Liza Soberano says she recognized something of her own life in Raissa, the character she voices in Forgotten Island. In a new interview about the DreamWorks movie, the actor explained that she was going through a similar change when the script came to her.
Raissa and her best friend Jo are about to take different paths after graduation. Their trip to a magical island turns that separation into a bigger question: if they can go home only by losing their shared memories, what are they willing to give up? Soberano said Raissa’s part of that story was one reason she wanted the role.
“I immediately knew that I had a personal connection to the story.”
Soberano gave that answer during an interview published by GMA News on September 20. She also spoke about growing up with her grandparents and hearing stories of Filipino mythological creatures from them. Those childhood stories made the movie’s creatures familiar to her, even as the film gave them new designs and personalities.
H.E.R. and Liza also recorded a song for the movie
H.E.R., who voices Jo, helped write “BRB” as a song that could sound like the two friends speaking to one another. She said the team listened to late-1980s and early-1990s music because the movie is set in that period. Soberano joined her on the recording, making the song another piece of the characters’ friendship rather than a separate celebrity duet with no connection to the film.
The pair also filmed a music video in the Philippines. H.E.R. described it as a way to bring places and feelings from the animated film into real locations. That connection matters here: their work on the song came from the same roles they play on screen.
The film’s Filipino stories were part of the draw
Both stars pointed to the film’s Filipino setting and culture as reasons they joined. Soberano said she grew up hearing about aswangs and other folklore figures. H.E.R. said she knew some of the stories as a child and was excited to see them animated. Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado built the movie around Jo and Raissa’s friendship while filling Nakali with creatures from those stories.
Forgotten Island is now in US theaters. H.E.R. voices Jo, Soberano voices Raissa, and Dave Franco and Lea Salonga are among the supporting cast. Our movie page has the full confirmed story and release details. There is no announced date for the full movie to stream at home.
