MANILA, Philippines - A nurse, a teacher, a drug mule and dual roles as an office-whore and a barrio lass. These are the four characters that multi-faceted actress Sue Prado is portraying in the four films she is appearing in this year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
Three of the films are first features and are competing in the new breed category: Sue is a nurse in Eduardo Roy Jr.’s Bahay Bata; in dual roles in Zurich Chan’s Teorya; a drug mule in Joseph Laban’s Cuchera. She is a public school teacher in Joel Lamangan’s Patikul which is in the director’s showcase category.
Sue started attending University of the Philippines in Los Baños in 1998 but only graduated in 2006 with a degree in AB Communication Arts Major in Theater. She took a break from school in 2003 until 2005 to work so that she could support her family and save enough money to finish her degree.
Her first feature film was the musical Abadeha in January 2006 directed by Myrna Mulhern.
However, in July 2006, Sue was in a near fatal car crash. She was on and off crutches until February 2008.
It was this year that she focused on her career as an actress.
She started doing short and indie films, theater, hosting, writing and television. She has also appeared in some commercials and was assistant director in some television commercials and indie films.
She started filming Himpapawid (Manila Skies) by Raymond Red in August 2008 where she had three roles.
Sue got noticed after being awarded the 2009 Urian Best Supporting Actress Award for the film.
From the Manunuri website “In three roles are Marissa Sue Prado — neighborhood harlot, unsympathetic clerk, and beleaguered flight attendant. The different characters partly represent Raul’s confused state of mind, and Prado is almost unrecognizable in each portrayal, truly a different character.”
The film introduced Sue to the industry and took her to the Tokyo International Film Festival where it was in the official competition in October 2009.
Last year, Sue was in 10 short, student and indie films including Paghahati by Ela Ignacio, Conditions by Marion Chu, Balatkayo by Grace Simbulan, Tough by Clar delos Reyes, N.A.S.L. by Will Fredo, Wakas by Allan Balberona, Romeo at Juliet by Adolf Alix Jr., Corazon by Richard Somes, Layang Bilanggo by Michael Dagnalan, Ganap na Babae by Ellen Ramos, Sarah Roxas and Rica Arevalo and Di Natatapos ang Gabi by Ato Bautista where she had dual roles as a lesbian and a married woman. Some of the films are still unreleased and work in progress.
This year aside from the four Cinemalaya films, Sue is an actress and second assistant director in the debut film of Paul Soriano, Thelma starring Maja Salvador.
She was seen in the soap opera Nagbabagang Bulaklak on TV5 as an assassin. The soap introduced her to a wider audience and her performance was noticed by TV host and columnist Cristy Fermin.
Fermin not knowing who Sue was, announced in her radio program Cristy Ferminute on Radyo Singko 92.3 newsFM (airs Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.) that she was amazed by the assassin’s performance. A few minutes later during the program, James Blanco, her co-star in the soap, texted Fermin her first name but not her last name. Moments later, director Gil Portes texted Fermin Sue’s full name. Portes met Sue in Baguio last summer during the Sineng Pambansa in the summer capital.
Sue was in the 10 Most Amazing Women in Film list which appeared in spot.ph by Ria Limjap. Aside from Eugene Domingo, Sue was the only actress-performer on the list.
Here’s what spot.ph has to say about Sue, “She’s an actor, not a celebrity. If you need someone who can act and not just preen or pose, call Sue. She’s a character actress with the screen presence of a leading lady, femme fatale and ate rolled into one. I find her eminently watch-able on screen because her beauty is accessible and fluid--and convincing—whether she’s playing a boozy bar girl or an earnest social worker. (Speaking of Women’s Day, in the trilogy Ganap na Babae directed by three female filmmakers, Sue is a poor farm girl who struggles to survive on kamote.)”
At present, Sue is appearing on ABS-CBN’s Guns and Roses as the lawyer sidekick of Gladys Reyes.