Enchong Dee feels elated and proud with all the positive reviews he received for his performance in Mano Po 7: Chinoy in which he essayed the role of a rebellious son who eventually straightened things out and settled his differences with his father, played by Richard Yap. In fact, many believe that if the film made it to the list of entries in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival, he would definitely grab a Best Supporting Actor nomination or even win the trophy.
“Wow! Thank you,” exclaims Enchong. “These good reviews are simply inspiring for me to further hone my craft as an actor. Maybe, I will have a chance for nomination in other award-giving bodies. Let’s see, but I don’t want to expect.”
He credits his director (Ian Loreños) for his credible delineation of the character.
“Yes, kudos to him! For one, he gave me the freedom in interpreting my role. I was given the chance to improvise. Direk Ian and I discussed how the scenes where I was in the rehabilitation center would be executed.”
“The original attack was supposed to be serious. I suggested we could tweak it a bit and inject some comic lines to make the character more human. He accepted my idea and I guess the viewers liked how the scenes turned out. It was really nice that I interpreted the character the way I felt about him.”
Winning an award is one of Enchong’s dreams.
“And any actor for that matter, I guess! It’s an attestation to your growth as an artist. It legitimizes your being an actor, so to speak. If you remember, I nabbed an acting nomination for Strangers, but unfortunately lost. My biggest acting recognition so far is the PMPC’s Best Single Performance by an Actor award which I took home for an MMK episode. Of course, I would still want to add to that!”
Asked about the entries in this year’s MMFF, the popular Star Magic talent believes in the potential of the projects.
“It’s like giving a new recipe to your patrons, letting them try it for variety. I am able to see the trailers of some like Seklusyon and I must say it’s horrifying. There’s also Saving Sally which offers a new genre. I think they have a good line-up,” ends Enchong.
********
Despite the general observation that she has a very strong chance to win the Best Actress plum in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival for her work in Oro, Irma Adlawan doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
“Of course, I’m thankful if others see it that way, but more than the artistic prestige, I want the movie to make a killing at the tills. Since this is more of an advocacy film for me, I want it to become a box-office hit. Some of the proceeds will go to the community where the plot was based. They still have an on-going battle to restore their source of livelihood so it will be a big help to them if our project makes money,” she says.
Many are curious to know how she feels that Oro was considered to become part of the Magic 8, beating some of the bigger movies, which also vied for a spot.
“Definitely, I’m happy and proud that our offering made it to the list. It’s an honor to be part of this year’s MMFF. Everybody knows that it is the Philippines’ biggest and most popular film fest. It has a wide reach to the viewers. Especially that ours is an advocacy project, we will have a huge exposure which is just great.”
Regarding the alleged issue between her and Superstar Nora Aunor because she replaced the latter in Oro, the critically acclaimed actress denies such.
“Honestly, there’s no pressure whatsoever between me and Ate Guy. She even hugged me during the official announcement of the Magic 8. I’m a self-confessed Noranian. It’s just work so there’s no need to magnify things,” explains Irma.