Story & photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
THE great Hollywood thespian Paul Newman, who finally got the coveted Oscar trophy for his performance in 1986’s The Color of Money opposite Tom Cruise, once said: “Acting is a question of absorbing other people’s personalities, and adding some of your own experiences.”
His statement came to mind while talking with the blue-eyed James Monson, the American actor who appeared in Bigfoot Chronicles and Sabine, the latter a Filipino film shot entirely in Davao City and nearby areas.
“To be quite honest, it was not my ambition early on to be seen in front of the camera,” the handsome film starrer one Sunday morning said in an exclusive interview. “It was later on in life when I got back into acting that I remembered how much I enjoyed it. I also found out that I could identify with characters more easily with the life experience I had gained so far.”
Monson started acting at a very young age. “Theater was a requirement in the private institution where I attended,” he admitted, referring to Waldorf School. “That was where I started in theater. Television and film came later.”
The first big movie he did was Bigfoot Chronicles, which was released in 2013 and under the direction of his father, Thomas Nash Monson. He was the man behind A Line in the Sand: Taking a Stand Against Crime (1994) and K2: Spice, A Nightmare Without End (2014).
“My father has been writing, directing and producing award-winning documentaries for many years,” Monson said. “He was even nominated for an Emmy.” Such an award recognizes excellence in the television industry in the United States and corresponds to the Oscar Award for motion pictures.
His father had also written several screenplays, including Bigfoot Chronicles, which the older Monson wanted to do first.
“Knowing my acting experience, my father asked me if I could work with him on the project,” he recalled. “I quickly jumped at his offer; not that I wanted my first big role in a film, but simply because I wanted to work with him on his first feature project, from start to finish.” It was an experience the father-and-son tandem would never forget.
Aside from writing the screenplay based on his own story, the father also served as the film’s producer. The story goes: A successful documentary filmmaker, portrayed by the senior Monson, and his crew trek into the verdant wilderness of Oregon in search of an elusive subject: Bigfoot. When a crewman is injured, the filmmaker decides to forge on alone in the quest for truth.
There were several challenges that the cast and crew had to overcome while doing the film, which was entirely shot outdoors and in the mountains.
“We had to figure out how to get all the equipment into the remote locations, while the cast were racking up miles hiking from location back to basecamp, where the makeup and wardrobe crewmembers were located,” Monson recalled.
In his case, there were two spots in the script where he had to get over his dislike of heights and get the shots. “In one scene, I had to free-climb a 60-foot cliff with no ropes and no stunt double; in another, I had to stand at the edge of a 150-foot cliff, peer over the edge, toss over a rope and deliver my lines.”
Monson did both scenes—without hesitation. However, when he thinks about it now, “my hands still sweat a bit”, he admitted.
Filming in PHL
WHEN he arrived in the Philippines, he did Kano, which was quite memorable for him. “It was a micro-budget short film,” he said, “but it was a tough role. My character was an American who came to the Philippines to find his fiancé, but ends up homeless on the streets of Manila after a series of mishaps.”
He said those who did his makeup and wardrobe “did such a good job, that many people who saw us filming actually thought I was homeless,” he said. “It was hard to describe the way people looked at me, and how they treated me.”
It was an experience he would not easily forget, he said.
According to him, he learned about acting from his theater teachers in school. “Typically, we would do two productions a year. We would work on one production for an entire semester, then move on to the next,” he said.
Film and theater are distinct from one another. He clarified: “In theater, you have to be very animated and boisterous for the crowd; while in film, the microphones are attached to you and the camera is right in front of you.” Monson credited his theater teachers for providing his impetus to act when he was still young. When he got older, “it was my parents and a man named Bill who inspired me to get back at it, which only made sense to me. It was like finding a lost love and reuniting after many years, only to pick up right where you left off.”
