10 Hollywood Stars That You Didn't Know Are Filipino
Filipino representation truly matters and sometimes they are right in front of our eyes and we didn’t even know it! The shock and surprise on peoples faces when they hear that the shows and movies they have been watching for years are starring Filipinos. Time to study up and get educated, let’s take a look at 10 upcoming Hollywood stars that you might not have known are Filipino.
1. Hailee Steinfeld
You might have seen Hailee Steinfeld’s face all over the biggest movies and productions like Bumblebee, Pitch Perfect 2, or Hawkeye, but you might not have known she is a proud Filipina. Her father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and her mother’s ancestry is part Filipino. Hailee’s success has truly boomed over the past decade not only on screen but also in the music industry as well, propelled by 2 of her biggest hits, ‘Starving’ and ‘Love Myself’ with a combined total of over 1.7billion plays on Spotify. However, she isn’t done yet, be on the lookout for her reprise role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and her rumored appearance to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for the upcoming Kang Dynasty saga.
2. Nico Santos
According to his IMDB profile, Nico Santos was born in Manila, Philippines but had later moved to the US in his teens. After studying acting at Southern Oregon University, Nico Santos moved to California as a stand up comedian before getting his big break. Since then he has appeared in the hit TV series, Superstore, and winning himself the 2021 HCA award for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy’, not to mention Nico’s unforgettable role in the blockbuster hit movie, Crazy Rich Asians. Nico has also recently added his name to the MCU with a role in the new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 movie that just debuted earlier this month.
3. Joshua Dela Cruz
If you grew up in the 90’s like myself, I’m sure your love for Blue’s Clues was rekindled after hearing that the new host for, Blue’s Clues & You!, the TV show was a pinoy! Bringing joy to the hearts of children all over the world, now presenting Filipino-American, Joshua Dela Cruz. Having done 52 episodes of Blue’s Clues & You! over the span of 3 seasons and a major motion picture at the end of 2022, I’m wondering what’s next on the horizon for everyone’s favorite TV host? I have a feeling we aren’t done seeing Joshua Dela Cruz just yet.
4. Sam Morelos
New to the professional acting scene, Sam Morelos is the new lead role for the Netflix spin off series, That 90’s Show, playing the part of Nikki. Being born to Filipino immigrants, Sam grew up on teleseryes on TFC and is very proud of her Filipino heritage and wants to do her best to bring representation to mainstream media. During an interview with ABS-CBN she said “"Like, I watched Float, which is a Pixar short with a Filipino baby in it and we had the same nose, and I cried. I sobbed. It was a lot of emotions and I'm really excited to be able to represent my culture in that way.” We at Kollective Hustle are rooting for you Sam and wish nothing but success as you continue to represent our homeland in “Wisconsin”.
5. Dave Bautista
Being born to Greek and Filipino parents, Dave Bautista originally made a name for himself as a professional athlete in 2000 when he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and left his mark as a 6 time world champion. However most of the world has seen his rise to stardom as an integral part to the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as, Drax the Destroyer. Since the retirement of his wrestling career, we have seen this Fil-Am celebrity take part in a lot of the biggest movies every year such as, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Dune, Army of the Dead, and one of my Netflix favorites, Glass Onion.
6. Manny Jacinto
Known for his role as Jason Mendoza on The Good Place, Manny Jacinto is an up and coming actor born in the Philippines but making his name known worldwide. After 4 years and 50 episodes on The Good Place, I have noticed Manny’s face pop up in more movies and shows, including his most recent appearance as Lt. Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone in the 2022 hit movie, Top Gun:Maverick. Be sure to check out his 2 latest projects as the voice actor for Kenshi Takahashi, in Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind and his most recent role in Cora Bora.
7. Rene Gube
Rene Gube is a San Diego native of Filipino descent who is most known for his involvement as a writer & producer for the CW hit show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, in addition, he also played a recurring role as “Father Brah”. However, for myself, I recall countless hours of laughing at his comedy sketches from his Youtube channel, Touchblue, integrating his Filipino roots into his sketches. More recently, he has been writing and producing for huge shows like Superstore and The Bear but still keeps up with acting like his recent appearance on the Netflix romantic comedy, Your Place or Mine.
8. Liza Lapira
Liza Lapira is of Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish descent, and is one of the main roles on the CBS show, The Equalizer. She has been making multiple notable appearances, representing Filipinos, in movies like 21, Fast & Furious, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. It’s only getting bigger and better for Liza, from starring in a CBS television series, to starring in her own CBS Christmas special, Must Love Christmas, just this past winter. It’s so encouraging to see her growth from supporting roles to starring in her own movie!
9. Shay Mitchell
Everyone on social media has seen or has heard of Shay Mitchell but I always see the shock and surprise when they find out that she is part Irish & Scottish from her father and is part Filipina from her mother, Pampanga to be exact. She really burst on the scene with the hit show, Pretty Little Liars, with a 7 year, 161 episode career. Since then she continues to act in highly watched pop culture shows like You, Punk’d, and Dollface. Just this past year she has expanded her skill set with voice acting as the voice of Brenda on the HBO Max original series, Velma.
10. Filip Geljo
You have probably never seen this young new actor and that totally makes sense since he played Aonung, one of the CGI aliens in the 2022 hit movie, Avatar: The Way of Water. Although not much is known about Filip since he is so new to the scene, he has been a part of the children's TV series, Odd Squad, for several years and now makes his cinematic debut with the Avatar series. His IMDB has him expected to take part in Avatar 3 & Avatar 4 coming out in 2024 and 2026. We are wishing him the most success and can’t wait to see how his future in Hollywood will develop after landing a role in such a huge movie franchise.
Filipino names are truly some of the most diverse names you’ll ever come across. Our last names alone can have Spanish influence, Chinese influence, and in some cases American influences due to the involvement of the U.S. during World War II.
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