'Red Crown' teaser offers glimpse into beauty queens' lives, rivalries

The official teaser of the upcoming film “Red Crown” has been released, giving viewers a glimpse into the lives, struggles, and rivalries of women competing in the world of beauty pageants.

The teaser, which dropped on Thursday, opens with Ramona De Guzman, played by Shuvee Etrata, facing financial difficulties in Cebu as she is threatened with eviction by her landlord over unpaid rent.

It then shifts to the intense competition surrounding a coveted crown and a whopping P25 million prize.

Also introduced is Ophelie Bernadette Santos, portrayed by AZ Martinez, a religious girl from Bulacan who enters the world of pageantry.

The teaser likewise offers glimpses of characters played by Michelle Dee, Sanya Lopez, Ashley Ortega, and Faith Da Silva.

“It’s not all about being beautiful, being the most sexy, and being the most intelligent,” Rufa Gutierrez says in the teaser.

Several beauty queens and pageant titleholders make appearances in the film, including Ahtisa Manalo, MJ Lastimosa, and Gazini Ganados.

In Aubrey Carampel’s report on “24 Oras” on Thursday, Michelle shared her excitement over the film’s concept.

“The energy on set—it’s a mix of excitement and nervousness. I love looking at the potential of the storyboard and the concept. I immediately saw Miss Annette’s vision. It would be so relatable, so sellable, and something new,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.

As a seasoned beauty queen herself, Michelle lent her expertise to the production beyond acting.

“I’ve become like a resident adviser within the production on how things are done and what pageant fans expect. So I just help wherever I can."

Meanwhile, AZ admitted that although she had previously joined a beauty pageant, she realized that the competitive nature of pageantry was not for her.

“I feel like it was just something I wanted to try, but my heart was never really in it because the competition in pageants is intense. You’re going to be competing with other girls, and that’s something I don’t think I can do for a long time,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.

AZ also admitted that she initially felt intimidated by the beauty queens and titleholders on set.

“It turns out they’re all really playful, too. I’ve gotten really close to Ate Michelle on set, and now we talk about anything. I’ve also become close to Faith. And it’s really fun being with Ara and MJ. You know, we’re always just joking around and fooling around,” she said.

For AZ, one of the most challenging scenes involved running while wearing a gown and high heels.

Michelle, meanwhile, teased that viewers can expect a "bloodbath" with plenty of intense confrontations in the film.

"Red Crown" is a satirical comedy that brings together some of the country’s well-known beauty queens and actresses.

It is directed by Dominic Zapata and will premiere in cinemas in October.

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—Jade Veronique Yap/CDC, GMA News