Following its highly anticipated release on iWant, the groundbreaking bilingual supernatural workplace comedy Nurse The Dead is already capturing the hearts and spirits of viewers globally. Filmed entirely in a real hospital in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown, this unique series seamlessly balances laugh-out-loud humor, supernatural chaos, and the profoundly real emotional weight carried by Filipino healthcare workers in the diaspora.
During an intimate press conference attended by Orange Magazine PH, the brilliant minds and stars behind the hit series—creator, showrunner, and director Mark Labella, co-director and producer Wesley Villarica, Kapamilya star Anthony Jennings—gathered to share the blood, sweat, and tears that went into bringing this milestone project to life.
A Multicultural Tribute Rooted in Reality
For creator Mark Labella, Nurse the Dead is deeply personal, heavily inspired by his family’s nursing background and the painful loss of his father during the pandemic. It took three years of dedication to refine a script that unapologetically showcases the unfiltered reality of immigrant life.
“It’s not only bilingual; we speak many languages… Spanish, Tagalog, English. All of those things are mixed because that’s how the real world is,” Labella explained passionately. “Especially with what’s going on in America right now with this anti-immigrant crap, it was very important for me to show the world that it’s okay to speak another language, and it’s okay to be Filipino.”
Addressing the show’s fast-paced, rapid-fire humor reminiscent of American classics like Scrubs or Modern Family, Labella refused to compromise on the intellect of the viewers:
“The Filipino audience is smart… I don’t want to dumb it down. The Filipino is a lot smarter than people are giving them credit for.”
Stellar Cast and Heart-Driven Performances
The series follows Noa Reyes (played by Jelynn Malone), a nurse supervisor gifted with a “third eye” that allows her to interact with restless spirits roaming her ward. Alongside her is the phenomenal Anthony Jennings, who portrays Grim.
Labella had nothing but glowing praise for his lead actor:
“Let’s talk about Anthony first over here—the best, the best. I will recommend any single person to work with Anthony Jennings. These veteran actors who have been in the business for 30 or 40 years… they were very impressed by Filipino talent.”
Jennings, whose character handles multi-lingual dialogue and heavy emotional layers, shared how intense the preparation was. At one point, the team spent two hours waiting in line at Disneyland just practicing lines and reviewing the entire script. For Jennings, working alongside veteran Filipino icons who now reside in the US brought immense comfort to an unfamiliar Hollywood environment.
Among those veterans is the legendary Princess Punzalan (playing Camille Alejandro), who brought an unparalleled level of authenticity to the production. Punzalan is a registered nurse in real life, navigating exhausting shifts in the healthcare system before stepping onto the set.
“Princess is a real nurse,” Labella revealed. “She would come to set at 6:00 in the morning right off of her shift… and she would just snap into her character. Not a single complaint. We were all exhausted, but Princess is a trooper.”
A Collective Labor of Love
Operating on an independent budget far below typical multi-million dollar Hollywood productions, the entire cast and crew relied on pure passion and bayanihan spirit. Co-director Wesley Villarica—who directed episodes 4 and 8—emphasized how a collaborative environment kept the project tightly knit. The directorial team (combining a female perspective, a creative perspective, and a medical perspective) conducted exhaustive table reads and rewrite sessions to ensure every actor had a voice in shaping their characters.
The production even saw real-life LA nurses volunteer as background actors out of pure love for the story.
“No one was doing this for money. It was really for the heart and soul,” Labella shared, summarizing the collective effort. “Real nurses, after their shifts, would just stop and be like, ‘Hey, do you need backup? We can help you.’ That’s the kind of family we built.”
Honoring the Filipino Diaspora
Ultimately, Nurse the Dead aims to challenge mainstream narratives and elevate Filipino storytelling to a global stage, proving that Pinoy talent can stand proudly alongside international hits like Squid Game.
“We’re a part of the diaspora of the world. We have the right to tell our stories on the level that other countries are doing—the level of America, the level of Korea. It’s time for us to put a focus on our sacrifices,” Labella concluded.
Nurse the Dead is currently streaming exclusively on iWant. Catch the pilot episode for free and witness the perfect blend of Pinoy heart, supernatural spooks, and world-class comedy!
