Dolly de Leon on doing A Very Good Girl: I wanted to test myself

MANILA, Philippines — Dolly de Leon has taken on her first mainstream lead role in a film, opposite Kathryn Bernardo, via Star Cinema’s A Very Good Girl.

Based on a teaser trailer of the dark comedy directed by Petersen Vargas, an unlikely partnership is hinted at between the characters of Dolly and Kathryn, with the latter seemingly asking the former to pose as her mother.

“You can call me mother,” said Dolly with nary an emotion.

Prior to the trending trailer’s release on Aug. 4, The Philippine STAR spoke to the veteran actress about what made her say yes to the film project.

“Honestly, aside from the fact that ang ganda-ganda ng role na in-offer sa akin — I play Molly Suzara, a very powerful businesswoman — I got to work with Petersen Vargas, who is a very good director, and Kathryn Bernardo, who is a very good actress,” she shared. “It passed my requirements.”

“But what really, really made me want to do it was because I wanted to challenge myself. I’ve never done a Star Cinema project. This is my first-ever Star Cinema film na lead role. Of course, I wanted to test myself if I could really do it kasi malaking kompanya ang Star Cinema ‘di ba?”

“I wanted to push myself. ‘Di ba, sa dami ng pinagdaanan ko, dapat lang siguro na i-test ko kung hanggang saan ang limitation ko. And this is it — A Very Good Girl,” she added.

True enough, the first Golden Globe-nominated Filipino actor was pushed to her limits.

“Naku! Sobrang na-test! Grabe iba talaga ang mundo ng mainstream, iba talaga. Ang dami kong natutunan sa kanila at sa sarili ko. It’s so worth it. I’m so proud of this film. I can’t wait for you to watch it,” she told The STAR.

One of her major takeaways from doing this film was to always think of the welfare and wellbeing of others on the set, including laborers, crew and staff.

She also learned the value of collaboration between the creatives and the actors. “Importante din talaga yung collaboration between the creative team and the actors because at the end of the day, ang actor lang talaga ang nakakaalam ng character na pini-play nila eh.

“But at the same time, natututo rin ako na manggaling sa perspective of the writer or the creative side. I now understand better their needs and requirements. I also gained more knowledge about the job of an actor, in front of a camera, na ang pag-iisip ko big screen,” she continued.

Comparing her mainstream movie experience to her past works, she said, “Actually, halos lahat ng trabaho ko teleserye ang medium. For this, even my acting, I had to adjust.”

Dolly further shared that she learned a lot from sharing scenes and screen time with Kathryn.

Dolly says she learned a lot from acting opposite Kathryn Bernardo in the dark comedy directed by Petersen Vargas. — Photos from ABS-CBN Films’ Facebook page

“I observed how she worked. Grabe gamay na gamay niya talaga ang katawan niya, gamay na gamay niya ang mukha niya, gamay na gamay niya ang mata niya, sabi ko ang galing!” she said of the younger actress.

“Her technique na perfect na niya. Gusto ko maging ganun ka expert when it comes to awareness of the camera, of the angles of the camera, the technical side of things, yun ang natutunan ko talaga.”

It’s been a very busy 2023 for Dolly after her international acclaim for the 2022 Palme d’Or-winning film Triangle of Sadness. A Very Good Girl is just one of five film projects she completed this year with official release dates (she actually did more).

She is also revisiting her indie roots in not just one but two entries in the ongoing Cinemalaya 19 — Carl Joseph Papa’s Iti Mapupukaw (The Missing), Cinemalaya’s first-ever animated feature entry, and Dustin Celestino’s Ang Duyan ng Magiting. Besides wanting to work with their filmmakers and cast, she immediately said yes to these entries because of themes that she has also advocated for in real life.

Ang Duyan ng Magiting, where she plays a social worker who helps two kids being unlawfully detained, tackles human rights, particularly rights of children. Iti Mapupukaw, on the other hand, touches on mental health, another subject that she “strongly feels about.”

“And I’ve long wanted to work with Carlo Aquino,” she said of her co-star in the film.