Nakapanayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) via Zoom ang American-South Korean actor na si Ellis Gage na gumaganap bilang isa sa mga bida sa BL (Boys Love) series na Stay, na kasalukuyang napapanood sa YouTube channel ng Team Campy Entertainment.
Ang Team Campy Entertainment ang lumikha ng Stay sa direksyon ni Dexter Paglinawan Hemedez at Allan Michael Ibañez—mga direktor ng critically acclaimed indie film na 1st Sem noong 2016, na pinagbidahan ng multi-awarded actress na si Lotlot de Leon at then newbie actor na si Darwin Uy, na isa nang Regal baby ngayon.
Kasama si Lotlot sa Stay na pinagbibidahan rin ng Fil-Am actor na si Sebastian Castro na naka-base sa Amerika kung saan kinunan ang kabuuuan ng series.
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Sa interview, una naming tinanong kay Ellis kung ano ang naramdaman niya habang pinapanood sa wakas ang kanilang BL series ni Sebastian bilang si Andre.
Nakangiting tugon niya, “Well, it was just very, very cool to see our finished product, especially after we shot things out of order.
“And, you know, while you're there it feels one way. But while you're watching it and seeing the amazing work that Dexter and Allan did, it looks like something else.
“So it was very, very cool to sort of see it all come to fruition, you know. See how it reads, see how everything scans.
“And I'm just super stoked that people have been as excited as we have about it.”
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ELLIS AS JOSHUA
Paano naka-relate si Ellis sa karakter niya bilang si Joshua sa Stay?
Lahad niya, “That's a really good question, actually. So Joshua is someone who, I think, as people have seen throughout this season and will continue to, definitely has some trouble letting go.
“And just like having fun and letting people in, and I think that functions as, you know, really an agent in protecting him and keeping his life efficient.
“But it also sometimes inhibits some good, exciting things. He is having some trouble, being friendly with this new roommate of his because he's really protecting himself.
“And as more episodes get released, I think people will start to learn why, like someone who's been through the things that Josh has been through. he would feel the need to really protect his feelings, protect his emotions.
“And I think that's important, to not wear absolutely everything on your sleeve. I think that like Andre, for example, is kind of the inverse of that.
"Andre comes and in the first episode falls into misfortune because he's very, very trusting and very just open and free spirit.
“And Joshua’s definitely the opposite, and I think that I have always, I've always had a little bit of Joshua in me. I can be a total… I can be a grump sometimes.
"I can be a tough nut to crack and it can be hard to open up to people and just have fun sometimes.
“But I think that’s one of the beautiful things about Stay and something that it kinda taught me while I was filming.
"It was like such a crazy new experience for me. I haven't done a whole lot of film work as an adult.
"But just like giving in and surrendering, finding new family, and so I think that I definitely related to Joshua in a lot of ways, but I also learned from Joshua.”
ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Sa Stay ay mailap at tila cold-hearted si Joshua lalo na sa pakikipagrelasyon. Ganoon din ba si Ellis sa tunay na buhay?
Saad niya, “I think every relationship is different, like as you have more and more of them, whether these are like friendships, or like even like professional relationships, like you learn how to navigate them more and more.
“And I think that I'm someone who really appreciates and values dialectics, you know, meaning that two opposing truths can exist at the same time, you know.
“Things aren't always super black and white, so I think that I'm different from Joshua, and that I may be farther along in addressing dialectics.
“And seeing like, that not everything is black and white, and that there is a lot of gray area, but I think that my instinct sometimes is to stay a little guarded.
“So I think that we definitely have that in common.”
Sa tunay na buhay, sa ngayon ay walang karelasyon si Ellis.
“I'm not. I'm just, I'm busy,” at tumawa si Ellis. “Honestly, I think that would be a little exhausting right now.
“But yeah, it's not a thing I'm turned off to or opposed to. But I'm very much single at the moment.”
Sa pagkakaalam namin, si Sebastian, na tulad ni Ellis ay miyembro ng LGBTQIA+ community at single rin.
Sabi pa ni Ellis, ”I don't know. I don't know. I'm not… I'm not sure. We haven't talked about it very much. And we talk a lot, you know.
"And that's something that's so lovely like sometimes he'll just call me, and we'll like talk for a while, and he'll just want to like, tell me about life and his dogs.
“It was like super special to make a friend like Sebastian in this process. But yeah, you’d have to ask him if he's single,” at natawa si Ellis.
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Hindi ba sila nagkaroon ng connection romantically ni Sebastian habang ginagawa nila ang Stay?
“A romantic connection… you know, you know what it was? We just... we really, really respected each other a lot as actors and as people.
“It was… yeah, it would take two to answer that,” at tumawa si Ellis.
May komunikasyon pa rin sila ni Sebastian haggang ngayon.
“Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, we still see each other.
“We talk all the time. I, yeah, online, that person. Yeah, I know sadly, we live in very different states.
"I know Sebastian's based in Georgia, like down South right now. And I'm based in New York City, in like the theater industry scene.”
why stay is worth watching
Nasa Taiwan si Ellis habang kausap namin via Zoom nitong July 3.
Kuwento niya, “I'm doing a musical, the musical Next To Normal, it had a very successful run in New York like over ten years ago, and it has recently been brought here to Taiwan for the very first time so I am here right now working on that.
Bago ang Stay, anu-ano na ang mga proyektong nagawa ni Ellis?
Detalye niyang kuwento, “Let's see, like film projects? I was on like two projects with major studios when I was very, very young. I worked on Chasing Life on ABC and American Hustle the 2012 Oscar winner, but I am in very, very small parts in both.
“I sort of did some independent work, you know. I've done a lot of voice over work for animation and, yeah, I have done like some commercial stuff like some modeling stuff.
“So I wasn't super, super new to the process and like to being in front of the camera. But something of this scale and a role this big, I think, was definitely new to me.
“So Stay was something very exciting to tackle on a total new adventure.”
Sa huli ay tinanong namin si Ellis, bakit nararapat panoorin ang Stay?
“Because I think Stay is, it is about connection. I think that anyone who sees the value in that, or like maybe is trying to learn the value in that can really, really enjoy this.
“And it can really speak to them. It's cute, and it's light, and it's sweet, but it is also profound. It like taps into some darker things and some real life issues.
"So I think it's like a really personalized special slice of life, piece of media, that I think people would just love.
“And you got Sebastian and like who couldn't, who couldn't be obsessed with that man,” ang nakangiting pagtatapos ng 24-year-old na si Ellis.