Nic Chien introduces himself in 'Into the Woods'

Nic Chien is here, and he is all set to let you know his name.

Nic is taking on the role of Jack in the upcoming staging of “Into the Woods,” which opens on August 7 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

GMA News Online had a conversation with Nic about his new role and how this was a dream come true for him.

Dreams coming true

Playing the role of Jack is a way for him to introduce himself, Nic said.

“It is sort of my debut as a transman, because before, my previous role was in ‘Matilda’ and I played a little girl, which is understandable. I was a little girl," Nic told GMA News Online.

“But now, I'm a young man, and it's nice that I get to play a young man in a wonderful musical,” he added.

For Nic, portraying Jack is fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing boy characters.

According to Lea Salonga's only child, he was “never too interested in playing female characters” although he always thought acting was “really fun” and wanted to do it in the future.

“I never wanted to be Maria from 'West Side Story.' I wanted to be Tony. I never wanted to be Veronica Sawyer in ‘Heathers,’ I wanted to be JD, you know? So there's that. Like, as a kid, I've always kind of wanted to be a more masculine role. So [Jack] is so incredibly affirming for me, and I'm really glad that it's the first role that I get to play,” Nic said.

In April, Lea and Nic made a splash when they appeared in the cover of People Magazine and opened up about their "emotional" transition journey.

According to the article, Nic "figured out" he was transmasculine at age 14 and began taking testosterone this January. Meanwhile, Lea was labeled "a fierce ally to her trans child." 

In playing Jack, Nic becomes the first transman to play the role in “Into the Woods.”

“A transman has never played Jack before, and I’m really excited to bring some nuance to it in a little bit of a way,” he said.

“I am feeling pretty great. I am super excited to perform in front of a fresh audience, and I'm ecstatic to do this.”

Playing Jack

Nic shared that if there is anything he likes about Jack, it would be how he is very spontaneous and acts without overthinking. Admitting that they have opposite personalities, Nic says that he still shares some qualities with Jack.

“This curiosity and naivete kind of innocence, is something that I've felt like I've sort of had in me and yet also not been able to incorporate into an acting way in a long time. So it's refreshing. It's nice,” Nic said, adding he does "try to put myself a little bit into him."

"And I try to make him unique in my own way to make it fresh for new audiences, for those who haven't seen and who have seen it," he said.

Based on James Lapine's book, "Into The Woods" is a musical that sees several fairy tales like "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Cinderella," and "Little Red Riding Hood" intertwine.

His theater luminary mom is also in the cast as the Witch, and they joined by Arielle Jacobs as Cinderella, Mark Bautista as Rapunzel’s Prince, Nyoy Volante as The Baker, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante as The Baker’s Wife, Eugene Domingo as Jack’s Mother, Carla Guevara-Laforteza as Granny or the Giant, Josh Dela Cruz as Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf and many more.

Tony Award winner Clint Ramos will serve as the overall artistic and creative director, alongside co-producers John and Joanna Echauz, and Samsung Performing Arts Theater Executive Director Chris Mohnani.

“Into the Woods” opens at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati on August 7. More shows have been added due to high demand. — LA, GMA Integrated News