Jasmine Curtis on doing a lesbian kissing scene: ‘Kailangan maging open-minded ng maraming tao’

As one of the two Cinema Originals film entries to be released by Star Cinema next month, Jasmine Curtis’s “Baka Bukas” gets its commercial run starting March 1 nationwide. The 22-year-old actress said she did not hesitate to accept the role of a lesbian who falls in love with her best friend.

“I think kasi kailangan maging open-minded ng maraming tao. Sobrang okay lang sa mga tao ngayon na pagka bata ka pa, okay lang na ang lalake at babae maghalikan pero pagka nakitang babae sa babae ang dmaing mga nagsasabing, ‘Ang laswa naman niyan, ‘Ang pangit niyan.’ No, bakit tayo ganun? Hindi dapat ganun. Love is love. There is no boundaries in terms of gender. Bakit natin hinuhusgahan yun? So I wanted to be part of that type of movement I guess to make people more open-minded and aware na normal lang naman yun. Anong mali dun?” she shared.

Jasmine said that her kissing scene with co-star Louie Delos Reyes was done very well by “Baka Bukas” director Samantha Lee.

“Tender naman ito. It was a side of love that people may not usually see on the screen and I want to just strengthen that into media. Kasi kailangan natin yun. We need to provide all types of people a representation in the media,” she added.

When asked if it was possible for her to fall in love with the same sex, Jasmine gave a candid and honest answer.

“I think it’s highly possible naman kasi I’m the type of person na I really get to know a person without basing it on yung mga certain dynamics that everyone looks at first. So I like to get to know a person’s brain, how they think, how they speak for themselves, how will they present themselves, and how they love themselves, those are very important to me in a person.

“For me, gender naman it’s just that we’re born into it and society has always grouped people into different gender types and there’s always that segregation that’s always happened since way, way back. I’m fortunate enough that I grew up with people that are very open-minded and they never restricted me into believing that love is only for women to men or men to women. It can be any type. So definitely (I think it’s possible). Pero in love ako sa lalake ngayon eh,” she revealed.

Considering she has never had a kissing scene since she joined showbiz over seven years ago, Jasmine said what made “Baka Bukas” change her mind was the underlying message of the film which was to love beyond gender.

“Ever since bawal talaga (kissing scenes). We made it a rule nung nag-join ako na off-limits muna kami dun. Nag-start aksi ako estudyante pa ako sa high school so siyempre so ma restriction lang dahil pag teenager ka ang emotions mo very heightened yan, madala ka and baka akala mo in love ka talaga dun sa ka-kiss mo. So there’s that part na gusto lang namin protektahan. Pero also gusto din namin protektahan kung paano namin titingnan ang bawat proyekto kasi kung hindi naman talaga kinakailangan, bakit pa natin ilalagay? Eh marami naman ding different ways para i-emulate yung pagmamahal or ang interes sa isang partner mo sa screen.

“So far naman sa pelikula walang kiss except ‘Baka Bukas’ but I think I can say naman na, so far lahat ng pelikula naman na nagawa ko ay kinilig naman ang bawat manunuod at hindi naman hinanap yung halik so hindi mo naman siya talaga kailangan. Sumsakto lang na willing to compromise lahat ng nakatrabaho namin na director if merong linagay na kissing scene dun,” she explained.

“Baka Bukas” opens in cinemas nationwide starting March 1 and “2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten” opens on March 15.