MANILA, Philippines – Apparently, “It’s more fun in the Philippines” holds true even for the country’s elite – at least according to Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan, whose latest book, Rich People Problems, includes several Filipino characters inspired by actual people that Kevin met during his last visit to Manila.

Kevin, who was in town to promote the last book in his trilogy, said in an August 19 interview with Rappler that what struck him the most about Filipinos is their warmth and friendliness, and that their laidback culture is not something he encounters often from the elite in other parts of the world. “The warmth, and how welcoming people are, and how sincere they are, and how they also know how to have fun,” he said.

“A lot of other wealthy people from other cultures, I think, don’t know how to have as much fun and aren’t as relaxed and laid back and authentic, so it’s lovely to have that kind of connection and chemistry,” he said.

He also said that he was inspired by the work being done by high profile Filipinos, mentioning journalist Karen Davila and shipping heiress Doris Magsaysay Ho as examples.

“These are dynamic people doing such amazing things in their lives for the country, for the culture. Doris Ho for example is such a global ambassador for the Philippines. It’s admirable to see what she’s done and the contributions she’s made,” he said.

Aside from including Filipinos in his books, Kevin also made sure to have Filipinos represented in the upcoming movie adaptation of his series’ first book, Crazy Rich Asians.

True enough, two Filipinos will be part of the film, which is expected to be released in 2018. Filipino comedian Nico Santos is part of the cast, as well as Kris Aquino, whose participation in the movie has kept people excitedly guessing what her role will be.

Kevin remained tight-lipped on the details of Kris’ role in the movie, saying that audiences who want to know why the role is perfect for Kris should just go and watch the movie.

“She’s had such a diverse career that I‘ve known about her for many years. Even [at the] beginning in the ‘90s when I came to visit the Philippines for the first time, I knew about her,” he said.

“So when it came time to start casting and really start thinking about who would be perfect for [which] characters, I had this dream. First of all I wanted Filipino actors to represent in this movie alongside Australian, Indonesian, and Malaysian actors, I really thought it was important to have FIlipino actors in the movie. And she’s kind of an iconic Filipino actress,” he continued.

The film has made Hollywood history for being the first movie in 26 years to have an all-Asian cast. Taiwanese-American actress Constance Wu, who stars in the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, is playing the lead character Rachel Chu, whose boyfriend Nicholas Young, played by newcomer, British-Malaysian actor Henry Golding, is an heir of the illustrious Shang-Young clan.

Kevin shared that he is “very grateful and extremely honored” that his story has paved the way for greater Asian representation in an industry that still succumbs to whitewashing. But for the author, it was a stroke of luck that allowed the movie to break such ground.

“Movies take so long to develop and to write, it just so happened that mine was the first in 26 years, but there’s other stories being told out there. There are other writers who have written stories about Asian families and Asian characters that haven’t been as lucky to see it be adapted into a Hollywood movie. So I think there’s a lot of luck involved,” he said.

As far as the movie adaptation is concerned, Kevin said that seeing his story turned into a film is “the most indescribably cool feeling in the world,” something that only select writers can experience.

“I remember arriving in Malaysia – in KL – and I was taken by a van to the set of the movie, and they recreated this house, Tyersall Park, and they were in the middle of shooting a party scene,” he shared.

“So to walk in there and to see all these characters that were in my head come to life in full costume, and the costumes and what they’re wearing are exactly what I described in the book, and the house looks exactly what I described in the book, that was a very special feeling to see the amount of attention and care that John Chu [the director] and his team put into recreating the book,” Kevin said.

With promotions for his third book underway and the movie to be released soon, it seems to be a busy time for the author – though he has shown no signs of stopping or even slowing down. At the moment, Kevin is in the thick of writing a new TV series, set to come out “hopefully later next year.”

While he couldn’t reveal any details on the series, Kevin said that it’ll be a one-hour drama.

He said that making the transition from writing for print to writing for the screen is not without its challenges, but it is something he is keen on doing.

“I wanna find new ways to tell stories. I’ve written three books now, and it’s time to sort of expand from that,” he said. – Rappler.com