Growing up as Filipino in Canada
James Alexander Diaz McDermott, more famously known as Alex Diaz, is a Filipino-Canadian-Scottish Actor/Performer and a proud queer. He moved to Canada when he was only 2 years old. Being a half-Filipino and half-Scottish child in Calgary, he did not feel a lot of a difference or experienced discrimination despite being a person of color. However, as he looks back 26 years later, he realized that he was the only Asian kid in class. “I remember things like I would go to school and all the other kids would have really intricate packed lunches like rice crispy squares and apples, and I remember a lot of the time I had rice and Vienna sausage,” the actor recalled. “Apart from that, I generally had a happy childhood,” he added.
Identity as a Canadian vs. Filipino
He found it interesting the difference it makes being able to experience different cultures and how each culture treats or sees the other. When he went back to the Philippines at the age of 12, he felt very Canadian for his Filipino classmates, and now at the age of 28 coming back to Canada, in a lot of ways, he feels very much Filipino. Going back to the Philippines, especially getting into showbiz, he believes that actors are supposed to play different kinds of roles, but being from a foreign country, he felt like the roles being given to him are limited to a rich, English-speaking kid.
International Debut
He was outed in 2018, and it was a big controversy in the Philippines, and he eventually came out. This situation may have caused a lot of trauma to the actor, but it has opened up a lot of doors for him. One of which is getting a role in an international musical film which premiered recently in Toronto and San Francisco, Glitter and Doom. “Glitter and doom is a jukebox musical about a carefree kid and a musician who meet spontaneously and fall in love at first sight,” Diaz describes. “As their lives go in separate directions in order to chase their dreams, they have to decide whether or not to pursue the relationship they have started,” he explained further. The film is told through the music of The Indigo Girls. Alex will be playing one of the lead roles as Glitter, with Alan Cammish as Doom, which he describes as a fantastic and talented actor for playing the instruments live in the film. The actor also worked with Ming Na Wen, who played as his mother in the film, a Disney Legend who voiced one of the most prominent Disney characters, Mulan. In contrast to the majority of the roles he has taken in the Philippines, immediately after getting into the international acting scene, he was given a wider range of roles. And being a part of the Asian and Queer community, he’s beyond proud to be able to represent his communities.
Dream Role
“My wish for myself, my community, the Filipinos, and the queer community is that I can do more acting projects that are more than just about sexuality,” he said. “It would be great if I could do something like an action film or a thriller, that’s not about me being a person of color or a queer person,” the actor added. And he concluded, “It opens me up to a much bigger audience, so when they search me online they can see that I’m a POC or a queer person but the role I’m playing has nothing to do with that and it should transcend that.”
Theatre
He talked about playing the role Racetrack Higgins in Disney’s Newsies The Musical. “I loved using my body, I loved moving, I got a lot of energy,” he stated, but he didn’t necessarily have the professional training for the show. Being in showbiz in the Philippines, a lot of his acting experience came from weekend variety shows, television, and mall shows, he added. In order to prepare for this role, he had to train in tap, ballet, contemporary, jazz, gymnastics, and classical voice. Because of this, he won the award for Best Breakout Crossover Actor from showbiz to theatre. When asked about his favorite number in the musical, admittedly biased, he answered “King of New York,” mainly because this was Race’s number and it had a lot of tap dancing, which is a lot of fun. He also added “Seize the Day” as an emotional number, and “Santa Fe” performed by Gian Magdangal, who he described as an amazing vocalist.
As a young Alex, his very first acting experience was as Simba in Lion King. “As soon as I arrived in the Philippines, I didn’t have many friends, I was very shy, and there was a musical for Lion King and I auditioned, that’s how I really fell in love with acting,” he stated.
Pride Celebration
“Glitter and Doom is my pride love letter to all the kids out there,” Diaz says. He also wants to send a message that “you can be queer, you can be POC, and you can still have a seat at the international table as long as you work hard and you get up when you fall down.” When talking about pride and being queer, it was obvious that he was getting quite emotional and vulnerable. He proceeded to say that he has tried not to speak so much as rather experience his life to the fullest and get people to see that, like every other person going through struggles, he’s someone who strives every day to get the most out of his life. Diaz admitted that it was definitely not easy to get through 2018 and still is going through the emotions and struggles through feelings that he’s still working through. He feels like a lot was taken away from him and was pressured to make a statement about his sexuality and that “nobody has to go through something like that.” He also bravely opened up that at the time, he was afraid of his own shadow and thus went partying and drinking a lot to run away from the discomfort of not being his true self. “I stand here today a story of success, perseverance, triumph, and love. I think the best message I can give to anyone, to a person of color, or a queer person, anybody that’s just not conventional or does not fit the status quo, that you can do it if you just live your life with love and compassion and pride for everything you have,” he expressed.
Calgary Stampede Parade
The last time he attended Calgary Stampede was when he was 12, which is quite a while, so he’s excited to see it again and to actually be a part of a contingent that represents the Filipino and Queer Community and Creative Arts at the main parade.
Future Plans
Alex will be in Canada for the next few months and will be doing shows while he’s in the country. He will be opening for Arthur Nery for his concerts in Calgary and Winnipeg. He also has another project, for which he cannot give details as of yet, that he is currently deliberating to do in the Philippines sometime in August and September.
New Music
Diaz is also recording new music under Universal Music Group with his local label Island Records Philippines. He explained that the music he’s working on is related to his past relationships and how it helped him grow to understand the diversity of who he is. It will also cover themes of “breaking out of the bind and transcending and just living life to the fullest,” as he describes. “There’s gonna be a lot of love songs and heartache songs,” he enthused.
Alex Diaz’s Pride Message
“Anybody that’s been outed, especially that it’s Pride month, nobody should have to go through that. To anyone who might come across this article, you’ve made it through 100% of your bad days. Sometimes the world may feel like it’s closing in on you, especially when trauma and unresolved issues start to bubble up to the surface. The world is a big place, and every day is a chance to do better and be better. With the right tools and help from the people you love, and work on yourself, it all gets better, it really does.”
