LOS ANGELES, USA – Jonathan Eusebio, the son of immigrant parents from the Philippines, was raised to keep his head down and just blend in.

After many years as a stunt performer, a fight and stunt coordinator, and a second unit director, Jonathan — known as Jojo in the industry — jumped into the director’s chair with an action-comedy, Love Hurts, starring Oscar winners Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, and Daniel Wu.

It’s the Filipino-American’s directing debut and the feature film is released by a major Hollywood studio no less, Universal Pictures.

“Growing up as a Pacific Islander in the US, you know you had to follow a certain thing. I was always taught to study hard, put your head down, don’t make waves, try to fit in,” said Jonathan. “And I did that my whole life.” 

This big break is sweet for Jonathan, who majored in biology at the University of California, Irvine. He was headed for a typical Asian immigrant career trajectory, following in the footsteps of his parents who were both nurses.

“My parents immigrated from the Philippines. From Canada, we moved to the East Coast of the US,” said Jonathan, whose mother Delna traces her roots in the Visayas, and father Raymundo in Manila. 

“They met in Canada in the late ‘60s,” he added. 

“So their whole thing was they wanted me to fit in and not get bullied, and things like that,” he shared. “So I was always taught to put my head down and just do my best. And your work would show for it. So I studied very hard.”

While he liked studying science, the 51-year-old has always been drawn to the cinema even as a teenager.

“And because my parents were nurses, I just had a natural affinity for science and things like that. But I love martial arts. I love movies,” he shared during a one-on-one interview with Rappler at the Four Seasons Hotel.

“I would film stuff when I was in high school but never with the intent to be a filmmaker. I just do it because I love watching those movies,” he said.

“So when I graduated and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, I decided, okay, I’m going to become a stunt person. Telling my parents was the hardest part because they couldn’t understand. They’re like, you’re wasting your education. I was like, no, this is what I’m gonna do.”

Jonathan admitted that while his career plans didn’t sit well with his parents, he still got their support.  

“They weren’t very happy about it. Then I got into the union and I asked my mom. I was like, ‘Can I borrow money for dues? I’ll pay you back.’ And she was like, ‘What?’ But I did it,” he said. 

“And then I got a job right away. I paid her back. And the rest is history after that. They are very proud of me now. They’re very supportive.”

The union dues chipped in by his mom proved to be a good investment. Jonathan — spiky-haired and wearing a plum turtleneck, black pants, and boots — broke into a wide grin as he shared, “My mom’s in Missouri but she called me and she was all excited because I said I got interviewed by The Filipino Channel. She was like, ‘I’m gonna watch it!’”

Jonathan, who was the martial arts coordinator of The Matrix Resurrections and the John Wick movies, and whose most recent credit was as the fight coordinator of The Fall Guy, recalled his reaction upon being offered his first shot at directing.

“It’s a mix of things — excitement, you get nervous, you get scared a little bit,” answered the bespectacled filmmaker. “You pump yourself up to do it, get ready to do this kind of new challenge. So it was a mix of emotions but overall excitement.”

Shared first with Ke Huy Quan 

Jonathan shares a first with Ke Huy Quan in Love Hurts. The Oscar and Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor winner for Everything Everywhere All at Once marks his debut as a leading man.

Ke’s background — he studied martial arts as a child actor and later learned action choreography — came in handy for his role as Marvin Gable, a seemingly mild-mannered realtor until he receives a crimson-colored envelope from Rose (Ariana DeBose), his former partner-in-crime.

With Marvin’s crime lord brother, Alvin or “Knuckles” (Daniel Wu) also in his trail, John Woo-style mayhem ensues.

“I already knew what Ke can do from knowing his background,” Jonathan explained. “I wanted to make this an homage to the ‘80s Hong Kong action films. You needed someone who could do it and understood the language.”

With Ke’s inherent skills, Jonathan shared that work turned out to be smooth.

“So I was very fortunate to get Ke because he can do all of it. And he understood all of it. We had a very short shoot schedule. You needed cast members who can do these things fast on the spot and are physically adept,” he said.

