Just like one veteran entertainment columnist said, it’s really a different atmosphere every time the event involves Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos.
It was evident that the Star for all Seasons missed mingling with the entertainment media as she gamely answered all sorts of questions during—and even after—the press conference for her upcoming movie The Healing.
Held at the Dolphy Theater of ABS-CBN, Gov. Vi did not show any weariness despite coming all the way from Batangas through the lengthy Q&A that lasted for over an hour.
Gov. Vi began by joking about her 50th or golden anniversary in showbiz, saying there has been a mistake in computing the number of years she’s been in the business, but said she was very proud to have lasted for five decades.
“I started this since I was nine and after 50 years, ‘eto pa rin po ako sa inyong harapan. It’s definitely an achievement para makaabot ka ng 50 years in this industry—yun ho ang pinakabayad sa mga kontribusyong nagawa ko naman sa pelikulang Pilipino.”
And to celebrate this rare feat Gov. Vi decided to take on a different movie genre than the heavy dramas she’s done in the past.
The Healing will be her first foray into the suspense-horror genre, and the actress-politician admits she couldn’t be more excited about doing the film.
“Ako po ang matagal nang humiling kay Direk Chito Roño na gawan po ako ng horror movie,” she recalled. “Siguro pagkatapos pa lang ng Feng Shui [2004], nilambing ko na si Direk Chito.”
Gov. Vi said since she rarely does movies, she wanted to take on a different role that would challenge her. “Kasi po, ang feeling ko naman ay parang yung role ko, parang pare-pareho na rin. So naghahanap ako ng may konting challenge—something new. Bihira naman akong gumawa ng pelikula. The last was In My Life [2009] and before that was Dekada ’70 [2002] which were both dramas kaya ko sinubukan ang horror movie.”
Gov. Vi confessed, however, that once they began shooting, she realized that doing horror was not as easy as she had thought.
“Ang hirap pala ng horror!” she exclaimed. “Sabi ko nung sinu-shoot ko ‘to, ‘Direk, puwede ba i-drama na natin?’ Kasi alam n’yo naman kung gaano kametikuloso si Direk. He won’t settle for yung ordinaryong gulat na ‘pag ginulat ka, di ba, yung parang, ‘Huh!’ ayaw niya.”
Despite being a multi-awarded actress, Gov. Vi revealed there were moments that Direk Chito scolded her.
“‘Bakit ka naninigas?’ sabi ni Direk sa akin. Lagi akong pinapagalitan dun sa mga horror scenes! Hinahagis-hagis ako rito, para nga akong si Vilma Santos no’ng araw na tumatakbo, hagis dito, hagis doon. Nakikipag-away ka. Alam n’yo dahil dun sa pagtapon-tapon sa aking ganyan, nahilo po ako!” she recounted laughing.
“Hirap ako pero kayang-kaya ko pa,” she quickly added with pride.
Despite all the hard work, Gov. Vi said she enjoyed doing the movie. “Na-enjoy ko kasi siguro sa dami na rin ng pelikulang ginawa ko, naghahanap naman ako ng pelikulang makaka-challenge at makaka-inspire sa akin to work. Eto ang nagawa sa akin ng The Healing. Talagang dumarating kami on time, masaya kami sa set. Kaya yung target shooting days to finish the movie na 35 days, we were able to finish it in 37 days!”
Stellar cast
The Healing reunites Vilma Santos and Direk Chito Rono for the fourth time. Their first team up was for the movie Ikaw Lang in 1993; followed by Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa? in 1999; and the last was Dekada ’70.
Direk Chito said it took quite a while before he decided on the script for Gov. Vi, and promised that The Healing will introduce a new brand of Pinoy horror in Philippine cinema.
The movie revolves around the Filipino tradition of going to faith healers for guidance and treatment of ailments.
Gov. Vi said everyone knows how good Direk Chito is when it comes to the suspense-horror genre, but on a personal note, she praised the director for being one of the kindest friends one can have. “Talagang game, kasi jologs din. Puwede mong biruin, you can about talk anything and everything.
“Pero pagdating kasi sa set, walang sinu-sino sa kanya. Since he is the captain, alam niya yung ginagawa niya, wala kang choice but to follow. Ayaw niya yung ‘pag nandun na, nilalaro pa. Ako nga nasigawan na rin niyan, e. Pero after that, friends uli kayo, puwede n’yong gawin lahat,” she revealed.
