Lea Salonga

>> HINOJOSA: She took the world

by storm when at age 17 she was

cast as the lead of the hit

musical Miss Saigon.

Since then she's won a Tony and

provided the singing voices for

the princesses in Disney's

Aladdin and Mulan.

Celebrated international singer

and actress Lea Salonga.

I'm Maria Hinijosa.

This is One on One.

Lea Salonga, the star of Miss

Saigon.

>> SALONGA: Hi.

>> HINOJOSA: Thank you for

coming.

>> SALONGA: Sure, absolutely.

>> HINOJOSA: So a lot of people

know you as this amazing star.

You had the lead role in Miss

Saigon, playing Kim in the

original production out of

London, and then in New York.

>> SALONGA: Right.

>> HINOJOSA: But probably people

don't know that you... even

before you got to Miss Saigon,

you were a pretty big star in

Manila.

You had... like, you had

recorded records, you had been

in The King and I, you had

been...

>> SALONGA: I'd done some film and some

TV, and yeah.

I grew up, I think, pretty much

in the eyes of many Filipinos.

A lot of them have seem me from

when I was really little doing,

you know, musical theater, and

then eventually doing TV and

then doing film and doing

records.

Back then we were doing records.

>> HINOJOSA: Yeah.

>> SALONGA: Yeah, and people pretty much

saw me grow up... I grew up in

the public eye.

So in the Phillipines it's like,

"Oh, I remember seeing you when

you were nine in Annie."

You know, and so yeah, it was a

life that not a lot of people in

the US or in London were aware

of at the time that I was doing

Miss Saigon.

>> HINOJOSA: So then you hear

about... this was 1989.

>> SALONGA: Mm-hmm.

>> HINOJOSA: And what, does your

agent say, "Look, they're going

to start casting for this show

called Miss Saigon"?

What did you know about it?

>> SALONGA: Well, actually, the auditions

were in 1988, a year earlier.

And I was in the Phillipines.

I was in college.

I was a premed major.

I was a biology major in

college.

And there was a singer's union

in the Phillipines called OPM.

And the president of the union

called my mother and said that

there were these auditions

coming up for this show which

was going to open in London.

And so my mom was really

skeptical.

>> HINOJOSA: Because your mom

plays a major role in your life.

>> SALONGA: Yes.

You know, she manages me when...

you know, in the Phillipines.

And of course she's a mom, so

her instincts were like, "I

don't know about these people,

because what if they're these

fly-by-night producer types that

take advantage of these young

girls and then leave the country

and whatnot?"

And it happens in the

Phillipines.

So my mom was a little hesitant

to let me audition.

And then the president of the

union said, "No, no, no, no, no.

These guys are the real thing.

They produced Cats and Les

Miserables and Phantom of the

Opera, and there's nothing that

you need to worry about."

>> HINOJOSA: And you were

thinking...

>> SALONGA: I was 17, and I'm thinking,

"I've just planned 13 years of

my life, for college and med

school and all that."

And in my head...

>> HINOJOSA: So you were kind of

done with the...

>> SALONGA: Not so much that I was done.

I mean, I knew that I was

probably always going to be

singing, but certainly not as

actively as I was up until that

point, because academics came

first for me.

So I said, "Okay, why not?

I don't have the job yet.

Why not audition, give it a try,

and then if I do get it, then

we'll think about what to do

next."

>> HINOJOSA: And they came to

Manila?

>> SALONGA: They came to Manila.

They actually started searching

in London.

Then they went to New York, Los

Angeles, Honolulu.

And then when they landed in

Manila they flew, I think, a

couple of people out of Hong

Kong to see the producers.

>> HINOJOSA: And is that...

like, that kind if international

search, is that common?

>> SALONGA: I think it depends.

I think if they're able to find

somebody in the city that

they're first looking, then I

don't think that they would have

needed to go all the way to the

Phillipines to search for the

lead of this particular show.

>> HINOJOSA: And did you know at

that point... did you know at

that point that there had been,

like, a search, that they had

auditioned...

>> SALONGA: No.

I was not aware of how

exhaustive the seach had been

previous to their arrival in

Manila.

I had no idea.

It's probably better that I

didn't have any idea, that I

didn't really have the bigger

picture of who these people

were.

And I knew that they had created

Les Miserables, and that

Cameron had produced all these

other shows, but it didn't

really occur to me, and I really

had no idea, how big of a

deal these shows actually were.

>> HINOJOSA: Because you hadn't

been to Broadway in New York.

>> SALONGA: I had never been to New York,

and the last time I was in

London I was maybe 11 or 12, and

I had seen Evita.