“It’s a matter of like learning the shorthand. So we didn’t have to teach Ke anything with the distance, timing, and style. Since he already kind of trained on those things, it was easier to choreograph for him.”

The director, who began learning martial arts when he was eight years old, added, “And it really fits Ke’s personality. It fits the character. So all those things kind of rolled into one. It was very helpful and it shows. It comes out in the movie.”

“I just wanted the people to see his physical prowess as an action actor. Also because we already know he’s a great emotional actor.”

Ke welcomed the chance to work with Jonathan on his first chance to direct. 

“First of all, he’s a veteran,” the actor stressed. “He’s been doing action for more than 20 years. And this is his directorial debut. He was finally given this opportunity to make his own movie.”

“And for me, it’s my first time leading a movie for a major studio. And also what’s really exciting about working with Jojo is that we have very similar interests when it comes to this particular genre. We grew up watching similar movies.”

Ke, who recently got his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, continued, “So from the very beginning, we knew what kind of action movie we wanted to make. And it was important to both of us that I did all the fights myself.”

“It was an homage to those incredible movies that came out of Hong Kong in the early ‘80s. We had so much fun doing it.”

Love Hurts continues the career renaissance of Ke who had a burgeoning career as a child actor, famously playing Short Round in Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Data in Richard Donner’s Goonies.

The roles stopped coming in for Ke for 20 years until Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known collectively as the Daniels, offered the Waymond Wang part in Everything Everywhere… to the actor. 

Now, Ke, at 53 years old, makes his bow as a leading man in the feature directing debut of a fellow Asian-American.

“I never thought I would get this incredible second chance,” the actor shared. “It’s kind of like Marvin Gable in the movie. He recognizes and he understands what he has done in the past is horrible.”

“He’s trying to redeem himself. And he’s really looking to have a second chance in life. And for me, that day when I decided to be an actor again was honestly one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made.”

“And I am thankful to the Daniels who believed in me and everything that has happened since has been like a dream. But, you know, it came true.”

Ariana DeBose, the star of West Side Story, for which she won Oscar and Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress trophies, also loved the collaboration with the Fil-Am director. 

“Oh, I loved him!” Ariana exclaimed about working with Jonathan. “I feel he brought his strengths to this film. You can definitely see it. He comes from the stunt world. He’s created some incredible stunt sequences during his time and these (in the film) are no different.”

“But I feel like he really dove in head first and never shied away from being collaborative, which is always a pleasure for someone like myself. I think he would feel the same.”

Passion and preference

“We were both very passionate about our characters, where they go and how they thread this needle of our plot together,” said Ariana.

“He really took all of that passion and preference, I suppose you could say, focused it and that’s a big job on a big movie.”

Jonathan shared that Ariana’s musical background was a plus in her role as a badass, quirky crime partner. 

“Fight choreography and dance choreography, in a sense, when you’re filming, are very similar because the movements are the same. It’s like finding an A and B side and you’re working together as opposed to real fighting.”

Jonathan praised Ariana’s energy. “And I knew with her background, she’s going to be able to do any movement that we pick up.”

“She has very good potential to be a very good action star, do a lot of action movies. She has that physical presence. She has the athletic ability.”

“I wish I had more time for her to do more but she did great in the stuff we had. And she looked it,” he added. “I feel like she can be a star of her own action movie.”

As for Daniel Wu, also a renowned Hong Kong-American actor and filmmaker, Jonathan appreciates the duality he brings.

“What I liked about Daniel is he’s a very good-looking man, well-mannered and he has an elegance about him. But at the same time, he’s dangerous. So I like to do that, subvert expectations,” he said.

“And Daniel has the ability to convey all those things at the same time, be charming and elegant but dangerous and I like that. So that’s why it’s like you see him well-manicured, the way he’s dressed.”

“He’s drinking boba, kind of a kids’ drink. You’re like, what is this? And then he can change it on a dime.”

Jonathan credited his association with 87eleven Action Design, a stunt collective of which he is an original member, for leading him to his biggest break.

