TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines?Who knew that the island-province of Bohol was playing host to an Academy Award winner?

That?s right, Chris Cooper, Oscar Best Supporting Actor for the 2002 film ?Adaptation,? is in the country shooting independent filmmaker John Sayles? ?Baryo.? The team also includes producer Maggie Renzi, American actors Garrett Dillahunt and James Parks, and homegrown talents Joel Torre, Ronnie Lazaro, Rio Locsin and Irma Adlawan.

The choice of Bohol as movie location was facilitated by the Film Development Council of the Philippines and Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr.

Between sips of ice-cold beer at a seafront resort, only days before the official start of the shoot (last Tuesday), Cooper gave Inquirer an interview.

Cooper recalled that he and Sayles met in the vibrant New York indie film scene of the late 1980s. It was a community where everyone knew and worked with each other, he recounted.

In ?Baryo,? Cooper plays yet another hard-boiled military man, his acknowledged specialty. This time, he?s a grizzled army colonel caught in the Philippine-American War at the turn of the century.

Cooper?s screen image has always been that of the strong, silent, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. But his interest in architecture and history can be explained in his short biography in the website IMDb.com: He studied agriculture and drama at the University of Missouri, ballet at Stephens College and worked as construction worker in his younger years.

Cooper previously appeared in four Sayles films??Matewan,? ?City of Hope,? ?Lone Star? and ?Silver City??and such mainstream fare as ?The Bourne Identity,? ?The Bourne Supremacy,? ?A Time to Kill? and ?Seabiscuit.? But he is best-known for off-beat roles in landmark films like ?American Beauty,? ?Where the Wild Things Are? and ?Adaptation? in which he shared the screen with Meryl Streep.

Where do you keep your Oscar?

On a 120-year-old Irish hutch right next to our dining table, because we often have guests and they always want to see it. I don?t want to constantly run to the study ? for the UPS guy and the mailman. They want to feel it, hold it, take a picture with it, check how heavy it is.

How heavy is it?

Pretty heavy. But that?s all it is?pod metal coated with a little gold or something.

What was it like working with director Spike Jonze in ?Adaptation??

It was the closest I could ever come to some kind of dry humor. There were touches of comedy, I hoped, in my character. I?ll always be grateful to Spike for that opportunity. You get pigeon-holed quickly in this business.

What was it like working with Meryl Streep?

I have a tendency to take the job a little too seriously. Meryl taught me to just relax, lighten up and enjoy the experience.

You seem to move effortlessly between big productions and small indie films.

John gave me my first film job (?Matewan?). [There?s no] better example of a great work atmosphere. On a John Sayles set, there?s a semi-serious attitude about the job, but at the end of the day, we always have a good time ? As opposed to gargantuan studio films where you have no idea where people go after the shoot.

What attracted you to the script of ?Baryo??

When John needs me, I?ll be there.

But he says he?s not always sure if you?d say yes?

Get out!

How did you prepare for your role here?

John provided me with a very thick academic account of the Philippine-American War. He also gives actors a two-page biography [of their] characters. It?s a great starting point.

What did you learn about your character?

My character is disgusted by [another character?s] interest in architecture in the Philippines. In real life, I?m a great fan of architecture.

How familiar are you with the Philippines?

It?s my first time here. It?s a world trip [for me]. I?m renovating my house in the United States and I?m planning to incorporate some of the design ideas I see, like the hip roof.

?Baryo? tackles a little-known chapter in history.

There is a lot of history that the powers-that-be prefer that we not know about.

According to the director, ?Baryo? resonates with the American military?s experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Americans have short memories.