But still, you know, it didn't

dawn on me that there were

mulitimillion dollar productions

in London and in New York.

And...

>> HINOJOSA: And you walk in...

>> SALONGA: We knew what Broadway kind of

was.

But it still didn't occur to me

how huge it actually was.

And I'm really grateful that it

didn't really hit me at the

audition.

>> HINOJOSA: So you go into this

audition...

>> SALONGA: But yeah, so I go into the

audition, I'm prepared.

I had prepared "On My Own" from

Les Mis.

I figured, "I'll do also also a

Boublil and Schonberg song, just

because Boublil and Schonberg

are in front of me," right?

And after I was done, they asked

for another song.

And I hadn't prepared another

song.

So...

>> HINOJOSA: And did you think

you had done well?

>> SALONGA: I think I had done well

enough for them to actually ask

for more than just one number.

So I said, "Well, I do have

another song.

It's 'The Greatest Love of All'

by Whitney Houston."

And so I went up to the piano,

and I asked the pianist if he

knew the song.

But I think before I even

finished the question I saw on

top of the piano somebody had

left behind "The Greatest Love

of All," on top of the piano.

And so I told the pianist, "Can

you just play this for me?"

And he did, and I was praying

while I was standing on the X on

the floor, "Please let it be in

my key, please let it be in my

key."

>> HINOJOSA: Because you can't

ask?

>> SALONGA: And it was.

>> HINOJOSA: You can't say, "I

need it to be in

such-and-such..."

>> SALONGA: At the time I don't think I

was as knowledgable with regards

to "I need this in the key of

B-flat, please."

And he played it, and I'm like,

"Yes!

This was meant to be."

And so I sang it, and they asked

me a few questions at the

audition, like, you know, "What

is the biggest audience that

you've ever performed for?

What size?"

And I'm like, "Well, I just

finished doing the opening act

for Stevie Wonder, and there

were at least 10,000 people

there.

I don't know, it was dark, or

whatever."

And they were all just laughing

at me.

I'm like, "Why are they laughing

at me?"

>> HINOJOSA: And you had also

opened for Menudo, right?

>> SALONGA: Yes, I did.

>> HINOJOSA: Menudo in Manila.

>> SALONGA: Yeah, they were huge.

>> SALONGA: MING: And you were the

opening act.

>> SALONGA: They were huge.

Everybody my age and maybe a few

years older or younger will

remember who they are.

That's, like, the original boy

band.

And they were huge, so huge.

And they were beautiful, and so

nice.

>> HINOJOSA: So you met Ricky

Martin?

>> SALONGA: Of course I got to meet Ricky

Martin.

And I remember him being

really... just really sweet and

adorable.

He grew up to be really

handsome, and he was really,

really great looking even back

then, when he was, like, 13.

>> HINOJOSA: Did these guys

know, kind of, when they saw

you, who you were, and the fact

that you had this background, or

did they just think, "Wow, we

have just discovered, like, an

amazing talent here."

>> HINOJOSA: At the time I don't

think they really knew how

experienced I was and how

trained I was.

Until I gave them my resume,

which was probably ten pages

long.

It's like, "Here, this is what

I've done."

>> HINOJOSA: And then at that

point, how much time between

that audition to the time that

they actually offered you the

lead as Kim?

>> SALONGA: Well, the audition was, I

think, sometime in November.

And then a little bit after

that, they brought me over to

London for what they called

final assessments.

So I was actually onstage at the

theater on Drury Lane.

And 42nd Street was playing at

the time, so I was on that

stage.

And I got to sing, and I got to

meet the guy who eventually

became my leading man in the

show, as well as one other cast

member who, on the spot, was

offered the role right there.

So I got to see that, and his

excitement and everything.

And so that was exciting for me

to be able to witness that.

So it was incredibly exciting

heading over there.

And so after final assessments,

I think on the last day, they

took us for, like, a photo

shoot.

And I'm like, "What is

this for?

I don't know what this

is for."

And I think at the time

they hadn't made their final

decisions as to what my casting

situation was going to be.

>> HINOJOSA: Did you want it?

Were you like, "Oh, my God..."

>> SALONGA: Actually, you know what?

No.

It's not that I didn't want it,

but I didn't want it, I think,

as badly as I would have wanted

it it if I had auditioned maybe

five years later, when I was a

little more aware of who these

people were, or if I was an

actor in New York City.

So I didn't really want it that

badly.

And maybe that aloofness worked

in my favor.

And, you know, it kept the

nerves at bay, I think.

>> HINOJOSA: And then when they

finally said to you...

>> SALONGA: And I actually found out by

looking at my picture on the

cover of a Sunday magazine in

the UK.