Aside from Gov. Vi, the cast is comprised of some of the most talented actors in local cinema such as Janice de Belen, Mark Gil, Daria Ramirez, Carmi Martin, Pokwang, Ces Quesada, Joel Torre and Kim Chiu who was the Star for All Season’s personal choice for the role.
“Sina Malou (Santos, managing director of Star Cinema), tinatanong sino ang gusto mong makasama na magagaling na mga bago nating mga superstars. And naglagay ng mga pangalan do’n—and I chose Kim.
“Kasi ang kaibahan nito kay Kim, wala ito sa usual thing na ginagawa niya na love team-love team—iba ang character niya rito. And I think interesting para rin sa aming dalawa.”
She chose Kim after seeing the young actress during a TV special she did before. “Isa dun sa parang nag-guest na mga newcomers ay si Kim sa parang workshop.
“Si Kim, played the role of Dolzura [Cortez], yung eksena ko sa Dolzura: ‘Sino ka, Diyos ka ba?’ And since then, hindi nawawala sa isip ko ‘yon.”
Gov. Vi praised Kim for being a good actress and for her professionalism.
“Napapanood ko siya and she’s good, tapos nakita ko pa sa shooting, she’s very professional.”
“So, kaya kong sabihin na hindi ako nagkamali. Na talagang malaking bagay sa akin at masaya ako that I chose Kim for the movie.”
Janice and Pokwang then shared their happy moments on the set saying they bonded and formed a very beautiful friendship while working together. Janice said instead of staying in their respective dressing rooms, they always gathered at Gov. Vi’s room sharing stories and enjoying girl talk.
“Habang magkakasama kami sa set, since we’re all women, nag-uusap kami about life—lalo na sa amin na may naging eksperiyensiya sa buhay, sa lovelife, sa mga anak namin,” Gov. Vi shared.
It is also because of these bonding moments that the seasoned actress was able to learn some high-tech stuff and became familiar with social networking site Twitter.
Gov. Vi, related, “Alam ko na ang nangyayari, nagbabasa ako ng Twitter—every day and before I sleep and when I wake up. Marunong na ako!” teasing the reporters who began asking for her Twitter name.
“Hindi ko sasabihin kung sino ako!” she added laughing.
“Dito lang sa pelikulang ito nakabili ako ng iPad 3, ng iPhone—malay kong gamitin ‘yan! Dati basta meron akong cell phone na BlackBerry, OK na, pero dito literally tinuruan nila ako. Pagkaturo sa akin, ‘Bili ka, bili ka, dali, dali!’ Dala ko na sa set at tinuturuan ako.
“At ngayon, nagbabasa na po ako ng Twitter,” she said cheerfully.
Gov. Vi said she doesn’t plan on making her account public, admitting that she can be quite “pikon” and would rather avoid “bashers.”
“Huwag na, kasi po baka ‘pag may nagtira-tirang ganyan, pikon din po kasi ako, e! Para umiwas na, huwag na.”
Forever an actress
While Gov. Vi has already made a name for herself in the political arena, Direk Chito shared that the governor still felt sad during their last shooting day.
“Sabi niya sa akin, ‘Nalulungkot ako, hindi na ako artista ulit’.”
The governor interjected, “Kasi ho mami-miss ko kayo, sa totoo lang. Kasi siyempre since In My Life, three years na naman bago ko ito nagawa. Kahit sabihin n’yo pong public servant ako ngayon, nasa dugo ko talaga yung pagiging artista. Kasi iba yung enjoyment ko ‘pag nagsu-shooting ako. Parang alam kong dito ako nabuhay, dito ako nag-umpisa. So yung inspirasyon no’n talaga nasa dugo ko.”
Gov. Vi even wants to try doing an indie film; she has a lot of offers but she simply can’t find the time to do so.
“Kahit sabihin mong 10 days lang daw, e, kung ganoon nga, medyo mas nagiging metikuloso akong pumili. Kasi looking forward ako, so much as possible, kung makakagawa ako ng isa, yung pinakagusto ko na.”
Among those rumored to be wooing Gov. Vi to do an indie movie are acclaimed directors Adolf Alix at Brillante Mendoza.
The Healing opens in cinemas nationwide on July 25. For updates visit www.StarCinema.com.ph or like the movie’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheHealingFilm.
