Young actress and former PPB housemate Maris Racal experienced a lot of “firsts” shooting the movie I’m Ellenya L. She had to immerse herself in the world of vloggers while containing herself with the idea of having a launching movie as a solo artist.
“I can’t tell much of the things I did for the movie because I might spoil the biggest scenes and the things that people might want to watch out for in the movie,” the 21-year-old actress told Manila Standard in an interview.
“But let me tell you this, I believe that everyone will get to enjoy the movie. This is not just for the millennials. It’s also for the younger and older generations, the Gen X and Gen Z. At its core, I’m Ellenya L is a story about family, love, and embracing your real self,” she added.
One of the things that Maris excitedly shared about her immersion as a vlogger was her meeting with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. She did manage to see Mayor Isko up-close and personal but the Manila Mayor identified Maris not as an actress, but as a vlogger since she was in full character.
“Now I understand how difficult it is to be a vlogger. They are also like the members of the press. They go to a place, wait for hours without knowing if they’d be able to get a story, an interesting one to share with the viewers,” she said.
In the movie, Maris is Ellenya Lakampati is a simple 21-year-old girl. Just like any millennial, she exemplifies every stereotype of her generation.
“Her whole lifestyle revolves around social media and trying to be famous. She would do whatever it takes to be the next online sensation,” Maris said of her character.
Ellenya lives with her loving and supportive father, Daddy Toots, who is a musician, and her conservative and traditional grandmother, Lola Madz. Ellenya’s best friend, Peng, lives next door. He’s a talented photographer, who is wary of the image she portrays online.
“The idea started out on how millennials deal with their daily lives and struggles. Through collaboration and weeks of brainstorming, we ended up with a story that doesn’t only explore the lifestyle of millennials, but hopefully show their aspirations and failures,” said Boy 2 Quizon who directed the film.
“Since it is also my directorial debut, I decided to ensure that the viewers will see my own brand of comedy in the film. As I come from a family who made their business in this genre, I made sure that laughs will be plenty. We took careful consideration of the classic way of doing gags,” he ended.
I’m Ellenya L also stars Inigo Pascual, Patrick Sugui, and Kat Galang.