>> HINOJOSA: You're kidding!

>> SALONGA: Somebody sent me a copy of

this magazine of the Daily Mail.

It's called You, y-o-u.

And I think... I don't know if

we got a phone call or what, but

somebody said, "You are on the

cover of the Sunday magazine

called You.

You're on the cover."

And I'm like, "What?"

And there was a huge article in

the magazine regarding the

search, and how they found me

and everything.

>> HINOJOSA: But you still

didn't know!

>> SALONGA: "What?"

I think up until then it was

like "You are definitely cast in

the show, but we're not sure

what's happening."

>> HINOJOSA: Oh, my God.

>> SALONGA: So I was like, "Okay,

whatever."

"Okay, whatever" was my

response."

>> HINOJOSA: You do the show in

London for about two years.

>> SALONGA: I did it for a year and three

months.

>> HINOJOSA: Year and three

months.

>> SALONGA: And then I headed to Manila

to spend the holidays, and I had

concerts in the Phillipines.

And I was in Manila for about a

month, a month and a half, when

I got the call that I was going

to Broadway.

>> HINOJOSA: Now, the thing

about Miss Saigon on Broadway is

that it was incredibly

controversial.

>> SALONGA: Mm-hmm.

>> HINOJOSA: I mean, a lot of

people, if they haven't seen

Miss Saigon, what they know is

Miss Saigon, controversy.

The controversy was around the

casting of Jonathan Pryce to

play the lead...

>> SALONGA: Yeah, we were feeling the

controversy in London too,

because he and I were both still

in the show as it was running in

the UK.

We were both still in the

original company.

I think when the casting

announcement was made, there was

a big uproar in New York City.

And Cameron then said that he

was going to cancel the show if

he wasn't cast.

>> HINOJOSA: Just so people

remember, so the uproar was

about the fact that they were

casting...

>> SALONGA: A Caucasian actor to play a

Eurasian part.

>> HINOJOSA: And then in terms

of your controversy...

>> SALONGA: In terms of my controversy it

was kind of the opposite,

because it was an Asian part,

and I was an Asian actor, but I

wasn't an American citizen.

>> HINOJOSA: And they tried

to...

>> SALONGA: So I was... yeah.

So there was actually

arbitration that went...

>> HINOJOSA: It's amazing.

People kind of forget, but you

were actually... you were... the

fact that you weren't an

American citizen was questioned.

>> SALONGA: It was questioned.

>> HINOJOSA: The fact that, were

you enough of an international

star to merit the role?

>> SALONGA: Right.

>> HINOJOSA: I mean, that must

have just... what were you

thinking?

Here you are, 19 years old, and

you're thinking, "Wait a second.

I just want to act or sing."

And you've got...

>> SALONGA: Well, I mean, I was... I'm a

very pragmatic person.

And Cameron was very, you know,

upfront about the entire

process.

He was like, "We have just been

through this with Jonathan.

We don't know if we're going to

be successful in bringing you

over."

And I told him... he called me

in for a meeting in his office,

and I'm like, "You know what?

For everything that you've done

for me up until this point I am

extremely grateful."

So I was already making plans to

stay in the UK, to start drama

school in the UK, because the

drama schools over there are

really good.

So I was really kind of moving

on with my life, moving forward,

regardless of whatever was going

to happen.

I was not going to put all my

eggs in the Broadway basket, you

know?

>> HINOJOSA: You ultimately

did... they did...

>> SALONGA: Yeah.

>> HINOJOSA: I guess it was

Actor's Equity that basically

had to make a decision to allow

you to perform.

>> SALONGA: Right.

>> HINOJOSA: But opening night

there were picketers, there were

protestors.

>> SALONGA: There were picketers

throughout previews, too.

I mean, during one of the

preview performances there were

picketers that came into the

balcony.

And so we were doing this... we

were onstage already, we were

doing a preview performance.

And then we just hear this

screaming in the balcony.

And I'm thinking... I'm looking

up going, "What's going on up

there?

We're trying to do a show," you

know?

"Are you going to give us a

little respect?"

>> HINOJOSA: People were also

very upset about the fact that

Miss Saigon... you know, the

terms that would be used now

would be to say well, it was a

show that was looking at the

forced trafficking of women in

Vietnam who were forced to

become sexual objects against

their will.

And you know, this whole drama

is made around them, and there's

a love story.

But do you think that...

>> SALONGA: The show would exist today?

I don't know.

I think it would have been... I

think it would have still been

able to exist, because then it

would really shine a light on

how ugly this kind of situation

is.

