino actor in the main cast, duly recognized in the movie’s ad and acknowledged in the Production Notes which describes his role as Oliver T’Sien as “having no illusions about his place at the table. A fashion designer and self-described ‘rainbow sheep of the family,’ who maintains favor with the wealthier members by not only being charming and witty but making himself useful. He likes Rachel and will help her to dress to impress, but will never stand up to Eleanor (Yeoh) on her behalf.”

On the red carpet wearing a Philippine Flag pin on his suit

This much is what Funfare learned about Nico from the Production Notes:

Nico Santos was born and raised in the Philippines and has assimilated to American culture rather quickly by living in California by way of Portland, Oregon. After a stint in retail, he began doing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and in just a short amount of time had become a popular fixture in the Bay Area comedy scene with his acute observations and quirky characters. His sarcastic wit and outrageous sensibility has afforded him that rare ability to be crass and snarky while at the same time remaining completely likable.

Charming audience on stage translated to the screen as Santos made his film debut in Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, alongside Kevin James. He also honed his live comedy chops as a writer for E! Network’s Fashion Police, was a regular panelist on Chelsea Lately and was a featured comic in Showtime’s Pride Comedy Jam.

Above and below: In two other scenes from the movie based on the best-selling novel by Kevin Kwan

Santos currently is the lovable and sarcastic Mateo, Jonah’s competition as the other new employee at Cloud 9, in NBC’s hit comedy Superstore. The show will premiere its fourth season in the fall of 2018.

Playing Oliver is right up Nico’s alley “whose insight into this super stratum began with a job at a high-end boutique in San Francisco where, he remembers, ‘a lot of my clients were crazy-rich.’ When I read the book, I thought, I know exactly who these people are because I’ve sold them many a designer handbag and gown. They’d come for an outfit for dinner and then, $60,000 later, it was like they’d just gone to the mall and picked out a few things.”

And how does he size up his character?

“Oliver is dapper and sartorial and a bit of a gossip queen. He clocks Rachel at this big party and just wants to help. He’s family, but still an outsider, which a lot of people can relate to — aspiring to be part of a clique they don’t quite belong to.”

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