Fil-Am Jonathan Eusebio talks of his feature film debut, 'Love Hurts'

When 18-year-old Jonathan "Jojo" Eusebio enrolled at Dan Inosanto's Academy of Martial Arts school, he never realized that martial arts would be his calling.

A biological sciences graduate from UC Irvine, Eusebio, whose mother hails from the Visayas and whose father is from Manila, still remembers the days when his parents would try to dissuade him from getting more involved in his passion, which is martial arts.

He narrated to us in an exclusive interview at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, "They're like, what? You're wasting your education and your time!"

Eusebio, now 51, revealed, "But I've always loved film growing up. I think that was always inherent, it's intrinsic inside of me. But they weren't happy at first. But over time, they saw that I was making a living. I think they just wanted me to be happy. So, when I started making a living out of it, they were just very supportive of me."

Now, Eusebio was given the reins to direct his first feature film, the comedy-action movie "Love Hurts" which stars Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose.

The action-comedy film follows Marvin Gable (Quan), a former hitman-turned-realtor who finds out that his brother is hunting him when he reunites with his former partner.

When we talked to the two Golden Globe and Oscar-winning actors Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose (who portrays Rose), they both were impressed with the first-time feature director.

Quan, who also has martial arts training, said, "He's great. First, you know he's an action veteran. He's been doing actions for such a long time. And finally, he was given the opportunity to be a director. And that is something that really resonated with me.

"I feel like we're both on similar journeys because me being the number one on the call sheet for this movie. It was such an easy and natural working relationship because we spoke the same language. From the very beginning, we knew what kind of action movie we wanted to make. We were very much in sync in terms of the creative process and also a lot of the fight sequences."

DeBose revealed, "Oh, Jojo is such a love. I was so intrigued and honestly very proud of him. Like, he has come from the stunt world. He has created some incredible fight sequences over his tenure. So, to step into this role, directing this film as a first timer, I was really inspired and impressed by his kind of fearlessness, and any fear he might have felt never got in the way of him being collaborative. Jojo, working with Ke and me, we're both very specific and very opinionated, and he found a beautiful way of focusing on that energy. And I think you can see that in the film."

DeBose, who had some dance training, said that she learned some stunts from Eusebio. She disclosed, "I did learn some stunts from him. It was funny. Jojo was always like, Ari, slow down, girl, you got this. And I was like, I know, but can I kick my leg? And he was like, let's get the fundamentals down. And I was like, I see the value in this process. And he said, make sure your basics are sound before you go for the big stuff."

Before becoming the feature film director that he is now, Eusebio had a number of projects where he was the stunt coordinator or the fight choreographer. His impressive list of films that he worked on include "John Wick," "The Avengers," "Black Panther," "Doctor Strange," "Iron Man 2," "Deadpool 2," "The Fall Guy," "The Matrix Resurrection," "The Wolverine," "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," just to name a few.

Growing up, Eusebio revealed that he was influenced by the following directors – "Spielberg, Scorsese, John Woo, Luc Besson, and of course, I have my mentors. I have Chad Stahelski. I have David Leitch. I love Tarantino but I think everyone I've met in the business helped me shape my sensibility for things."

Asked how it felt to be a director, Eusebio confessed, "It's funny. It's like I still feel the same because even though my title goes up, I'm around the same people all the time. The same creative process. So, it still feels normal to me in that sense. But at the same time, it's very exciting and exhilarating, and it's at times overwhelming also because it's like you see how people react to the movie, and it gets me. It becomes very heartfelt."

Inspired by the early Jackie Chan movies, Eusebio said that he grew up watching a lot of Hong Kong action movies. "I watch a lot of Shaw Brothers, and Golden Harvest movies. I grew up in that era like the '80s Hong Kong wave. And so, this is like my love letter to those movies."

So how does his biological sciences academic background help him as a director today, we asked.

"Going to school and university just taught me how to do things, how to interact with different types of people, and how to finish things on deadlines. So, I know school was good for me that way. My parents would go, that's what I spend all your money on. But it's true. I mean, when you're in college or you're in school and you're away from home for all those years, you're learning to interact with different types of people. In a sense, it's like training you to collaborate with different people," he said.

As for choosing Quan and DeBose for his first movie, he revealed that "when I got the script, I was trying to define who the best person embodies who I think this character is. And you know, this is during Ke's Oscar push. Then I watched him make his speech, and I was a big fan of his growing up. I'm like, that's the guy. So, I'm like let's try to get him. He read it. We had meetings and the rest was history.