When asked who among the Hollywood actors is his favorite, he was a bit stumped, “because there are many of them I admire for their skills,” he admitted. “[But] one of them is Tom Hanks. His performance in Forrest Gump made me a true believer. To truly understand his acting acumen, you have to watch the making of the said movie.” Among Filipino moviegoers, Monson is known for his appearance in Sabine. But there was an interesting story on how he got the role. “I came home from what was supposed to be the last day of filming for Kano. I was online when I received a message from my agent that he had sent his file to a director. Next thing I knew, I already was chatting with the director who interviewed me. To my surprise, I was told I was cast as Richard in the movie Sabine, which was written by American author Tom Anthony.”
A memorable part was the one taken inside a bar. “The script got tossed out the window,” he said. “The director told me, ‘Here is what needs to be fixed. I’ll give you 30 seconds to two minutes for this scene; fix it,’ or something to that effect.”
Ready for big time
MONSON said his dream right now is to land a starring role in any of the major television networks. “The reason is, I really want to take on a TV series,” he said. “That would allow me time to really develop a character, define him and make people love him or hate him. I am the type of person who wants to stay busy all the time.”
After Sabine, he appeared in the award-winning biopic Felix Manalo. He also did Genesis on GMA7 and Pinoy Loves Kano on TV5. Another feature film where he landed in a role was Isla, made by the same outfit that produced Heneral Luna.
When asked about his formula for successful acting, he said it is very simple. “Understand the character: who he is, his past and what made him what he is,” he disclosed. “When given ample opportunity, I will try to spend some time imbibing that character before production. I define the character outside a script, and then I have the character inside my system, as well.”
His dream role, he said, is to be cast as a villain. “I really want to be the bad guy,” he said. “This will let me channel years of built-up frustration. I want to portray this side on the big screen. The thing is, too many casting directors look at my blue eyes, and think I cannot be the bad guy. I need the chance to showcase my anger, and the outlet to vent my frustration.”
Monson now lives in the Philippines as he is married to a Filipina named Sylvia. “I was introduced to my wife in November 2011 through a friend of mine from the US,” he recalled. He described his wife as “a very strong woman who has worked all over the world.” The two tied the nuptial knot in Bagac, Bataan, where they first met on March 10, 2012, at a beachfront.
“She studied in college to be a school teacher,” he said. “She is a great cook, very smart and speaks five languages.” His first time in the Philippines was spent hiking, following what he said was a “death march” to the top of Mount Samat. “I fell in love with the country then,” he said. “In fact, I almost stayed for good.”
He came back to the Philippines in 2011 for a vacation, and soon after met his future wife. “That was it; I decided I was not going back to the US. The Philippines is my home now.”
But he had to go back to his native land, albeit for a while, to finish filming Bigfoot Chronicles. “But for the most part, I have lived here in the Philippines since 2011,” he said.
On what he likes about Filipinos, he said: “The spirit, generosity, hospitality and strength of Filipinos are quite amazing, and I often find myself amazed by those traits.” His favorite Filipino dish: chicken adobo.
Aside from where he is living now, Monson considers Davao City as the second best. “What really struck me about Davao City at first was how clean it was,” he said. “I am not a big city guy, but I really enjoyed it there. That is the kind of place I could see myself living in someday.”
That is because Monson grew up as a mountain boy in Southern Oregon. “[The said state] could not be more different than the Philippines,” he said. “Small towns, surrounded by forests and mountains. [There are] snow and ice in the winter, but hot in the summer.”
He recalled, “Growing up, all I knew about the Philippines was what I was told by one of my Aunt Kathy’s exchange students [who now lives in Manila]. I was too young to understand what she told me. I never imagined that later on in life, I would be married to a Filipina and living here.”
The actor has been in the Philippines for about six years now; he currently lives in Bataan with his wife and stepson. “Right now, my focus is on building our house here in the Philippines, in a 535 square-meter lot for my family. This is the most important thing in my life at the moment, so my family can live comfortably. Or when my folks from the US come over to visit, so they can feel very much at home. Most especially for my Mom; I want her to have a place where she can rest and be taken cared of when she retires.”
Indeed, as Newman put it, the interplay of a unique personality and a spectrum of experiences place Monson at a good vantage point to essay his biggest role yet in life.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano