by Daniel Andrade
Photos by Monroe Hayden
When SkySoft Entertainment announced that they would begin work on their first feature film, Mayari, fans were understandably excited. When we learned the film would revolve around Filipino mythology and deities, that excitement turned to intrigue and curiosity. And when we found out that fan-favorite Jade Vourkari would be taking on the lead role of the goddess, fans knew that SkySoft was up to something special.
With multiple roles in the SkySoft universe under her belt and with the support and adoration of fans, Vourkari is an excellent and exciting pick to lead this film and usher in a new realm of possibilities for SkySoft. I met with Vourkari to talk with her about taking on this responsibility, what it means to play a heroic goddess, and what life was like for her back in the ‘90s.
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Daniel Andrade: We're so excited to have you star as the lead in Mayari! Is this your first time playing the lead role?
Jade Vourkari: Actually, yeah it is! It is my first time playing a lead, major role, and I'm pretty excited about it!
DA: What do you think is gonna be different about taking on a lead role versus taking on a more minor character? You were still pretty significant in Fox, you were pretty much a second lead...
JV: Almost, but according to some of the fans, I was just a girlfriend (laughs). Sometimes I had to fight to be like, “No, Daisy’s her own person, she's not just a girlfriend!”
DA: (laughs) That's true! You did a really good job of showing that she's more than just a side character; she's not just the damsel in distress…
JV: Yeah, she’s not just the love interest that floats in and floats out of the storyline; that’s important.
DA: Absolutely!
JV: What's gonna be different is definitely more pressure to perform and play the character exactly right. It's definitely a higher-pressure role, but also it's gonna be an exciting learning experience and adventure.
DA: For sure! How are you dealing with that pressure?
JV: To be honest, right now it hasn't really hit me full on yet. But once it does, I'm gonna be focusing my entire attention on that role, and I won't be accepting anything during that time or even right before it just to fully get into my character mode.
DA: This is also SkySoft's first feature film. Have you ever participated in any sort of feature-length film before?
JV: No, this will be my first time! I've worked on webisodes, and I've done a few episodes on a Korean TV show when I was little.
DA: What do you think is gonna be the biggest difference between doing a webisode or even a full-length series versus a movie?
JV: Oh, good question! I always figured a webisode or a TV show is just one giant movie just cut into parts...
DA: Oh yeah, I like that thinking of it!
JV: I feel that with TV shows and webisodes, you have more time to prepare and more time in between each scene to make sure you get it right. I'm assuming with a feature film, it's gonna be a smaller amount of time to film, so it's gonna be more of a rush to get it done, and that's where that pressure is gonna come to make sure that now I know my lines and I know my character.
DA: This film focuses on Filipino lore and mythology. Before this film, were you familiar with these characters and these stories?
JV: Mayari, specifically, no. I know growing up, we learned of you know the “white lady” and the “dwende” and some of the other Filipino folklore, like the “ocelon” which is like half-bat half-woman, almost vampire type. But in regards to the gods and mythology, this is all brand new to me. And when Monroe brought it up a while ago, stating that she was gonna make a movie about this, I thought it was interesting, so I looked it up and I was like, wow! There's this whole, I don't want to say religion because it wasn't a religion, but there's this whole storyline out there that I wasn't even aware of, and I even brought it up to my mom, and she's Filipino, born and raised in the Philippines, and she didn't even know about that! So now she's also super excited!
DA: In your research for this film, what is one of the things that fascinates you the most about Mayari or all of the other characters that are involved here? What surprised you the most?
JV: Well, I guess what surprised me the most was that there was this female god who's a warrior. From what I've experienced and from what I've been told, the Philippines is a very religious country. I think the number one religion out there right now is Catholicism, and in Catholicism you believe in one god, you don’t believe in multiple gods, so I thought that was the most eye-opening thing to me. But, I mean, of course, Catholicism came when the Spanish came for that 300-year period, so of course, there's gonna be a religion before that; I just didn't know what it was.
DA: Yeah, I absolutely understand that, because I didn't learn about the Aztec gods or the Incan gods until much later, and it's the same reason: Catholicism was just so heavily pushed in our culture and on your culture as well; we were essentially conquered by the same people. So it's always kind of fascinating to have that curtain pulled, and you can see what's behind it and reconnect with things.
DA: Thankfully, we've been seeing a rise in AAPI representation in the mainstream media. There’s Raya and the Last Dragon, and I recently saw that there’s an anime coming to Netflix based on a Filipino comic that's called Trese, to name a few recent examples. So what are your thoughts on this increased representation, and how does it feel to be a part of a larger movement?
JV: Okay, first of all, I didn't know that there was a comic on Netflix of Trese; I need to go check that out!
DA: You know that comic?
