Rock singer and actor Kean Cipriano is not the type to shy away from challenges.
Since pursuing acting in 2010, the 28-year-old frontman of the band Callalily has taken on a wide variety of roles. As early as 2012, Kean’s acting chops was on full display in his role as an idealistic young filmmaker in “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” which netted him a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Gawad Urian.
More memorable roles followed including Kim Chiu’s uncaring boyfriend in “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo” and Jennylyn Mercado’s materialistic beau in “English Only, Please.”
“I’m an actor. It doesn’t matter whether it’s indie or mainstream, I just want to make movies. For me, it’s all about the storytelling and being an instrument of the director to tell the story that he or she wants to relate to the world,” he pointed out.
In Lem Lorca’s upcoming gay horror comedy, “Echorsis: Sabunutan between Good and Evil,” Kean takes on what he himself describes as his most challenging role yet — that of a gay priest.
His character, Father Nick, an exorcist-priest who is secretly gay, is called upon to cast out a gay demon that has possessed the body of a gigolo named Carlo (Alex Medina) after the untimely death of the latter’s gay lover, Kristoff (John Lapus). Thickening the plot is the fact that Father Nick has been harboring a secret affection towards Carlo, who also happens to be his childhood friend.
“For me, the thing with acting is you get to be someone you can’t be in real life. Like I can’t be a priest but I was able to do it because that’s my character in the movie,” he noted.
Kean admits that while it was a challenge for him to portray the role, it helped that he has utmost admiration for members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community.
“I love them, especially in this industry. In anything they do, gay people are really intense, they are bright. I have tremendous respect for them,” he declared.
Kean says that underneath the hilarious script of “Echorsis” and its numerous laugh out loud scenes is that at the end of the day, regardless of gender and sexual preference, “everything is possible when it comes to love.”
“In love, anything goes. When you’re in love, you go crazy; you don’t know what you are doing. You’ll drown and float at the same time, so you swim,” says the actor who married actress Chynna Ortaleza just two months after admitting their relationship on national TV late last year.
“Echorsis” being a comedy, Kean wants to stress the entertainment value of the film and promises a fun experience for those who will watch it when it opens at cinemas nationwide on April 13. After its initial rating of R-16 has been downgraded to R-13 by the Movie and Television Review Classification Board following an appeal made by its producer, Christopher Cahilig, the actor also thinks highly of the film’s box-office potential.
He believes there is a strong chance it will gain a cult following especially after drawing cheers from its red carpet premiere at SM North EDSA last Sunday.
“The movie is one big laugh trip! When people see it, they’ll tell their friends to watch this movie simply because they had a lot of fun with it,” Kean gushes.
Also starring Alessandra de Rossi, Chokoleit, Kiray Celis, Mich Liggayu, Ruby Ruiz, Negi Negra, Bekimon, Nico Antonio, Francine Garcia, Odette Khan, Menggie Cobarrubias, and 1:43’s Yuki Sakamoto, Anjo Resurreccion, Gold Aquino, and Yheen Valero, “Echorsis: Sabunutan between Good and Evil” is written by veteran screenwriter Jerry Gracio and produced by Cahilig’s Insight 360 Consultancy. (E. Sallan, Interaksyon)