It was evident that the Star for all Seasons missed mingling with the entertainment media as she gamely answered all sorts of questions during—and even after—the press conference for her upcoming movie The Healing.
Held at the Dolphy Theater of ABS-CBN, Gov. Vi did not show any weariness despite coming all the way from Batangas through the lengthy Q&A that lasted for over an hour.
Gov. Vi began by joking about her 50th or golden anniversary in showbiz, saying there has been a mistake in computing the number of years she’s been in the business, but said she was very proud to have lasted for five decades.
“I started this since I was nine and after 50 years, ‘eto pa rin po ako sa inyong harapan. It’s definitely an achievement para makaabot ka ng 50 years in this industry—yun ho ang pinakabayad sa mga kontribusyong nagawa ko naman sa pelikulang Pilipino.”
And to celebrate this rare feat Gov. Vi decided to take on a different movie genre than the heavy dramas she’s done in the past.
The Healing will be her first foray into the suspense-horror genre, and the actress-politician admits she couldn’t be more excited about doing the film.
“Ako po ang matagal nang humiling kay Direk Chito Roño na gawan po ako ng horror movie,” she recalled. “Siguro pagkatapos pa lang ng Feng Shui [2004], nilambing ko na si Direk Chito.”
Gov. Vi said since she rarely does movies, she wanted to take on a different role that would challenge her. “Kasi po, ang feeling ko naman ay parang yung role ko, parang pare-pareho na rin. So naghahanap ako ng may konting challenge—something new. Bihira naman akong gumawa ng pelikula. The last was In My Life [2009] and before that was Dekada ’70 [2002] which were both dramas kaya ko sinubukan ang horror movie.”
Gov. Vi confessed, however, that once they began shooting, she realized that doing horror was not as easy as she had thought.
“Ang hirap pala ng horror!” she exclaimed. “Sabi ko nung sinu-shoot ko ‘to, ‘Direk, puwede ba i-drama na natin?’ Kasi alam n’yo naman kung gaano kametikuloso si Direk. He won’t settle for yung ordinaryong gulat na ‘pag ginulat ka, di ba, yung parang, ‘Huh!’ ayaw niya.”
Despite being a multi-awarded actress, Gov. Vi revealed there were moments that Direk Chito scolded her.
“‘Bakit ka naninigas?’ sabi ni Direk sa akin. Lagi akong pinapagalitan dun sa mga horror scenes! Hinahagis-hagis ako rito, para nga akong si Vilma Santos no’ng araw na tumatakbo, hagis dito, hagis doon. Nakikipag-away ka. Alam n’yo dahil dun sa pagtapon-tapon sa aking ganyan, nahilo po ako!” she recounted laughing.
“Hirap ako pero kayang-kaya ko pa,” she quickly added with pride.
Despite all the hard work, Gov. Vi said she enjoyed doing the movie. “Na-enjoy ko kasi siguro sa dami na rin ng pelikulang ginawa ko, naghahanap naman ako ng pelikulang makaka-challenge at makaka-inspire sa akin to work. Eto ang nagawa sa akin ng The Healing. Talagang dumarating kami on time, masaya kami sa set. Kaya yung target shooting days to finish the movie na 35 days, we were able to finish it in 37 days!”
Stellar cast
The Healing reunites Vilma Santos and Direk Chito Rono for the fourth time. Their first team up was for the movie Ikaw Lang in 1993; followed by Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa? in 1999; and the last was Dekada ’70.
Direk Chito said it took quite a while before he decided on the script for Gov. Vi, and promised that The Healing will introduce a new brand of Pinoy horror in Philippine cinema.
The movie revolves around the Filipino tradition of going to faith healers for guidance and treatment of ailments.
Gov. Vi said everyone knows how good Direk Chito is when it comes to the suspense-horror genre, but on a personal note, she praised the director for being one of the kindest friends one can have. “Talagang game, kasi jologs din. Puwede mong biruin, you can about talk anything and everything.
“Pero pagdating kasi sa set, walang sinu-sino sa kanya. Since he is the captain, alam niya yung ginagawa niya, wala kang choice but to follow. Ayaw niya yung ‘pag nandun na, nilalaro pa. Ako nga nasigawan na rin niyan, e. Pero after that, friends uli kayo, puwede n’yong gawin lahat,” she revealed.