And, you know, a lot of the

protest at the time was, "You're

denigrating women, you're making

them out..." but we have to

think of it in context.

This is 1975.

We're not portraying women as

they are in 1991, which was when

the show opened on Broadway.

This is 1975, and everything is

pretty much going to hell in

Saigon.

And everybody's pretty much

grasping... and, you know,

there's an expression in the

Phillipines where we say

(speaking tagalog), which

literally translated is "You are

hanging onto the blade of a

knife to survive."

And... which means that you'll

basically do whatever you need

to, and do anything, no matter

how denigrating or terrible,

just to survive.

And so within the dialogue of

the show, a lot of the ad libs

were, "GI, get me out, please

get me a visa, get me a

passport, please..."

>> HINOJOSA: Because this is

when the United States is

pulling out of Saigon.

>> SALONGA: Exactly.

And so the GIs just really want

to be there for the sex.

And they know they're all

getting out.

And the women are trying to hook

themselves onto one of these men

to get out of what they know

will be a very terrible

situation once the Americans are

gone and the communists take

over.

>> HINOJOSA: When you stand back

now and you look at the

experience of what happened, the

controversy around Miss Saigon,

do you think that things have

gotten better for Asian actors?

>> SALONGA: I'd like to think so.

I'd like to think so, that

there's certainly more Asian

actors who are working actively

in shows, that blind casting

does exist.

>> HINOJOSA: So blind casting,

basically...

>> SALONGA: It's like it doesn't matter

if you're whatever race.

I've you've got the goods, then

you get cast.

>> HINOJOSA: Do you think it

really... blind casting really

exists?

>> SALONGA: It can exist.

>> HINOJOSA: It can, but not

across the board.

>> SALONGA: Not across the board.

For example, have you seen Billy

Elliot, for example?

Blind casting must exist for

that role, for that lead role,

because it's so hard to find a

boy who can do all those things,

having that skill set.

And to restrict it to a certain

ethnic group is... you know,

you're just basically centering

on, "Okay, he has to be white to

play this role," when there are

so many other talented kids who

could very well do it.

So I think they open that role

to whomever could play it

realistically.

And no one even looks twice.

>> HINOJOSA: So there's been

progress made.

>> SALONGA: I'd like to think so.

I'd like to think so.

I mean, the last production on

Broadway that I was in was Les

Mis.

And the first first production

you pretty much had to be pasty

white to be in the show,.

I went into the show and...

>> HINOJOSA: Did you have to

audition for that as well?

>> SALONGA: No, I didn't have to.

>> HINOJOSA: They just... a

phone call?

>> SALONGA: They just said, "Do you want

to do it"

I'm like, "Sure, I'd love to

play Eponine."

>> HINOJOSA: Wow.

>> SALONGA: And then when they asked me

to play Fantine for the revival,

I went in to replace Daphne

Rubin Vega.

So it's like, "I'm replacing

another..."

>> HINOJOSA: She's Dominican,

yeah, Latina.

>> SALONGA: So the cast actually was made

up of... we had a black Javert,

there was... the cast was just

so diverse, it was crazy

diverse.

But it never centered on just

how diverse everyone was.

It was just, "Here's a story,

and these are the people that we

have chosen to tell the story

and to tell it well."

>> HINOJOSA: Do you think that

now there are more Asian

American producers who are

saying, "Okay, I need to

step..." I mean, what about you?

Couldn't you produce?

>> SALONGA: Well, I actually just did a

reading in New York City

yesterday, and it's a show

called Allegiance.

And the subject matter of the

show is Japanese internment in

World War II.

So the cast... I mean, it's...

obviously this is not open to

blind casting, because you have

to be Asians to play Japanese,

and there has to be either white

or black to play the Americans.

And so it's very specific.

>> HINOJOSA: Are you going to

get the role?

>> SALONGA: I read for... I was playing

the lead in the thing.

So hopefully I continue on with

the process of developing the

show.

And it's currently in consistent

development.

And I did a reading in LA last

year, and we did the reading in

New York City.

And this is a show where the

Asians and the Asian Americans

in the show are not necessarily

portrayed as villains.

There are villains... there's

the good guys, and there's the

villains.

Or what is perceived as the

villain.

Because stereotypically a lot of

Asian actors in a lot of

American shows would be maybe

the triad leaders, or gang

leaders, or what.

But with this, the romantic lead

is Asian, the romantic lead, the

leading lady is Asian, and

George Takai is the lead guy.

>> HINOJOSA: What I love is the

fact that you are here, this

international star.

Because your music, you've,

like, what, gone multiplatinum

on who knows how many records?

But you still have to go in

sometimes and read for a part.

>> SALONGA: Yeah.

