COLUMBIA Pictures’ new thriller 21—which was No. 1 in the US box-office for two consecutive weeks—features Filipino-American actress Liza Lapira in the ensemble cast led by Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgess.

Lapira, most recognized in Hollywood for her turn in the Showtime series Huff, plays Kianna in 21, a key member of a group of math whiz students that heads to Las Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos big time. 

The film is based on Ben Mezrich’s best-selling novel Bringing Down the House, the true story of the very brightest young minds in America—and how they took Vegas for millions.

Lapira says that she was astounded by the chance to work with Kevin Spacey.  “I was so excited to find out that I got this role with Kevin in the movie. I know it’s a cliché thing to say, but just watching him work, I learned a lot.”

Two weeks prior to filming, Lapira and the other actors who play the team of card-counters spent time with card consultant Kyle Morris to learn how to play the game. Lapira explains, “Before being in this movie, I never thought playing blackjack was fun. But thanks to ‘research,’ we got to go to a lot of cool places. It didn’t feel like we were working!”

Lapira will next star in Repossession Mambo, opposite Jude Law and Forest Whitaker.

She made her mark in television with a recurring role on Showtime’s Emmy award-winning show Huff, playing Maggie del Rosario, Oliver Platt’s long-suffering assistant.

Her film credits include Domino, Brown Sugar and LA Blues.  Her notable credits on television include guest appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, Monk, The Sopranos and Sex and the City.  She also has recurring roles on Law & Order: SVU and NCIS.

She is originally from Queens, New York, and moved to Los Angeles in 2004.

Opening across the Philippines on May 28, 21 is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

The Sun shines on Aga

THE final word is in: with soaring temperatures, unintended “tanning” and the specter of premature aging, the word “Sun” is pretty much unpopular in this neck of the woods. Well, save for the beachgoing crowd.

The View: Beat goes on

A FRIEND of mine passed away recently. I was able to see him only once before his passing, a day after I, along with a smattering of mutual friends, found out that he was very sick and in the hospital—had been, in fact, for some two weeks already.

Show &Tell: Fish tales

THE ratings game in prime-time TV has always been colored with too much mudslinging and not so long ago, with GMA’s No. 1 fantasy soap opera Dyesebel battling ABS-CBN’s Lobo, the battle was taken to the sea.

Opening Spaces: Tony Twigg’s ‘Standing Sticks’

I GREW up in Davao City in the 1970s at the height of timber trade. Wood was, therefore, a familiar sight.

Reaching out through the lens

YOU might have heard that members of some native Indian or African tribes—and, yes, the occasional celebrity—believe that having their picture taken steals a part of their soul. The rationale being that for the photographer to have something, the subject must have lost something accordingly.

Fil-Am actress Liza Lapira in U.S. no. 1 hit

COLUMBIA Pictures’ new thriller 21—which was No. 1 in the US box-office for two consecutive weeks—features Filipino-American actress Liza Lapira in the ensemble cast led by Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgess.