I Am Not Big Bird (2024)

Interesting facts

I Am Not Big Bird is a 2024 Philippine sex comedy film directed by Victor Villanueva from a story and screenplay written by Lilit Reyes and Joma Libayen. It stars Enrique Gil, Pepe Herrera, Nikko Natividad, and Red Ollero. The film follows a man, whose engagement was turned down by his girlfriend, who decides to make a new chapter in Thailand, but when he and his two best friends arrive in the country, he is mistaken for a well-known porn actor.

Production

Victor Villanueva, the director of comedy films including Patay na si Hesus and Boy Bastos, accepted Anima Studios' offer to direct the film project, which was revived in early 2023. The project, which will be shot almost entirely in Thailand, was developed before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was later shelved because of the imposed travel restrictions.

The story and screenplay were written by Lilit Reyes and Joma Libayen, with additional inputs from the director and lead actor-producer. According to Villanueva, the story was based on the experiences of Reyes' friend while he was on a vacation in Thailand, where several women mistook him for someone, causing Reyes and his friend to be confused.

Around the second quarter of 2023, while the revived project was in the production stages, Villanueva thought of an actor who could play the project's lead. When they pitched the project to Enrique Gil and his team, they laughed, and according to Villanueva, Enrique Gil loved the pitch, and he agreed to be part of the project.

Stand-up comedian Red Ollero joined the project, and it will serve as his first film as an actor. According to Ollero, he didn't expect that he would be chosen by Gil to be part of the film.

The cast and production staff flew to Thailand where they spent 14 days filming the sequences, particularly in the cities of Pattaya and Bangkok.

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