ISANG araw bago ipalabas sa mga sinehan sa Asia, bumisita muna ang lead star ng Aquaman na si Jason Momoa sa Manila nitong Martes upang i-promote ang pinakabagong superhero film ng DC Comics.

Direk James, Amber at Jason

Kasama ng 39-anyos na American actor ang co-stars niyang sina Amber Heard, na gumanap bilang si Mera, Queen of the Sea, at direktor nitong si James Wan para dumalo sa conference kasama ang Manila Bulletin at iba pang miyembro ng media mula sa iba’t ibang bansa sa Asya, na ginanap sa Grand Hyatt Manila.

Pagkatapos ay dumiretso ang grupo sa fan meet and greet sa SM Mall of Asia.

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Ang Pilipinas ang ikaapat na Asian country na binisita ng aktor bilang bahagi ng “Aquaman Tour.”

Isang first-time visitor, ibinahagi ni Jason ang kanyang personal na koneksyon sa mga Pinoy kahit na lumaki sa Hawaii.

“As far as I am concerned, Philippines is like the 10th island in Hawaii,” aniya.

“I think it resonates with me and for James (who is Malaysian). There’s a lot of Filipinos in there than Hawaiians. That’s why I feel honored to represent a country which has the same culture as here.”

Ang Aquaman ay tungkol sa isang half-human, half-Atlantean na si Arthur Curry (Jason) na ayaw maging “king of the undersea nation of Atlantis”. May abilidad siyang manipulahin ang alon sa karagatan, makipag-usap sa ibang creature sa dagat, makapaglangoy nang sobrang bilis, at mayroon siyang superhuman strength.

“I came from two separate cultures (Wan was born in Malaysian but raised in Australia). It’s like I came from two separate worlds. Growing up, there was a tendency for me pushing one aside while embracing the other one more,” paliwanag niya. “The story (of Aquaman) is a hero who came from two separate worlds and he didn’t quite feel he belongs to the other one. Along the way, he (Curry/Aquaman) will try to be the best of both worlds.”

Samantala, ibinahagi naman ni Amber ang karakter ni Mera. Isa itong warrior ng Atlantis na gumagamit ng hydrokinesis upang kontrolin ang tubig, a “superhero” character of her own.

“Mera is a warrior, a princess. She’s active. She’s driven, fierce. A superhero in her own right. A kickass one. She has a strong sense of duty and responsibility and she deeply cares about her position,” sabi ni Amber.

Ang bagong karakter ng 32 taong gulang na aktres ay hindi maituturing na damsel in distress.

“I’ve played a range of characters and being a woman in this industry, raising myself as an actress, it’s been limited. That’s why I’d never been interested in playing weak female characters. This industry needs a representation of women empowerment. And it’s incredibly thrilling to answer that demand by having Mera on my belt,” paliwanag niya.

Ang iba pang cast sa pelikula ay sina Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, at Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Distributed by Warner Bros. Picture, sinimulan nang ipalabas ang Aquaman sa mga sinehan sa bansa kahapon.

-REGINA MAE PARUNGAO