Jo Koy says ‘Easter Sunday’ is art imitating life

We spoke with the stars of Universal Pictures’ family flick Easter Sunday. Jo Koy and Lydia Gaston portray a son and mother in the new movie about the cultural nuances of a Filipino-American family surrounding their holiday celebration.

I asked the pair how reflective the dysfunction and disorder we see in the film is to their real-life upbringing and both were able to say they related completely. According to Koy, “Easter Sunday is art imitating life.” The comedian originally pitched the idea of making this film in 2019 and says the studio bought it immediately. 

“There are scenes in this movie where I physically cry and I’m not acting,” says Koy, with the film being loosely based on his own life.

Gaston, who was born in NYC but grew up primarily in Negros Occidental, Philippines, said upon receiving the script she called her sister to laugh about its accuracy to their childhood.

It’s always entertaining to watch actors have fun with a movie because they relate to their character so much. Hopefully audiences who also get stressed ahead of a large family gathering will come out of this movie knowing they’re not alone.

Easter Sunday is in theaters Friday, August 5th.

Advertisement