Aside from Gov. Vi, the cast is comprised of some of the most talented actors in local cinema such as Janice de Belen, Mark Gil, Daria Ramirez, Carmi Martin, Pokwang, Ces Quesada, Joel Torre and Kim Chiu who was the Star for All Season’s personal choice for the role.
“Sina Malou (Santos, managing director of Star Cinema), tinatanong sino ang gusto mong makasama na magagaling na mga bago nating mga superstars. And naglagay ng mga pangalan do’n—and I chose Kim.
“Kasi ang kaibahan nito kay Kim, wala ito sa usual thing na ginagawa niya na love team-love team—iba ang character niya rito. And I think interesting para rin sa aming dalawa.”
She chose Kim after seeing the young actress during a TV special she did before. “Isa dun sa parang nag-guest na mga newcomers ay si Kim sa parang workshop.
“Si Kim, played the role of Dolzura [Cortez], yung eksena ko sa Dolzura: ‘Sino ka, Diyos ka ba?’ And since then, hindi nawawala sa isip ko ‘yon.”
Gov. Vi praised Kim for being a good actress and for her professionalism.
“Napapanood ko siya and she’s good, tapos nakita ko pa sa shooting, she’s very professional.”
“So, kaya kong sabihin na hindi ako nagkamali. Na talagang malaking bagay sa akin at masaya ako that I chose Kim for the movie.”
Janice and Pokwang then shared their happy moments on the set saying they bonded and formed a very beautiful friendship while working together. Janice said instead of staying in their respective dressing rooms, they always gathered at Gov. Vi’s room sharing stories and enjoying girl talk.
“Habang magkakasama kami sa set, since we’re all women, nag-uusap kami about life—lalo na sa amin na may naging eksperiyensiya sa buhay, sa lovelife, sa mga anak namin,” Gov. Vi shared.
It is also because of these bonding moments that the seasoned actress was able to learn some high-tech stuff and became familiar with social networking site Twitter.
Gov. Vi, related, “Alam ko na ang nangyayari, nagbabasa ako ng Twitter—every day and before I sleep and when I wake up. Marunong na ako!” teasing the reporters who began asking for her Twitter name.
“Hindi ko sasabihin kung sino ako!” she added laughing.
“Dito lang sa pelikulang ito nakabili ako ng iPad 3, ng iPhone—malay kong gamitin ‘yan! Dati basta meron akong cell phone na BlackBerry, OK na, pero dito literally tinuruan nila ako. Pagkaturo sa akin, ‘Bili ka, bili ka, dali, dali!’ Dala ko na sa set at tinuturuan ako.
“At ngayon, nagbabasa na po ako ng Twitter,” she said cheerfully.
Gov. Vi said she doesn’t plan on making her account public, admitting that she can be quite “pikon” and would rather avoid “bashers.”
“Huwag na, kasi po baka ‘pag may nagtira-tirang ganyan, pikon din po kasi ako, e! Para umiwas na, huwag na.”
Forever an actress
While Gov. Vi has already made a name for herself in the political arena, Direk Chito shared that the governor still felt sad during their last shooting day.
“Sabi niya sa akin, ‘Nalulungkot ako, hindi na ako artista ulit’.”
The governor interjected, “Kasi ho mami-miss ko kayo, sa totoo lang. Kasi siyempre since In My Life, three years na naman bago ko ito nagawa. Kahit sabihin n’yo pong public servant ako ngayon, nasa dugo ko talaga yung pagiging artista. Kasi iba yung enjoyment ko ‘pag nagsu-shooting ako. Parang alam kong dito ako nabuhay, dito ako nag-umpisa. So yung inspirasyon no’n talaga nasa dugo ko.”
Gov. Vi even wants to try doing an indie film; she has a lot of offers but she simply can’t find the time to do so.
“Kahit sabihin mong 10 days lang daw, e, kung ganoon nga, medyo mas nagiging metikuloso akong pumili. Kasi looking forward ako, so much as possible, kung makakagawa ako ng isa, yung pinakagusto ko na.”
Among those rumored to be wooing Gov. Vi to do an indie movie are acclaimed directors Adolf Alix at Brillante Mendoza.
The Healing opens in cinemas nationwide on July 25. For updates visit www.StarCinema.com.ph or like the movie’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheHealingFilm.
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