The upcoming Manuel L. Quezon biopic Quezon has instantly garnered international attention and credence with the inclusion of Game of Thrones star Iain Glen in the cast.

Glen, who starred as the knight Ser Jorah Mormont in the multi-awarded HBO series, plays Governor-General Leonard Wood in Quezon.

Wood was governor general of the Philippines. In 1921, the United States’ Wood-Forbes mission concluded that the Philippines was not ready for self-governance. In 1922, Wood decided to remain in the country, causing tension with Filipino politicians. In 1925, Wood reiterated his position to not give the Philippines its independence and that the US should keep it for its own interest.

“Ang dami kong takeaways d’un (I had many takeaways from the film). I feel like I’ve grown so much more after playing Mr. Quezon, our president. It’s huge! He’s huge! Politically, sure, ang dami kong natutunan (I learned a lot). As a person, sure. Leader? Sure! And’yan lahat s’ya (He is everything and many things). So it’s a very complex kind of character,” Jericho shared to DAILY TRIBUNE and other press in an interview following his new endorsement launch last week.

“I feel like a Hollywood star!” he said as answer to DAILY TRIBUNE’s query on how was it acting alongside Glen.

“It’s not about status or everything, but ‘yung disclipline n’ya sa trabaho (his discipline at work), and if you’re able to work with someone like that on the set, you just forget about being artista (celebrity), this and that. You become this artist, this actor with respect for not only the cast but the script, the people around you. He’s just amazing and so generous as well!” Rosales said.

Quezon is the third installment of the critically-acclaimed Bayaniverse film series and will play in cinemas starting 15 October. It is produced by Daphne Chiu-Soon, with the support of TBA Studios’ chairman emeritus Fernando Ortigas and TBA Studios’ chief executive officer E. A. Rocha. Rosales served as co-executive producer, with Margie Navarro-De Guzman and legal counsel Rod Vera as associate producers. Tarog and Rody Vera co-wrote the screenplay. Behind the camera, Tarog is joined by Pong Ignacio (Director of Photography), Monica Sebial (Production Design), Immanuel Verona and Fatima Salim (Sound) and The Post Office (Visual Effects).

Rosales urged everyone to continue supporting Filipino films like Quezon as a gesture of respect for everyone who work on the films — from conceptualizing the film to marketing it.

“We have spending power. We just don’t know where to spend it. When we watch a movie, we don’t only get entertained. Ipinapakita rito ‘yung mga pinag-dadaanan ng mga tao (Movies show the triumph of human spirit). Watching movies is an act of supporting artists in the industry who have been working more than 12 hours a day,” he said.