Rhen Escaño, Ayanna Misola ‘uncover lies, dark secrets of teens’ in Vivamax series
MANILA, Philippines — Rhen Escaño and Ayanna Misola explained the reasons why Viva continues to bless them with consecutive projects for its streaming platform Vivamax.
“Maybe they can see that I am not taking the projects for granted. I’m doing my best all the time,” said Rhen in a virtual call. “And with the roles that I’ve done, I think I’ve played them well. I gave justice to the characters that I portrayed. I think they’re able to see that I can do it. I’m vocal also in expressing that I want to try other roles and genres, and they’re still giving me (the) chance (to do so).”
Ayanna shared the same sentiments, “I feel that they see something in me and they also make sure that I improve every time. Nagsimula sa parang sobrang wala talaga to Bula. (And) maybe also because of my online supporters.”
On handling public attention, Rhen recalled that there was a stage in her career where she “consumed all the negativity,” including online bashing, critical comments and that she was judged based on what people see online. “Maybe all I can say now is that more or less, I know how to handle it. I know now what to take in and keep in mind, and mag-self-check.”
With that, the 25-year-old actress learned how to “master the art of deadma.” “There are still some things that affect me but mas kaya ko na ngayon. I can better handle them now as compared to before. I guess, I can’t say na nandun na po ako. So, I’ll see what else I can get through or experience in my career.”
Ayanna, for her part, said she doesn’t feel “famous” yet. “Nakakalabas pa naman ako. As in nakakapaglakad pa ako sa mall ng hindi nakikilala.”
What makes her stay grounded is the “criticisms that I got from people around me,” she said, “kasi siyempre ang dami po naming nakukuha na compliments every day from social media… With social media, madali lang iwasan or deadmahin (it’s easy to avoid or ignore comments). But if you will personally hear them from the people around, they will keep you grounded.”
The two Vivamax sexy actresses are the leads in the Vivamax original series Secrets of a Nympho, co-produced by Lino Cayetano’s Rein Entertainment, the production outfit behind the award-winning hit-thriller series Bagman and LGBTQ+ themed series BetCin. The eight-part sexy thriller is created by Philip King and helmed by Shugo Praico with new episodes airing every Sunday.
Secrets of a Nympho tells the story of how “the unexpected death of a young man threatens the reputation of a prestigious school and its students. Uncover lies and dark secrets of teenagers as they hide them behind wealth and power.”
Rhen is Gab, an outcast student who suspects that foul play is behind Brian’s (Arron Villaflor) death, which is initially ruled out as suicide by people. Having a personal attachment to the case, Gab does her own investigation and discovers Brian and his friends’ darkest secrets, which involve parties fueled by sex, drugs and gambling.
Eight people present at the party or part of Brian’s inner circle are questioned, including Gab, and Hannah (Ayanna), the girl, who was found unconscious on the rooftop where Brian fell from, and is currently in a coma.
Joining the cast members are Gold Aceron, Josef Elizalde, Andrea Garcia, Jiad Arroyo, Milana Ikimoto, Julia Victoria, Jeric Raval, Jao Mapa and Sheree Bautista.
Rhen said she accepted the role because the series is “very timely” and tackles social issues.
Moreover, direk Lino stated that the series is “sexy as it needs to be.” He added, “The story discusses the life of the younger ones. Yung mundong ginagalawan nila. Ang kalokohang pinapasok nila. We realized that hindi makatotohanan yung kuwento natin kung walang (our story is not realistic if it doesn’t involve) sex, drugs and taking risks.”
“There are situations in the series na hindi namin makuwento in other mediums, other distribution platforms… So happy kami kasi nagkaroon ng venue itong kuwentong ‘to and we’re excited because hindi naman walang limitasyon pero lahat ng mga artista po namin naiintindihan yung kailangang gawin para maikuwento natin ng maganda itong kuwento ng Secrets of a Nympho,” he continued.
Lino has worked with direk Shugo and Philip for 10 to 15 years on ABS-CBN.
Following Bagman and BetCin, Lino said they continue to tackle their advocacy and expose social issues in telling stories through films. He added, “Yung mga iba-ibang ginagawa ng Rein, malalim yung social context. Itong material na ‘to is exciting, particularly finding women looking for justice. Interesting yung roles ng men dito eh. And I think our actors played (their parts) very well.”
Lino disclosed that they signed a long-term contract with Viva. Aside from Secrets of a Nympho, they are currently working on a Metro Manila Film Festival entry Nananahimik ang Gabi. “We’re meeting with Viva soon. We have plans of doing a sci-fi (project) with them. Also, a love story na gagawin with them, ideally, and another comedy, a teen series. So hihimay-himay pa namin what’s next. We’re hoping that before the year ends, we’ll do another project, if not at least January or February (2023).”
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