International singer-actor Gerald Santos on Thursday, August 25, admitted that he learned the Danish language “the hard way” as he will be playing Thuy for the 2023 Denmark edition of Miss Saigon.
According to him, it was a struggle to speak, let alone sing, the language.
“Unang-una, yung language. Kasi sabi nila, Danish is one of the hardest languages in the world. Sobrang hirap nga naman kasi tinry nila ako actually na pakantahin ng mga nursery rhymes nila,” he said during an interview with select members of the press, including LionhearTV.
But thanks to his experience of playing Thuy from 2017 until 2019, he easily familiarized himself with Denmark’s native tongue.
“Kasi noong unang ginawa ko ang Miss Saigon, nag-stay kami ng 6 months sa Germany. So medyo may pagka-ganoon ang tunog. Kaya hindi naman masyado nang mahirap. Kumbaga hindi na siya out-of-this-world sa akin kasi nakakanta na ako ng ganoong klaseng lengguwahe.”
Santos also had to audition for the part, he shared. Fortunately in his case, it became more of an invitation.
“They asked me to audition. Alam niyo, kapag sa international stint kasi, hindi diyan ‘yung basta ka lang kukunin. Talagang you have to audition for a role. But ako, I’m glad kasi I’ve done it before, and nagampanan ko na si Thuy sa Miss Saigon for two years. Kumbaga nasa record na nila ako. So they just invited me, to, ‘Maybe you wanna try Denmark?'”
He added, “So sabi ko, ‘Wala namang mawawala, sige.’ Napaka-casual nga lang. Tapos biglang ngayon, they were offering me the role.”
Santos also said that it is yet another great opportunity for him to “wave our flag sa international stage ulit.”
“Sabi ko nga, kumbaga lagi akong proud kung gaano tayo kagagaling na mga Pilipino—in terms sa talents, in terms sa pagpe-perform, tayo ay world-class.”
He will be staying in Denmark for seven months for Miss Saigon.
In the meantime, Santos is preparing to honor healthcare workers as he plays celebrity cardiologist Willie Ong in I Will, The Musical. The musical is based on the life of doctors Willie and Lisa Ong.
I Will, The Musical will be held at the Metropolitan Theater on October 14. Tickets are available at ticketworld.com.