“I was very fortunate because I directed this movie under the banner of 87North,” said the Fil-Am, whose early credits included Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Blade II, and The Bourne movies where he helped develop the fighting technique, inspired by kali, the Filipino martial art, of Matt Danon’s Jason Bourne character.

“So Kelly McCormick and David Leitch were my producers and I’ve known David a long time. So I basically just followed him into this directing sphere,” he shared.

“I was very lucky I had both of them to lean into. I talked to David quite a bit all the time, like about the movie and just watching him over the years, and him mentoring me really prepared me for all of this.”

Manila visit

Jonathan and David have known each other for almost 30 years since they both studied under the legendary Fil-Am martial arts instructor and actor, Dan Inosanto, at his Academy.

“He’s the basis of a lot of stunt people,” Jonathan commended Dan. “There’s a certain group of stunt people who came from that era, when we all trained there and they all became big stunt coordinators or directors, like David and Chad Stahelski.”

“A lot of us came from that group. The thing with Guro or Dan is he really taught us a mixture of martial arts. What I take away from him is that having an open mind is the most valuable attribute you can have. I took that and applied it to everything I do.”

Jonathan’s Filipino martial arts skills took him to Manila for Jeremy Renner’s The Bourne Legacy.  

“You know what? That was the first time I actually visited the Philippines. My dad, when I was growing up, told me to go and I, you know, it’s just one of those things,” he said.

“You’re stubborn as a kid. I would go there whenever. But when I went there (for The Bourne Legacy), my father just passed away.”

“So I went there working on that movie and I got to experience like, all levels of the Philippines. Whatever the month or six weeks I was there, it meant a lot to me — being around your people, your culture.”

It was moving to hear Jonathan continue rhapsodizing about being in his parents’ homeland for the first time. “It reminded me of a lot of ways of my father. I’m very proud of being Filipino.”

“The stunt coordinator there made me cry. He was like, ‘We’re very proud of you because you made it. You’re Filipino in Hollywood.’ It really was very heartfelt for me,” he shared.

“So I got to experience a lot of Manila or the Philippines in that short amount of time. And I really appreciate the culture. I didn’t realize I love it that much.”

He lamented, “I wish I went there when I was younger. But it was just an amazing experience going there.”

“So yes, it might be a dream to film something there or do something with Filipino actors or a Filipino story. That would be full circle for me.”

Asked what were some of the most dangerous or maybe unforgettable fight scenes or stunts that he has done, the man who oversaw the breathtaking action sequences in such films as Black Panther, Deadpool 2, The Wolverine, and The Avengers, replied:

“It’s hard to say because I’m very proud of all the work I’ve done. It’s hard. You can’t. It’s hard to pinpoint everything because each of those projects I worked on, you’re putting your heart and soul into it,” he said.

“I’ve never walked through something like I just kind of did it. I always did it with the intent. Like, this is going to be my last job. So every action sequence I’ve done, I put my heart and soul into it.”

He added, “So I can’t really pinpoint which is the most dangerous or what I’m really proud of. If I look in hindsight or retrospect, I look at my career, I go, wow, I got to do a lot of different things and work with the best crews and the best people. So it makes me very thankful. And it shapes where I am now.”

Jonathan shared, though, what it’s like to be with the iconic Keanu Reeves, one of the actors he worked with on several films.

“[What stand out is] he’s such a gracious and respectful person. When you do movies like those, you’re like, what’s the ‘it factor’ of this person? Or why do people root for this person?”

“I think inherently people can feel when you’re genuine and you’re honest. And he has those same attributes,” he said. “So people want to root for you. They want to like you. They get inspired by you.”

Jonathan added, “I think those kinds of traits, it’s a natural thing and it comes back. So when I look back, I know they’re great performers on screen but I really just look back and go, these are great people.”

“Honestly, I’m just trying to enjoy this moment,” Jonathan said when  asked what’s next for him. “I got maybe a couple of meetings and getting a couple of scripts here and there but I haven’t really decided.”

“For me, it’s like, see how this movie goes. And then if I read something that really hits me, like it registers with me, I’ll try to pursue it.” – Rappler.com