JV: No, but I want to! That sounds awesome! But in regards to Asian representation, Pacific Islander representation, even just Filipino representation, in general... you know, Filipinos are actually trending right now when it comes to casting calls, which is kind of funny to say we're “trending,” but it's actually really exciting to just be able to look on TV and be like “Hey! That's like me!” I remember we had a conversation before where you were saying you want to be the actor where people can look on the TV and say that too. I know with Ryan Murphy, he's been casting a lot of Filipinos lately: in Ratched, one of the main characters, the doctor, was a Filipino; Glee had two different Filipinos on there; The Assassination of Gianni Versace... of course, that guy was Filipino in real life, but he cast a Filipino American to play that person. It's just a really exciting time right now.
DA: You were stating earlier that when you first were discovering about Mayari, you realized that she's a warrior and a badass, and the last time that I spoke to you, when we were talking about Daisy, I asked you what would she say to people to kind of motivate them or inspire them, and you said something along the lines of “just be your badass self,” or something along those lines. Since the last time we spoke, have you discovered more of your inner badass during this pandemic that will help you embody this character a little better?
JV: During this pandemic, I've been through a lot of really personal things, and I think just being able to overcome all of these different things that happened to me is definitely an eye-opener that number one, I can do it; number two, I can get through it; and number three, I feel like if it's something that I really need to get through or something I really want then I'm gonna get it done. I have that mindset now, which is definitely like Mayari. She's been through a lot! I mean, in the old folklore, she's actually missing an eyeball, which is pretty crazy!
DA: I like the summation of how you said it; I can almost see it being like a mantra or something: I can do it, I can get through it, and I'm gonna get it done! I think that's not just something that can be attributed to Mayari, but obviously to you as well, so I think in that regard it’s very great casting, and we're just so happy that you’re gonna embody that role. I'm very excited to see that come to fruition and come to life!
JV: I’m also excited to see what Mayari herself can actually teach me as an individual, how I’m gonna be able to draw that strength from her for the future!
DA: Did you find yourself connecting to or relating to any of the other characters in the story? As a Filipina yourself, there are some references to Filipino culture like the food, and there's some Tagalog in there as well. Did you make any connections with any of that?
JV: I actually feel like I could connect with Joyce because she is Filipino. She’s in a school where no one can really relate to her... She's kind of feeling like she's alone, and I feel like that's kind of like my younger self because growing up, my dad was in the military; we moved around a lot, and I had no problem making friends until I came back to the United States, and that's where I felt a bit alienated and alone. And in middle school, I actually went three weeks of eating by myself in front of the cafeteria because I didn't have any friends; I was too shy to talk to anyone... It was pretty sad and isolating. But luckily, I met a friend who then introduced me to your friends and then that's how you and I became friends, and then it was a happy story from there!
JV: I think me being Mayari, now that I'm older, I can reflect and say that It's kind of like me going back to my childhood and giving myself a hug and saying, “Hey, you're okay now, you did it! You're a strong, independent woman! You know you don't have to be scared anymore. You're okay. You're gonna be okay.”
DA: I mean, honestly, that goes into the whole “you never know what people are going through” sort of thing that you should always keep in mind because when I first met you in middle school, I would have never guessed any of that! You told us that you moved around a lot and stuff, so we knew that part of it, but to us, you seemed so bubbly and so energetic and so friendly, so it was very easy to have you be a part of our little social circle. But yeah, I'm just glad that we were able to connect. After high school, we went our separate ways, and not that that's a bad thing! We have no animosity toward each other at all whatsoever, but we both lived our own separate lives, and then here we are back together again! It's really cool that SkySoft found a way to reconnect us yet again.
We were mentioning earlier that Daisy was very much a badass. You've played a few other characters in your professional acting career, so how do you think Mayari stands out from those other roles?
JV: Mayari’s definitely more assertive. She's more sure of herself. She's pretty much at the point where she already knows who she is; she knows what she needs to do. There's no more growing up for her; she’s already there.
DA: This is also essentially a superhero story, so how do you feel about portraying a superhero?
JV: Oh man, this is the coolest thing ever! (laughs) I’m serious! But then also, when you think about it, superheroes are not only fighting for justice and for good, but the actors behind them are now having to live up to those expectations as well. So I feel if you are gonna take on a superhero role, you should probably be someone who can be a good role model to the kids out there who are gonna be looking up to this character and to this actress or actor. And I can say, without feeling narcissistic or anything, but I really do feel like I'm a good role model.
DA: I think you are.
JV: I mean, we all make mistakes, we all have to do our learning experience, but I don’t think I've done anything extremely horrible for someone to dig up and be like, “This is what happened, this is why she can't play Mayari!”
DA: I know that you and I have a fondness for nerd culture for geek culture, so did you have any favorite superheroes or hero stories growing up?
JV: I mean, there was your typical Batman, Spider-Man… Superman, not so much, but he was pretty cool. Wonder Woman was a big one just because she was one of the few mainstreams back then… but I guess deep in my heart, it's always gonna be Sailor Moon!
DA: Oh yeah, of course! How could we forget her?!
