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Maui Taylor’s Korean film to premiere in Seoul on Tuesday
By Sirri Shayla · Saturday, May 12, 2012 · 11:07 pm
Maui Taylor gets a chance to walk the red carpet in Seoul for the premiere of her Korean film “The Taste of Money” on Tuesday, May 15. The highly anticipated film by Korean director Im Sang-son will screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, which will begin the next day.
“The Taste of Money”, Im’s follow-up to the highly lauded 2010 Cannes entry “The Housemaid”, is Maui’s first taste of the international film scene. The petite actress was last seen in the 2008 film “Torotot**” (Destierro).
“It was the people of Viva Films who presented me to these Korean film producers,” she says. “They were looking for a Pinay actress to play the role of Eva, a nanny from Cebu.”
Maui plays the pivotal role of the Filipina housemaid whose sexual relations with the old patriarch of her employing family in Seoul puts everyone’s lives into a tailspin.
She landed the part after the producers saw her performance in the 2004 film “Huling Birhen sa Lupa” (The Last Virgin on Earth).
“Pinanood nila ‘yung movie, and they all agreed that I was the one. Wala nang auditions na nangyari. Kaya sobra akong natuwa (They watched the movie and they all agreed that I was the one for the role. There were no auditions at all, which made me so elated),” she says. “It’s my first time to make a film this big, and kilala sa mga international film festivals ang director namin na si Im Sang-son (and our director Im Sang-son is known in the international film festival circuit).”
Maui started filming for “The Taste Of Money” in Seoul in November 2011 during winter.
“Grabe ang lamig sa Korea (Gosh, it was so cold in Korea), she recalls. May swimming scene pa ako, at sobrang lamig ng tubig (I even had a swimming scene, and the water was so cold).”
A provocative poster of 'The Taste of Money' shows a naked Maui Taylor on the lap of Baek Yoon-sik.
Fortunately, some scenes were also shot in Cebu. The principal photography for the film lasted four months.
Maui witnessed how the Korean film industry is very strict with the hours of filming.
“We only shot for 10 hours a day, and no overtime. Sometimes we would only shoot like three or four scenes a day lang.
“Masyado silang mabusisi sa mga eksena. Kapag naisipan ng director namin na ibahin ang scene, lahat maiiba. Kaya inabot kami ng four months (They were so meticulous. If our director suddenly thought about changing a scene, everything will change as well. That is why filming took four months***),” she says.
During those four months, Maui had opportunities to fly back home during breaks in her schedule.
“Pabalik-balik ako dito sa Pilipinas. May weeks kasi na hindi ako makukunan ng eksena. Kaya uuwi muna ako. I would only fly back to Seoul kapag ready na ang mga scenes ko na i-shoot (I travel back and forth between Philippines and Korea. There were weeks when I wasn't needed in the scene, so I would come home. I would fly back to Seoul when my scenes are ready to shoot),” she explains.
The entire experience thrilled Maui to no end: “Feeling ko Hollywood star ako. I was given a VIP treatment sa set (I feel like a Hollywood star. I was given VIP treatment on set).”
The 29-year-old actress had a well-appointed three-bedroom apartment all to herself. She had a living allowance on top of her talent fee, which financed her shopping sprees in the cosmopolitan city.
On set she had an English-speaking personal assistant, a necessity given the fact that most of the actors and the crew were not conversant in English. In fact, it was Maui who reached out by learning Korean.
“May dialect coach ako because in most of my scenes I had to speak Korean. Kaya I learned so many words and somehow nakakapag-communicate ako sa kanila on the set. Pero I still needed my P.A. to interpret some of the words spoken to me by my co-stars (I had a dialect coach because I had to speak Korean in most of my scenes. That is why I learned so many words and somehow I could communicate with the people on set, but I still needed my personal assistant to interpret some of the words spoken to me by my co-stars),” she shares.
Maui had a great time working with her Korean co-actors, especially the two senior stars of the film: Baek Yoon-sik (known as the “Al Pacino of Korea”) and Yoon Yeo-jeong (the lead actress in “The Housemaid”).
“Mababait sila. At first na-intimidate ako sa kanila kasi they are big stars in Korea. But once I got to know them, normal din pala sila. Mahiyain din pala sila (They were all so nice. I was intimidated at first because they are big stars in Korea, but once I got to know them I realize they are just as normal and shy),” she says.
She confesses she had a crush on Kim Kang-woo, reportedly the highest-paid actor in Korea: “Grabe, ang guwapo niya! (Gosh, he's so handsome)”
Unfortunately for her, her love scenes were with the much older Baek Yoon-sik, not with Kim Kang-woo. She says: “Palabiro si Kim Kang-woo. Kaso he’s married na kaya hindi na ako puwedeng umeksena sa kanya (Kim Kang-woo is facetious, but he's married so I can't flirt with him)!”
The project came as a breath of fresh air for Maui, who was coming off a bad breakup when “The Taste of Money” was offered to her.
“Tama lang na dumating ang trabahong ito para hindi ko maisip ang malungkot na lovelife ko (This gig came at the right time so I won't have to think about my lonely love life),” says the actress, who remains loveless at the moment.
“Right now, I am just dating. Nothing serious yet,” she notes. “I just want to meet other people muna. Ayoko munang maging serious sa love (I don't want to be serious about love for now).”
Translator notes:
* TF means "Titillating Films," soft-core adult films that are "R" enough to be shown in cinemas, except in SM Malls.
** "Torotot" literally means horn (the instrument), but it is used in Filipino slang to describe a person with a cheating spouse.
*** Filipino films are usually done between a week to two months, including post-production.
Source: Interaksyon.com, translated by me
I find it ironic that "smaller" actors in the Philippines tend to land roles in international movies, while the A-list stars could not even dare venture out of the teleserye circuit.
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Date: 2012-05-13 05:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-13 05:06 am (UTC)I had to make sure that I am checking the right site. XD
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Date: 2012-05-13 06:00 am (UTC)as far as what ive seen op is teeming with pinoy pride lmao carry on i guess
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Date: 2012-05-13 08:42 am (UTC)Hindi mashedow.
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Date: 2012-05-14 01:11 pm (UTC)F L A W L E S S tbh
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Date: 2012-05-13 06:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-13 06:06 am (UTC)LOL I only learned what TF means, like, right now.
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Date: 2012-05-13 07:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-13 08:22 am (UTC)As noted by the translator.
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Date: 2012-05-13 08:15 am (UTC)ot but the nai cha at chowking is fucking amazing, just had one today
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Date: 2012-05-13 12:04 pm (UTC)Wow.
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Date: 2012-05-14 05:30 am (UTC)I'm hopeful the film will not be nothing short of tacky and vulgar.
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Date: 2012-05-14 01:12 pm (UTC)