DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
Growing up, was there a fairy tale or a scary story that you couldn't get out of your head? Well, in the new movie "Forgotten Island," best friends Jo and Raissa are obsessed with aswang, creatures from Filipino mythology. They're especially obsessed with the manananggal, a vampire-like creature who can split its body in half while hunting its prey.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FORGOTTEN ISLAND")
LEA SALONGA: (As Manang) Funny thing about mortals - when you tear them apart, they don't go back together.
ELLIOTT: Lea Salonga is the voice of Manang, the manananggal in the new Dreamworks film "Forgotten Island," and she joins us now from the studio in New York. Thanks so much for being with us.
SALONGA: Thanks for having me. And I got to say, your pronunciation of mananangal is quite impressive (laughter). I'm tickled pink over here in New York.
ELLIOTT: Oh, well, I'm glad. I've had a little help from my producer.
SALONGA: Awesome.
ELLIOTT: So your character lives on this hidden magical island called Nakali.
SALONGA: Yeah.
ELLIOTT: Tell us about the island and the creatures who live there.
SALONGA: Yes, Nakalimutan. Jo and Raissa find themselves there having absolutely zero recollection of the night before. We start meeting all of these different characters - this were-dog, the cutest little military unit. We meet all of these incredible characters. And as I was watching this movie, I was like, oh, my gosh, this is, like, straight out of my childhood, where I would listen to stories about the manananggal and the tiyanak - you know, all of these fantastical creatures in Filipino mythology and folklore. And it's so wonderful that it gets to be given center stage in this movie.
ELLIOTT: This is the first major Western animated film that explores Filipino folklore.
SALONGA: Right. Yeah.
ELLIOTT: You know, you've been a pillar for Filipino representation in Western entertainment for quite a while now. Yet many of those roles - for example, being the singing voice of Mulan and Jasmine from "Aladdin" or your role as Kim in "Miss Saigon"...
SALONGA: Right.
ELLIOTT: Those aren't explicitly Filipino roles. What does it mean to have a role like this?
SALONGA: Oh, my gosh. When I got asked to do this, it was, like, an instant yes. I knew that I had to be, in some way, shape or form, a part of this. So many of us in the cast are Filipino, and being able to center our culture and to get to, you know, see it in such a vivid, colorful way - I'm sure that I cried, not just a couple of times, watching the finished movie. It is beautiful. I went with my son, and I went with my best friend, who's also Filipino. And so we had a very visceral reaction.
And, you know, even though there are very specific things to our culture, there are also universal themes. You know, seeing these two young women in such a deep friendship really showing up for one another - it's just so wonderful to see how even something so specifically Filipino can be something relatable to anybody.
ELLIOTT: They have a sweet journey, even though they are terrified at times because of you...
SALONGA: Yeah, well...
ELLIOTT: ...Because of your character.
SALONGA: Sure. I'm in my villain era, and I think this is helping me very much (laughter).
ELLIOTT: You know, the manananggal in Filipino folklore - it's...
SALONGA: Right.
ELLIOTT: ...A very dark figure.
SALONGA: Yeah.
ELLIOTT: Right? Here's Jo talking about it to her class at the beginning of the film.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FORGOTTEN ISLAND")
KAILEY CRAWFORD: (As Jo) This vampire woman has multiple sets of wings, breathes fire and can spit her body into two, like this.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters) Ew.
KAILEY: (As Jo) A merciless murder machine that divebombs its prey, violently ripping through the victim's clenched...
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) OK, Jo. That's enough.
ELLIOTT: So do you consider it a monster?
SALONGA: Well, I think my first exposure to a manananggal on film was in a Filipino horror movie called "Shake, Rattle & Roll." And I still have very vivid memories of seeing that. I mean, the actress who was cast to play her is this gorgeous, dusky actor. I think her name was Irma Alegre. Like, Wow. And then when you see her split in two, I still - I'm sure I get nightmares from it. And it's how something so beautiful can be so terrifying and intimidating. And then now to this.
So do I consider her a monster? Yes and no. She's frightening to Jo and Raissa and to so many of the other inhabitants on the island because it's a manananggal. Of course, she's going to be frightening. And of course she'll be considered a monster. But the question is, what made her that way?
ELLIOTT: Jo and Raissa say something to each other when they need each other, when...
SALONGA: Yes.
ELLIOTT: ...They're ready...
SALONGA: I know...
ELLIOTT: ...For something.
SALONGA: ...What this is. Yeah.
ELLIOTT: Yeah, or maybe when they're a little scared.
SALONGA: Tayo na.
ELLIOTT: Tayo na.
SALONGA: Yeah.
ELLIOTT: What's the spirit behind that?
SALONGA: Literally, tayo means you and me. So when you say tayo na, it means, let's go. It means, let's do this. In the lightest of ways, it just means, let's go to the mall.
(LAUGHTER)
SALONGA: But I think in a deeper context, especially with what Jo and Raissa go through on the island, it's as partners in this crazy experience, let's go.
ELLIOTT: Tayo na.
SALONGA: Tayo na.
ELLIOTT: You've just become the first Filipina to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
SALONGA: Oh, my gosh.
ELLIOTT: Congratulations.
SALONGA: Thank you so much.
ELLIOTT: What does that mean to you?
SALONGA: Oh, goodness. I just remember being a tourist or - you know, in some way, shape or form. Or sometimes I'd have work in LA, and then I'd go into tourist mode and see those stars. And now here I am with one of my own. And it's still emotionally overwhelming because it's recognition for work that I've done. I don't know that there are words - that there are enough words for me to be able to adequately describe what this means. It means that I made an impact, and it means that I was able to leave a mark. Oh, my gosh, I don't know that I'll ever get over this.
ELLIOTT: Well, enjoy it.
SALONGA: I will (laughter).
ELLIOTT: That's Lea Salonga. She's the voice of Manang in the new Dreamworks film "Forgotten Island," out this week. Thanks for the conversation.
SALONGA: Thank you for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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