In “Forgotten Island,” the music does more than move the story along. It becomes part of the movie’s sense of place, giving Liza Soberano a chance to stretch into an unexpected performance, allowing H.E.R. to step behind the camera for the “BRB” music video, and giving Dave Franco another way to champion a film whose Filipino identity is central to its appeal.
That spirit comes through especially well in “Jerk in the Box,” a playful music break halfway through the movie that finds Soberano rapping alongside H.E.R. The song was written by the “Forgotten Island” co-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, Nathan Matthew David, Matt Loman, and James Ryan.
The scene has the loose energy of friends messing around in a room, which turns out to be fairly close to how it came together. Soberano arrived prepared to take the moment seriously, especially with a Grammy-winning performer beside her.
“I was so nervous for that because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna be singing with H.E.R.,’” she recalled. “But I went in taking it so seriously, and then Gabi (Wilson aka H.E.R.) was just playing around with it, really.”
Behind-the-scenes photo of “BRB”music video filming. Courtesy: Universal/Tristan Honrada
H.E.R. laughed at the memory, confirming Soberano’s account. The relaxed atmosphere gave Soberano permission to let go, and the two, along with Crawford and Mercado, started riffing off one another.
The preparation came with a small cultural detour. H.E.R. encouraged Soberano to summon her inner Busta Rhymes and DMX, only for Soberano to realize she had misunderstood one of those references.
“I actually wasn’t familiar with DMX, and I kept thinking they were saying BMX for some reason, like the bike thing,” she said, laughing.
For Soberano, who has spent years performing in the Philippines, the sequence offered a different kind of musical challenge. She already knew how to sing and perform for an audience, yet “Jerk in the Box” asked her to loosen her grip on the polished instincts that come with that experience. The result feels spontaneous because the performers were allowed to play, with H.E.R. helping turn Soberano’s nerves into part of the fun.
“We got her there,” H.E.R. said while Soberano beamed beside her.
That same willingness to experiment carries into “BRB,” where Soberano gets to showcase a more emotional side of her singing. The song also became a creative opportunity for H.E.R., who co-directed its music video with Bianca Catbagan during a trip to the Philippines. H.E.R. also wrote the song with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.
Behind-the-scenes photo of “BRB”music video filming. Courtesy: Universal/Tristan Honrada
The video project came together with remarkable speed. H.E.R. had an idea for a travel-vlog-style video that could extend the film’s love letter to Filipino culture, and the team had one day to capture it.
The timing worked in their favor. H.E.R. and the production team were already in Manila for the film’s screening, giving them a ready-made backdrop and a reason to make the most of the trip. She wanted the video to feel unmistakably Filipino, drawing on details that also appear throughout “Forgotten Island.”
“We have to have the tricycle, we have to have the food, we have to have the karaoke,” she said. “We gotta get Jesus in there. We gotta get all the elements that make us Filipino that are also in the film. We have to get that in our video.”
The video’s homespun quality was deliberate. H.E.R. wanted something that recalled the texture of home videos and the movies of the 1990s, an aesthetic that could make the music video feel like an extension of the world of “Forgotten Island”. “It was important for it to feel kind of like that,” she said.
Franco immediately recognized the connection. “The way it looks, it just fits the whole vibe of the movie, where it just feels kind of like home videos,” he said. The effect gives “BRB” a personal quality, as though the characters have stepped outside the film for a moment and brought the audience along for the trip.
BRB music video Director of Photography Andrea Walter, Liza, BRB codirectors Bianca Catbagan and H.E.R. Courtesy: Universal/Tristan Honrada
For Franco, that sense of personal connection extends beyond the music. He understood when he joined “Forgotten Island” that the project carried unusual significance as a major studio film centered on Filipino culture. As the production came together, that significance became more clearly through the response from audiences and the people he met during the film’s press tour.
“I kind of recognized it to an extent when I first signed on, where I was like, okay, this is really special not only because it’s an original DreamWorks film, but it is the first big-budget studio film that focuses on Filipino culture, and that is so huge just in and of itself,” Franco said. “But then the fact that the movie is so good, and there’s so much love and passion that you can feel in every frame of this thing.”
That feeling has followed him beyond the set. During the press tour, Franco said conversations with Filipino audiences have made the film’s cultural importance even clearer. He has also seen how strongly viewers have connected with his character, adding another layer to his experience of a project he already considered meaningful.
Franco is conscious of his place within that larger story. What he can do is use that platform to draw attention to the film and to the broader importance of seeing cultures that have had limited representation in major studio movies.
“I know I’m a small part of this whole, giant thing,” he said. “But if I can help shout this from the rooftops and be like: Guys, this is awesome. This is really important on so many levels. Go support movies like this, so we can kind of shine a light on other cultures that we haven’t really seen in the movies. I just feel very honored to be here.”