Filipino actress’s film role with Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong highlights human experience of city’s domestic helpers
- Crisel Consunji, 34, came to Hong Kong as a Disney vocalist and later became an educator
- She champions breaking down stereotypes and opening dialogue on challenges and impact of Hong Kong’s domestic helpers
Crisel Consunji had never acted in a film when she was chosen to star opposite Hong Kong cinematic legend Anthony Wong Chau-sang in the independent flick Still Human.
The 34-year-old is a veteran of the performing arts as a stage actress and singer trained at the Repertory Philippines in Manila. She moved to Hong Kong at age 23 for a role at Hong Kong Disneyland, where she performed for three years as the lead vocalist in productions such as High School Musical and The Golden Mickeys.
But she had since begun a new chapter in life, working as an early childhood educator and opening two family centres that aim to infuse education with the creative arts.
Her brush with Hong Kong cinema began with a casting call for a Filipino actress that was posted on Facebook. After several friends sent the post to Consunji encouraging her to audition, she decided she would try out, not expecting that director Oliver Chan Siu-kuen would choose her for the leading role.
The film, which has been showing in limited screenings in Hong Kong since its November 6 premiere at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, tells the story of Evelyn, a Filipino woman who is hired as a domestic helper for Cheong-wing, a disabled, ageing Hong Kong man, played by Wong. It will get a commercial release this spring.