First Filipino na nakakuha ng Oscar nomination… Hairstylist ni LADY GAGA na si FREDERIC, nominated para sa ‘House of Gucci’

ANG Filipino-Vietnamese hairstylist ni Lady Gaga na si Frederic Aspiras ay nakakuha ng Oscar nomination para sa pelikulang House of Gucci. 

Nominated siya sa category na Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Ayon kay Frederic, hindi raw niya ini-expect na makakuha siya ng nomination: “Having so much rejection in this type of job, in our field, is normal. So I didn’t expect. I just put my head down at work and produce the work and dedicated my entire career into creating beautiful art that people can appreciate. Never in a million years think someone like me could make it this far. I only dreamed about it and hoped and prayed that I could do and achieve the things that weren’t available to me when I was a child.”

Si Frederic ang first Filipino at second Asian American Oscar nominee sa naturang category. Hairstylist siya ni Lady Gaga for 15 years. Siya rin ang nag-ayos kay Gaga sa Oscar-nominated role nito sa “A Star is Born” noong 2018.

Ang ama ni Frederic na si Panfilo Aspiras ay taga-Batangas at nagtrabaho ito sa bansang Vietnam bilang engineer. Doon na niya nakilala ang Vietnamese wife na si Suzie Nguyen. Noong magkaroon ng Vietnam war, tumakas ang pamilya nila at naging refugee sa Arkansas, USA.

Pag-alala ni Frederic: “I remember dad taught me how to sing and dance and act. I actually became a child actor when I was really young. I did really well. I did a lot of theater work and went to college for Theater Arts while I was doing hair. After that, I would take the train to my mom’s salon and then do hair, do all that, and then at night do plays.”

Pumanaw ang ina ni Frederic bago siya nagsimulang magtrabaho sa pelikulang House of Gucci. Dinamayan daw siya ni Gaga at isang trubute daw sa kanyang ina ang pagtrabaho niya sa pelikula.

“Six months before we started filming, my mother passed away. I really didn’t want to do this anymore because she taught me how to do hair, my mom was a hairdresser. So I just didn’t want to carry on because everything reminded me of her. And then Gaga, she’s like, ‘You need to do this for your mom. You need to prove to her and to show and represent and to honor her.’ So with that, I just persevered and I remembered every single thing she taught me, and I put it to every single hairstyle and I put my devotion into my heart. And I put it out like this is my love letter to my mother,” sey ni Frederic na nakatanggap ng parangal mula sa Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

(RUEL J. MENDOZA)