>> HINOJOSA: Right?

>> SALONGA: Absolutely.

>> HINOJOSA: You still have to

do that.

And people might not know this,

because, you know...

>> SALONGA: I still have to audition.

>> HINOJOSA: ...people don't

necessar... I always watch all

of the credits on everything,

especially because I have kids.

Whenever I go see anything

animated I want to see who did

the voices.

>> SALONGA: Right.

>> HINOJOSA: You did the singing

voice for...

>> SALONGA: For Princess Jasmine and for

Mulan, yeah.

>> HINOJOSA: In Aladdin, and

then Mulan.

>> SALONGA: Yeah.

>> HINOJOSA: What was...

>> SALONGA: It still freaks kids out.

I actually went to visit one of

my friends in Billy Elliot.

So one of the kids who played

Billy, who I had seen in the

show, he said, "Hi," because I

had met him a couple days before

when he played the role.

And I've got a Tony award, I've

got all of these credits.

And so he asked me, "So what do

you do?"

And so I listed my Broadway

credits.

"I've done Les Miserables, and I

did Miss Saigon, and I won a

Tony award for it."

It just... eyes glazed over, and

right over the head.

He's like, "What else have you

done?"

Very seriously, looking at me.

So I lookd at my friend, who I

had worked with in Les Mis.

And we're looking at each other,

it was like, "Well, I did the

voices of Princess Jasmine in

Aladdin and Mulan."

I got the biggest freakout that

I've ever seen.

>> HINOJOSA: You mean he started

jumping up and down like...

>> SALONGA: "No way!"

And I'm like... it's amazing

what pop culture and film

will... you know, how it

influences kids.

>> HINOJOSA: So...

>> SALONGA: It's just so... it was just

so funny.

It made my night.

It really, really did.

>> HINOJOSA: What are you

thinking about what comes next?

I mean, do you think, "Look, I

could be producing, I could be

directing, I could..." I mean,

what's your dream?

>> SALONGA: For me, I kind of want to

coach, to teach, and to do

one-on-one coaching with people.

I've done it for a couple of

people back home in the

Phillipines, and I found that to

be extremely rewarding, because

in a very strange way it keeps

fueling my own desires to

perform.

When I'm able to see somebody

that I've kind of helped along

onstage, you know, "Oh, yes, I

remember teaching that person

that, I remember teaching this

person this," and then, "Yes,

that dance step is looking

great, yes, that's looking

great," it makes me feel really

good, and it makes me want to

get back up there again.

>> HINOJOSA: And obviously

doesn't feel like any kind of

competitive issue for you?

>> SALONGA: No, not at all.

I mean, the more... back home,

of course, we say, "The more,

the manyer."

And the more the merrier, truly.

And, you know, the more

performers that we are able to

encourage to love the theater

and love doing musical theater,

it's best for... it's great for

everybody, you know?

I'm not selfish with my gifts

and with what I've done and what

I may be able to impart to

somebody else.

Because, you know, I've got to

pay it forward and pass it

along, because I've had some

really wonderful teachers to

whom I will always and forever

be grateful.

So to be able to do that for

someone else, you know, is

pretty fantastic.

And I had a great time.

>> HINOJOSA: All right, so tell

us the one role that you're

saying, "Wow, if I really could

just get that role..."

>> SALONGA: Right.

>> HINOJOSA: What would be that

role?

>> SALONGA: There are actually a couple.

>> HINOJOSA: Okay.

Well, we've got one minute, so

tell us.

>> SALONGA: I'd love to do Eva Peron in

Evita.

I'd love to play Elphaba in

Wicked.

And I'm actually going to get to

play a dream role, not my own

dream role, but a dream role of

a lot of people.

I'm getting to play Grizibella

in Cats in July in the

Philippines.

So I'm looking forward to that,

too.

>> HINOJOSA: Wow.

All right, well, Lea Salonga,

congratulations, and we'll look

out for you.

Thanks so much.

>> SALONGA: Thank you so much.

&


you

asking as little as you can

&


I know I'd give my life

for you

&


you

&


of war or pain

&


you're not hurt again

&


for you

&


beyond all fear

&


that brought you here

&


when the stars burned like new

I knew what I must do

&


a million things I'll never own

&


a world to conquer

when you're grown

&


you

&


whatever heaven grants

&


can have your chance

&


for you

&


reaching for him

&


brush my head

&


on my bed

&


was he a lie

that made my body laugh and cry

&


his little one

&


bring him to me

&


you

&


heaven grants

&


can have your chance

&


for you

&


what I must do

&


I'll give my life for you. &


>> HINOJOSA: Continue the

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