"Then with Ariana, you're watching Ke and her interaction with him during the Oscars when she presented him with an award. You're seeing all this and how they interact. I was like, those are the general authentic connections that I want to convey on screen. So, I remembered he brought it up to me and then I met her, and the same thing happened right away. I knew she was Rose. There was really no doubt in my head about that decision. I just knew I needed someone I could connect with Ke on an emotional level; someone who can keep him on his toes on an emotional performance level, but, at the same time, embody who I thought Rose was."

For Eusebio, the most challenging scene to do was the kitchen fight scene. "I love that scene. That's one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie. There's a backstory. We filmed that fight two days into shooting, so we didn't get a full rehearsal with Ke, Andre (Eriksen) and Marshawn (Lynch) until they arrived, and they all practiced separately. And then Marshawn wasn't available until two days before.

"So, Marshawn trained in LA a little bit. We all got the guys all together and we just put them together. But everyone likes everyone. I got a great response from that fight and I'm very proud of them. They picked it up and even though it's like we did it very early on in the production. So, everyone was still trying to find their groove. The fact that it's the most well-received action piece in the movie means a lot."

While Quan did all his stunts himself, according to Eusebio and Quan, DeBose had to be trained.

Eusebio, however, said that since DeBose comes from a dance background, it was also easy for her to be trained in martial arts.

"She's already comfortable with movement, rhythm, and timing, which is what fight choreography in movies is based on. So, it's easier to teach someone with her background than someone who has no background at all. She's such a dynamic performer. Whatever you teach her, she will pick it up easily. That's why I was very lucky because, with the cast I have, everyone was very physically adept already."

Asked whether he incorporated any Filipino martial arts in the movie, Eusebio shared, "When I used to choreograph, I always put some sense of kali or the Filipino stuff in any of the choreography I do, but because now I'm the director, I left it up to my stunt team. So, we like the concepts we all do together, and I tell them what to do, but the choreography itself is more, I would say, Hong Kong-based style as opposed to a Filipino martial arts style."

When he trained with Dan Inosanto, he also met at Inosanto's Academy of Martial Arts, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, who became his "John Wick" co-directors later on.

He said of Inosanto, "He's an amazing martial artist and he taught us all these different martial arts that I applied to fight choreography. But the one thing I learned from him that always stuck in my mind was the greatest thing to have. The greatest attribute to having is an open mind. So, I use that mode of thinking in everything I do. I am willing to hear things out, accept other choices, and maybe open yourself to new ideas. And that stayed with me the most."

The last time he was in the Philippines, he said, was when he did "Bourne Legacy" (2012). "So that was my first and last time there. That was a very eye-opening experience. But I had a very amazing time over there and I learned a lot."

Eusebio looks forward to the day he will be able to make a movie in the Philippines. "I think that comes full circle for me. It's like, I would love to do a Filipino story, and it comes first. Like maybe shoot something in the Philippines. It's always nice to give back or express your culture and your people. I think it's important."

He also sees himself establishing a studio where he can train aspiring directors and stunt or fight coordinators. "I would like to give back for sure. I think it's just one of those things, you'll see where I am, and those years. But I think it's always nice to give back. Like what you learn and pass it on. I think that's a very important gift you can give to others."

Asked what his dream project is, Eusebio replied, "I'm living my dream now, but I think it's just anything that I read and resonates with me, I would want to do it. I'm open to all genres of film because I grew up watching martial arts movies, reading comics, and watching anime. So, all that stuff is inherently inside of me. I have to see something. It has to speak to me. Then I would like to do it. So, anything that allows me to express myself, I would like to do."

As for his advice to aspiring filmmakers who want to follow in his footsteps, Eusebio shared, "Any chance you get, surround yourself with like-minded people. Don't be afraid. You got to put yourself in. You have to allow yourself to create your luck. So, if you want to shoot a film, you go for it, shoot something, and meet other creative types. The world now is not just limited to shooting for movie theaters. It's like you can do everything streaming. There's the internet. It's crazy social media. So, you can create and create."

For this stuntman-turned-director, he hopes audiences will get this message after watching "Love Hurts." Love yourself. If you love yourself and you're happy with yourself, then you can spread love to others."

—MGP, GMA Integrated News