William Moseley willing to star ina local movie if...

With a good script, a good director and the right leading lady, why not?

“Yes, I would,” replied William Moseley when asked over a sumptuous Chinese dinner at EDSA Shangri-La’s Summer Palace Monday night if he would come back to star in a local movie as long as some reasonable “requirements” were met. “I’d love to do either an action drama or a romance-drama, it doesn’t matter. Just give me a good script and a good director and it’s a go!”

Would he like to have Pia Wurtzbach as leading lady?

“Hmmm,” William smiled, “I’ve seen pictures of her and she’s very beautiful. I think she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“But Pia might be too busy for that,” said Wilson Yuloque of Pioneer Films who was thinking of that plan, adding, “William is a fan of (Chinese director) Wong Kar Wai and other Asian directors.”

“I’ve also heard about great Filipino directors who have won in Cannes,” referring to Brillante Mendoza (Cannes Best Director for Kinatay). “I heard that he’s done a movie about drugs,” referring to Ma’Rosa which won Jaclyn Jose Best Actress in last year’s Cannes Filmfest. “I’ve seen some Asian films like Old Boy (by Korean director Park Chan-wook) and In the Mood for Love (by Wong Kar Wai).”

The dinner was hosted by Wilson whose company is releasing Carrie Pilby (with Bel Powley co-starring in the titular role) which opened nationwide yesterday. In the movie, William plays Cy, Carrie’s neighbor who is a match to her intellectual ability. Carrie is a 19-year-old genius, a year out of Harvard, four years ahead of her peers, living in New York City. Burdened with an overactive moral compass and self-consciously aware of her uncommon intellect in a city full of people she considers oversexed, deceitful and hypocrites, Carrie finds herself isolated, friendless, dateless and unemployed…until she meets Cy.

That was what William came here for…the movie’s promo. With his wife Kara and daughter Karenina, Wilson showed up at EDSA Shang straight from a nearby theater where Wilson graced a meet-and-greet with fans, most of whom fondly remembered the actor for his role as Peter Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia in which he co-stars with Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley as his siblings Susan, Edmund and Lucy, respectively. That was in 2008 when The STAR did exclusive interviews with the Narnia kids, during which William said he would love to visit the Philippines like his father Peter Moseley who is a cinematographer.

“That’s when I first heard about the Philippines,” William had said then. “I think my dad was there to shoot a TV show in the mountain. I heard that there are so many beautiful places in the Philippines and so many beautiful girls, and I would really love to go there.”

Wish fulfilled.

“So many beautiful women, indeed,” William broke into a wider smile. “Everywhere I look, there are beautiful women.”

Although he arrived from New York Sunday night, the sleepless William was hardly jetlagged…ready, willing and able to go around and see more places around Metro Manila and, yes, meet more beautiful women.

“I’ve been to other places in Asia like Taiwan and Vietnam,” shared William. “I heard that the Philippines is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. What got me excited in coming here is that when I was in Vietnam, I met Southeast Asian people and I liked them so much. They were very open and emotionally present; they were happy and kind. I found out that they are quite close and they really enjoy life. I like the way they live.”

William has grown to love the Philippines that he’s staying for a week to explore more places like Cebu and Bohol where he hopes to say “Hello!” to the tarsiers. Some close friends must have arrived to join him in discovering how much more fun it is in the Philippines.

Told that, even after he has done other characters (one of which is as a prince, “Somewhat like Harry,” in the E! long-running TV series The Royals, loosely inspired by the British Royal Family), fans can’t stop identifying him with his Narnia character, William was pleased. Is he in touch with his “Pevensie siblings?”

“Oh yes, I am,” confirmed William. “Skandar works for the government in Westminster, in Arabic relations. Anna went to Oxford University and still acting in a TV show. Georgie went to Cambridge University.”

Born on April 27, 1987, in England, William is the eldest of three children. He was 11 when he appeared as an extra in the TV show Cider With Rosie (1998) and didn’t resurface on screen until Narnia came his way. As more offers poured in, William was forced to quit school (after finishing his senior year).

“I’ve always wanted to be in showbiz,” confessed William. “After my audition for Cider with Rosie, I knew that I wanted to be an actor. My father is a cinematographer and he must have influenced me. I like the feeling of being on the set, and being with people, like a sports team, all working together to create something amazing. My favorite time is when I am on set.”

During his week-long visit, William will surely bump into more beautiful women.

“Everywhere I look, there’s a beautiful woman. Every turn, I see beautiful women. I think it’s because Asian women are happy, in contrast to Western women, especially in England, where women seem always to be angry and therefore unattractive, from too much stress I guess.”

What kind of women did he consider attractive? William blushed a bit.

“I find all women attractive.”

And how does he spend his time away from work?

“I now live in L.A. I have a simple life. I go surfing in my free time when I’m not working.”

William will have ample time for surfing during the rest of his Philippine visit — and watching beautiful women.

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)