Filtered By: Lifestyle
Lifestyle

2017 MMFF Best Actress Joanna Ampil was a 'perfect' Candida for 'Ang Larawan'


Twitter was abuzz on Wednesday during the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival Gabi ng Parangal, eagerly waiting for the name of their favorite actor to be called for one of the biggest awards of the night.

Joanna Ampil's name was eventually called out and, frankly, those who had watched the "Ang Larawan" weren't surprised. This is Ampil's film debut, but she has been a darling in the theater scene since the '90s.

Producer Girlie Rodis and Ampil's co-star Rachel Alejandro in a press conference days after the awards night said that Ampil's casting as Candida was a "perfect match."

Other names were thrown around, but no else seemed to fit. 

 

Joanna Ampil
Joanna Ampil

"Candida is not an easy part to sing," Alejandro said. "That character would be babad pretty much the entire film, you have to have a beautiful voice, because you're going to hear her for two hours."

Alejandro added that director Loy Arcenas wanted someone with tremendous acting experience and, to stay authentic to the characters, someone who was the right age.

But Candida wasn't a character that immediately appealed to Ampil.

Candida who?

The part was first offered to her in 2008, she revealed, and then again in 2012. "I knew nothing about it (the play), I was blase about it," she admitted.

Listening to the music and going through the libretto, the project slowly piqued Ampil's interest and soon enough, she found herself in rehearsing with the cast. (In a studio Lily Monteverde had lent to the "Ang Larawan" team for free, shared Rosid.)

This being her first film, Ampil didn't feel quite adequate enough for the role, but she's "always up for a challenge" and she began studying the character.

"Ang Larawan" was rehearsed like a musical onstage, but Ampil notes that movies are shot in segments and took away that feeling of a "full journey" in theater.

"This is harder in a way, because you have to be constantly focused on your character, whereas onstage, you can let go after the show," Ampil explained.

Staying truthful to the character is what matters most and Ampil has a solid foundation from theater that translated flawlessly to film. Ampil credits co-star Jake Macapagal for giving her a tip to help with the transition: "Have a lot of thought, truth behind your eyes."

It's the little things that matter

From the start, "Ang Larawan" has always been a passion project. The film took five years to make and Alejandro shared that they were beginning to feel embarrassed because people had been donating money for the film as far back as 2014.

The rehearsals took an entire year and Alejandro revealed that Arcenas was dedicated to getting everything right. He's the type who would review a clip and redo a scene to make it better.

What he wasn't very skilled at, Alejandro and Ampil revealed, was communicating. Ampil described the director as a man of few words and said, "You have to read what he wants you to do."

Those who have seen the film might have noticed that Candida fidgets with her fingers quite a lot and Ampil revealed that she had mimicked Arcenas. At one point, she had blurted to Arcenas: "You are Candida!"

Ampil mixed that with her own fascination with the character. She shared that she had imagined how Candida would catch rats — her technique, how she would hold them, how she developed a mastery for it. She visualized everything.

"In my head, I'm an expert (of catching rats)," Ampil said with a straight face.

It's this level of commitment that goes beyond trophies...not that Ampil wasn't thrilled about her win. She's earned critical acclaim outside the Philippines, but she said, "I know how critical Filipinos can be."

The country is filled with a lot of talented people, she said, and to be recognized here means a lot. It was a great way to end the year. "I feel like I won the lottery in 2017," she said.

Rosid and Alejandro revealed plans to tour "Ang Larawan" locally and several schools have already signed up, including the University of Cebu and the University of Los Banos. — LA, GMA News

"Ang Larawan" is currently showing in theaters.

LOADING CONTENT