MANILA, Philippines — If there's one thing that would make any Filipino curious about Jennifer Lopez's return to the romantic-comedy genre with the movie "Shotgun Wedding," it's the fact that the movie is set in the Philippines.
But before most curious Filipinos can shout "Pinoy Pride" and check out the location of the so-called Philippine resort, one has to shell out money to fly to the Dominican Republic.
Yes, the J.Lo and Josh Duhamel starrer might feature the beauty and amenities of the fictional Mahal Island Resort as their characters' destination wedding but the movie was shot in large part in the Dominican Republic due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place during its filming.
"Shotgun Wedding" tells the story of Darcy Rivera (Jennifer Lopez) and Josh Duhamel (Tom Fowler) who decided to get married in a private island in the Philippines. What should have been a happy occasion turned tension-filled as the couple along with their guests found themselves hostaged by local pirates.
Recently released on Prime Video, the movie also stars Jennifer Coolidge, Sonia Braga, Cheech Marin, Callie Hernandez and Lenny Kravitz.
As it is set in the Philippines, it also features Filipino actors based outside of the Philippines in its cast. Among them are "Ginny and Georgia" actor Alex Mallari Jr. and Ray Raymundo.
"I am beyond grateful and proud to be apart of this feature film as a Filipino-American actor," wrote Raymundo on his Instagram.
He added a fun fact that said the movie is based in the Philippines. The Filipino-American actor also recalled his experience while working on the set of the movie.
"I flew out first class to the Dominican Republic and was on set for a week. I had an unforgettable/amazing experience working with Josh Duhamel & Jason Moore. (Yes, I saw JLO in person but wasn’t able to talk to her obviously," he added.
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