JV: Yeah!l She was just so real! She was a superhero, but she was also a clumsy cry baby! (laughs) How much more real does it get than that?! Think of all the stress someone has to go through when they're constantly battling these evildoers but still have to go to school, still have to deal with the stress of relationships and friends… I would cry all the time too! (laughs)
DA: I'm so glad you brought that up because I was not expecting that answer, but as soon as you said that, I thought, “oh yeah, that's perfect!” I kind of forget that there's a lot of superhero-type figures in the world of anime. I'm coming to terms with anime myself. I'm a newcomer; I'm a late bloomer in terms of my anime knowledge...
JV: You're in for a journey! (laughs)
DA: Oh, I’ve heard! So another fun aspect about this movie is that it takes place in the ‘90s. What are some of your favorite memories of growing up in the ‘90s?
JV: Playing with the original Slip and Slide, which was just one long, yellow tarp that you got wet, and if you happened to put it over a rock, that was a very painful experience! (laughs) Slinkys were okay, but it always frustrated me that I could never get it down the stairs or that they would get all tangled and intertwined! I loved Treasure Trolls and the original Barbies, although it’s kinda sad that there wasn't a Barbie that was my color back then. Of course, the music was awesome...
DA: I was gonna say! I know you love to sing, so what were some of your favorite songs from the ‘90s? Were you a Mariah Carey girl?
JV: A little bit, I could never really reach her pitches! (laughs) If it was something that I could comfortably sing along to that didn't have bad words or anything about sex in it, I would totally love that. So most likely, it was Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls, even though they did have references, but I didn't know what they were back then. (laughs) Ace of Base was a big one; I loved them! “It's A Beautiful Life” and “Don't Turn Around.” No Doubt and that “Don't Speak” song.
DA: What about your fashion? Do you remember what kind of stuff you wore in the ‘90s?
JV: Scrunchies! Lots of vibrant colored scrunchies. I always wanted those leg-warmer sock things, but no one ever got me any. I remember wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts, like matching ones. But I don't know, that might have been just a Korean thing: the Esprit version. But yeah, I would be in like bright yellow sweatpants and bright yellow sweatshirts and then white tennis shoes, with your socks folded down.
DA: Of course... God, I remember that now! (laughs) Why was that a thing?!
JV: I think we fold them down so that they don't slide down or that they don't become uneven. (laughs) Also, wearing sundresses with little white shoes and white socks... Now, it's like high heels or dolly-type shoes or flip-flops... Before, it was tennis shoes and dresses. Oh, ponytails on the side of your head. I don't know if that was a ‘90s thing or if that was before then, or if that's just me being a weirdo. (laughs) Oh, and purple lipstick, even though I wasn't allowed to wear it. (laughs)
DA: This film focuses a lot on friendship and family and what it means to connect with someone, even with a language barrier. What are your thoughts about that theme?
JV: Being able to connect it with people that don't speak the same language, that's definitely a biggie, especially with the increase of immigration from all different kinds of countries here into the United States. Just because someone speaks another language doesn't mean you're gonna shun them. You can still definitely be friends with them and learn from each other, even if you can't speak the same language. You can do pantomiming, you can draw pictures, you can use Google Translate. There are so many new awesome things with technology we can do nowadays to be able to connect with one another even if you can't speak the same language.
DA: Yeah. They say that, what is it, 80 or 90 percent of communication is body language anyway.
Mayari acts as an older sibling or like a mentor to these young foster kids, whether intentional or not. Did you have any mentors growing up, whether that was a family member or a friend, someone that you looked up to?
JV: Growing up, I've always looked up to my dad because of how strong he was, how loving he was, how sweet he was, and how knowledgeable he is; he's one of the smartest people I've ever met. But now that I'm older, I realize that I also looked up to my mom. It's kind of crazy realizing that because before, I was always such a big daddy's girl. But it also turned out that even though my mom and I didn’t have the best of relationships growing up, now that I'm older, I can actually appreciate everything that she's done and why she's done it; it was all just for the protection and safety of me. So definitely, my parents would be big mentors. My older sister I looked up to for a while when I was younger too.
Going into nursing school, I would look up to my fellow classmates. I generally try to find the smartest person in the classroom, the smartest person I know, and go ahead and look up to them, as long as they're making good decisions in life.
DA: Yeah, that’s a good strategy to have for sure!
I just have one final question for you. What do you hope that audiences get out of this film once it's all said and done?
JV: I hope they have a new appreciation for not just the Filipino culture but different cultures out there and different ways of storytelling. I hope it makes them want to learn more about the Filipino culture. I mean, we're famously known for our amazing food, but other than food, now we know that we have amazing storytelling and legends!
I think also if you're just randomly out there and you see someone that's starting to isolate themselves a little bit or that maybe they're alone, just reach out to them, as long as it's safe to do so; make sure they're okay.
DA: That’s wonderful, I agree. Do you have any final thoughts, any final things you want to leave us with?
JV: Maraming salamat sa lahat sa inyong pagmamahal at suporta (Thank you all for your love and support)
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