Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa conditioned her mindset and emotional state as preparation for her daring role in the upcoming erotic thriller The Housemaid, especially her intimate scenes with co-star Albert Martinez.
“Pag mga love scenes kasi na ganyan kailangan pinapag-usapan beforehand... Matagal na usapan ‘yan tapos hinahanda ko rin sarili ko mentally and emotionally for scenes like that,” the beauty queen-turned-actress told The STAR during the digital media conference.
The synopsis narrates the story of Daisy, a woman in her 20s who is offered a huge salary mainly to take care of Nami, daughter of a billionaire, William (Albert), and Roxanne (Louise Delos Reyes), who is pregnant with twins.
William begins to secretly flirt with Daisy, enticing her with glasses of wine and his piano playing, and they eventually begin a sexual relationship.
The film then asks the questions: What does Daisy expect to get out of her stolen moments with William? What is the price to pay for sleeping with this powerful but married man?
“Matagal namin pinag-usapan yung bawat eksena. Isa siyang magandang sayaw. Meron kaming magandang choreography para eksakto sa punto yung requirement ng material,” said Albert of the love scenes with Kylie.
He added, “At the same time, to make the public believe whatever we’re doing is sincere. I’m very happy kasi nakita ko naman yung end-product. Very successful naman nagawa yung eksena.” To the point that there was no need for a take two, further disclosed Albert.
The veteran actor also thanked director Roman Perez Jr. for the guidance and praised Kylie for her acting stint. “Saludo ako kay Kylie for what she has done. Kylie, you deserve all the honor and success of this project.”
The Housemaid is Kylie’s biggest acting break yet.
Moreover, Kylie shared during the press conference that her character in the movie is far different from real life. Daisy is described as someone who “can go from being innocent to wild and cool then fierce.”
“Yung palaban na aspect, ako siya. Yung tahimik na aspect, in some cases (yes), in most cases pwede rin,” she said, adding that she had to let go of her real self for the film. “Kailangan mong i-shift off lahat. Kasi pag beauty queen, you have to be the best version of yourself. Si Daisy po, kailangan mong tanggalin lahat yun in the most naked, raw and unfiltered version of yourself.”
Likewise, her venture into a “sexy” role in the psychological thriller is backed by the Miss International organization and boyfriend, Jake Cuenca.
The Miss International organization fully supports her showbiz career. “Nag-comment nga sila dun sa trailer na kakapost ko lang. And they even messaged me na ‘Congratulations.’ They’re looking forward to watch the film,” enthused Kylie.
She also thanked Viva for the opportunity. “Kasi it’s been really a dream of mine to make a movie like this. Type ko talaga tong mga movie na ‘to na psychological thriller. Ito talaga yung genre na gusto ko at gustong panooriin,” said the 29-year-old actress.
As for her boyfriend Jake, who is also an actor, Kylie considers him as her “mentor.” “Sa kanya ako pumupunta kapag may mga (acting) advice. Minsan siya yung tinuturing ko na acting coach. Siya din yung isa sa mga tao na nag-convince sakin na, ‘Gawin mo yan, magandang project yan.’ For sure, sasamahan niya ako na panoorin ito kasi sobrang supportive talaga ni Jake sa career ko.”
Meanwhile, Albert was asked how he feels about being partnered with two lovely and much younger actresses, Kylie and Louise. “It’s a pleasure working with them. We were very focused on what we do,” replied the 60-year-old actor.
“Wala kaming naging problema sa set. Para kaming ‘oil machine’ when it comes to acting. It’s an ensemble performance. I’m really glad I worked with really great actors for this project,” he added.
Helmed by direk Roman, Viva’s forthcoming flick is an adaptation of a South Korean film that was first shown in 1960. It had a remake in 2010 titled Hanyo which won various awards in international film festivals, including Fantasporto in Portugal, Oslo Film from the South Festival and Cinemanila International Festival in the Philippines.
The movie also received a nomination for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the annual Cannes Film Festival.
Direk Roman, who also directed the lesbian film Adan, explained his different treatment to the film.
The 1960s film centered on the male character as the powerful man while the focal point in the 2010 version is the housemaid as the femme fatale, he noted.
In the Filipino film adaptation by Viva, they did an ensemble. “Ginawa namin siyang pantay-pantay (characters) sa buong bahay. Even the mayordoma (played by Jaclyn Jose), napaka-importante ng character, pati si Roxanne (wife), Albert, the housemaid and even the little girl,” shared direk Roman.
He furthered, “Pamilya ang involved dito sa kontekstong Filipino. Nangyari ang original na pelikula before the (Korean) war. Hindi pa patriarchal at hindi pa ganito ang sistema ng (South) Korea. Ngayon, hindi na ganito. Mas tayo ang nakaka-adapt ngayon sa ganitong sistema na may low class, middle class, high class at may upper high class.”
“We got all the actors we wanted for the role. We chose the actors for this project. This is a very timely film. And yes, this can also join film festivals abroad eventually,” he also expressed.
The film also stars child actress Elia Ilano who played the young Maya in Ulan and Jobelyn Manuel, the original Jowable woman ranting on the Vincentiments Facebook page before it became a blockbuster movie. The Housemaid will be available in various platforms including Vivamax, KTX, iWant TFC and TFC IPTV on Sept. 10. The movie is also streaming on Vivamax Middle East.