Or it used to be. She has agreed to do Sanib, Regal Films’ entry to the Manila Film Festival in June, directed by master of horror Celso Ad. Castillo. Not only that. Ana has agreed to a big turn-around and shift from erstwhile everyman’s fantasy to a hideous monstrosity as a possessed person in the film.
Why? Simple. "I haven’t done a film with direk Celso Ad for five years now. And the prospect of working with him excited me no end," Ana explains. It will be recalled that it was the eccentric director who gave Ana her screen name, He also directed her in two films before Sanib.
Sentimental as it may sound, Ana has a soft spot for the director who knew her when she was still a struggling actress.
"The cast is also good," Ana gushes. How indeed can you discount the competence of a Gina Alajar, Joel Torre and Raymond Bagatsing, among others?
Ana particularly takes her hat off to Gina, who also directs her in the upcoming soap Hawak Ko ang Langit, which premieres in June.
"She’s so supportive. I’d like to work with her again," says Ana.
Gina returns the compliment. "I just asked the production people to fix her hair so the camera will show her eyes. Ana has such beautiful eyes!"
Those eyes threatened and terrified when a ghost possessed her during one of the highlight scenes in the movie. Ana herself, no stranger to suspense-horror films which she loves watching in the privacy of her home, got the scare of her life.
"It was far from easy. The pressure was so great! Someone even kidded me about feeling the terror even when I get home, the way the late Julie Vega did in one of her movies," relates Ana .
Prosthetics transformed her facial features from exotic to downright disgusting.
The challenge, she relates, lay in shocking the moviegoers out of their wits. And it’s far from easy, she admits.
"I have to have right timing, or else," Ana explains.
"Horror and comedy are similar in this sense," she adds. "You feel the pressure to surprise and jolt. And this, you must do at the right time."
If she exudes such confidence in talking about horror films, it’s because Ana just loves feeling chills running down her spine, never mind if she’s all alone in her room.
She examines them with the critical eye of someone enamored with quality films, not minding if she has to rewind or fastforward favorite scenes.
Tops in her list of local horror films are Regal’s Shake, Rattle and Roll series and Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara. As for foreign films, Ana can’t shake off The Exorcist , The Ring and Rose Garden from her system.
After CineManila proclaimed her Best Actress for her riveting performance in Pila Balde, Ana has crossed the line separating bold actresses from the more respected serious ones known for dedication to their craft.
How did she do it?
"I make it a point to choose my roles. You can tell from the script alone. I turned down one where I would have done a bold scene right at the very start of the movie. I also stay away from roles that merely repeat what I’ve done before, like one offer which cast me as a GRO again," explains Ana.
She’s also hooked on studying her favorite stars’ every move on the big screen. Ana played and replayed Halle Berry’s Monster’s Ball many times over, studying the Hollywood actress’ mannerisms and nuances of character. Ana did the same thing to several Julianne Moore films.
Watching videos happens to be Ana’s hobby, together with sketching.
The first not only relaxes her after grueling work before the cameras, it also helps her immensely as an actress.
Ana has been in the business long enough to see sexy stars make a big splash in their debut movies, then fade away into oblivion as soon as a new bombshell comes along. But among today’s bumper crop of sexy stars, she sees a handful who will last long enough to graduate into more mature roles.
Asked to name names, Ana hems and haws (she doesn’t want to disappoint the others) and says, "Aleck (Bovick, her co-star in Hiram) and Aubrey (Miles, who is horribly transformed beyond recognition in Sanib) will go a long way."
Take it from someone who has managed to shake off that bold tag, and make critics sit up and say yes, here’s someone who deserves an acting trophy.
No one, will howl in protest over that.