Dearest readers,
It has come to our attention that a certain tea-sipping, British accent-wielding Filipino is setting social media abuzz these days. We, along with the rest of the ton, are intrigued by a certain Justine Luzares on TikTok.
Forgive the ‘Lady Whistledown-esque’ intro (swoon, Bridgerton fans, swoon!), but we couldn’t help it upon watching Justine Luzares’ viral TikTok videos. This Pinoy TikToker has been taking social media by storm with spiels that display his ‘bloody brilliant’ British accent and entertain with some good ol’ Pinoy humour.
Just take a look at Justine’s Pride and Prejudice-inspired video, where he takes on the role of chismosang kapitbahay — BUT with an impeccable British accent! In the video, which also aptly reminds us of the hit series Bridgerton, Justine is seen sipping on tea while spilling some tea about a fictional neighbour’s pregnant daughter. The skit is made more hilarious with a tasteful Regency era bedroom background and timely Pinoy references, which we won’t spoil:
@justine_luzaresNapapala nyo kaka-add to cart #acting #tiktokph #addtocart #foryoupage #fyp #fypシ♬ Howl’s Moving Castle – Merry Go Round of Life – Vitamin String Quartet
Want to see more of TikTok’s newest Pinoy sensation? Or would you like to work on your British accent to achieve Justine Luzares’ impressive intonation? We reached out to him to bring you these fun facts!
It all started with Eric Bana and Troy in 2004
Born and raised in Albuera, Leyte, Justine has always been fascinated by different accents thanks to the movies he would watch as a kid. He shares with TripZilla:
“The very first memory that I have of me trying the accent was in seventh grade. I was watching Troy (2004) and I remember memorising Eric Bana’s first few lines, ‘Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: Will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?’”
Just like any beginner seeing the early flourishes of untapped potential, Justine wrote it off as mere horseplay. In fact, he thought he was no good at it! Enter the Game of Thrones era in 2011, when Justine mimicked Viserys in front of family.
“It kind of evolved from there with all the movies I’ve watched over time. I never really thought I was “good” at it until that one movie night with my cousins back in 2011 when I copied some lines of Viserys from GoT. They were amazed,” Justine added.
Also read: 15 Filipino TikTok Users to Follow While on Quarantine
Justine’s so good at accents, he earns a living from it!
It makes sense that Justine earns from speaking well because he’s obviously talented at doing spiels in various accents! In case you didn’t know, Justine is a process trainer in the BPO industry. While he uses TikTok for fun, he also says that the platform helps him sharpen his skills even as an experienced trainer.
“I was really just showcasing it to my friends before for entertainment and to my trainees as language demonstration. It was during the start of the pandemic last year that I uploaded some on my TikTok account. I was really bored and just wanted to have fun,” he said.
With his steady rise in popularity on TikTok, Justine has plans of releasing content for followers who’ve been clamouring for more!
“Although recently I have been very busy moving places and things at work are kinda hectic, I am still planning to continue creating similar content on my TikTok account. I may not do it on a regular basis moving forward, but surely if I have the time and energy to spare, why not.”
Trivia: You’re probably wondering what Communications course Justine took up in college. He actually graduated cum laude from Visayas State University with a degree in Agribusiness!
Justine’s TikTok is a treasure trove of witty spiels — and it’s quite interactive
Visit Justine’s TikTok account and you’ll see numerous spiels showcasing different accents; you’ll even hear him speak Bisaya! But his current favourite would have to be this one, where a follower requested him to say the ingredients of the Filipino dish pinakbet in a proper British accent. Here’s an embedded preview for good measure:
@justine_luzaresReply to @sunsetssssssssssssss wish granted! 😉😉😉 #bisaya #britishaccent #foryoupage #fyp #fypシ♬ Music for the Wii – Ishike
“My friends and I always find it hilarious when I try to anglicise some Pinoy words. May it be dishes or places, I always find a way to anglicise them. Reading some of the comments on that video… people were actually not expecting that I’m Bisaya. And I think that’s funny,” Justine mused.
Because of his British accent, people often mistake Justine for a Filipino living abroad or someone who has foreign blood. He finds this especially amusing since he’s proudly pure Filipino and — surprise, surprise — he has yet to travel out of the country.
When asked what else he does during his free time, he circles back to watching movies. Perhaps this is truly the secret behind his ability to parrot accents flawlessly!
“I gravitate towards action fantasy, sci-fi, and rom-com films. I listen to indie music like ‘a lot’ lot,” Justine noted. We loved that The Parent Trap reference! Who else read that in a British accent à la young Lindsey Lohan?
Also read: Join the TikTok Trend During Home Quarantine — Yay or Nay?
With so many pop culture references, we won’t be surprised if Justine rolls out a Bridgerton spiel next. No spoilers, please; Justine shares that he hasn’t finished the first season yet! What are you waiting for? Make a request and if you’re lucky, Justine just might try it out on TikTok. Pa-shoutout naman po!
