Kampon star Beauty Gonzalez gets candid about being tagged as ‘next horror queen’

MANILA, Philippines — Beauty Gonzalez has never fully watched herself on the small or big screen until the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry Kampon.

During the film’s premiere night on Monday, the actress managed to stay in her seat and not skip the screening, as in her past habit, because she was accompanied by her husband.

“It’s my first time to stay and watch myself. Hindi ako nakatakas. Wala akong takas kasi katabi ko asawa (Norman Crisologo) ko. Sabi niya, ‘wag kang umalis, dito ka lang, hinawakan ako, and he said, you should watch yourself and you should be proud of yourself.”

In a previous interview with The STAR, the actress admitted never watching herself on screen. Her explanation then was, “I’m a nitpicker eh so parang… I feel bad, I don’t… I had a body dysmorphia thing. And so, you know, I just stay away from it. It’s really hard to explain. No, I’m not a perfectionist ‘cause I’m very… trusting. I just don’t really like to watch myself. I get conscious talaga.”

But during the post-premiere press interview, after finally seeing her onscreen performance in its entirety, she admitted, “Oh my god, ang dami kong nakita na gusto kong ayusin, sa totoo lang,” but was quick to add her realization that “I guess, that’s how we grow as an artist. We try to see ano pa pwedeng gawin at ayusin sa sarili natin. I realize that it’s an art film and art shouldn’t be understood and I should let go and be judged by how the film goes.

“But for me, I believe it’s a beautiful film. It’s not only horror, it’s an artsy film and I’m very proud that we’re also part of a festival in Portugal and there will be more festivals to come.”

With her acting in Kampon, also stylized as (K)Ampon, whether she likes it or not, Beauty can very well stake a claim as the next horror queen. Besides Kampon, the actress who currently stars in the GMA thriller drama Stolen Life is also part of Prime Video’s folk horror movie In My Mother’s Skin and Ten17P’s upcoming psychological horror The Outside.

The actress as Eileen shares a scene with Erin Espiritu in the role of a mysterious child who suddenly appears at the couple’s doorstep.

“I would love to have that but I have to prove myself pa more. But it’s nice to be called one. And horror is really hard to do because when it’s a drama for TV, you already know where you’re going to and where you’re coming from,” Beauty said. 

“When you’re doing a movie… and you’re doing horror pa, you have to be imaginative and kailangan out of the box talaga. All your insecurities and (issues) sa sarili mo, you should actually get rid of them because you have to have a sincere and honest reaction to it.

“As what you can see, my acting here is very slow… I really wanna differentiate it from what I’m doing on TV and in other films. So, medyo slow-burn. Horror is really hard for me but I love doing it because it really pushes me.”

Beauty Gonzalez on being called the new horror queen: ‘I would love to have that but I have to prove myself more.’

In previous interviews, she said winning an acting award for her work is a dream of hers, of course. “I’ll be sarcastic naman and lying to you na hindi ko pinapangarap yun ‘cause dreams are free naman,” she previously told us. “But I’m just really happy and lucky to be part of this year’s line-up. It’s nice. Nakakatuwa. But I’m really nervous.”

When the Best Actress prospects were raised anew during the premiere by no less than her co-star Derek Ramsay, she reacted, “Don’t do that, I was telling him, nahihiya ako, but thank you so much. Andaming magagaling and magaling na pelikula. To be considered if ever as one with Marian (Rivera), Sharon (Cuneta) and everyone, wow, it’s amazing, kung manalo man ako, lahat ng mura ng Bisaya sasabihin ko talaga, hahaha!

“But bonus na yun. This is more than a Christmas gift for me to be part of this festival — to experience it and just create more films.”

In Kampon, Beauty plays Eileen, a woman desperate to be a mom, owing in part to pressure coming from peers and even family members. She’s married to a former police officer Clark, played by Derek in his big-screen comeback after five years. Suddenly, a child (Erin Espiritu) appears at their doorstep claiming to be Clark’s daughter and Eileen begins to see her as the answer to her prayers.

“They’re trying to have a family but they weren’t blessed with a child. And here comes this child. She’s trying to fix the problem that she couldn’t fix by covering it up with accepting this child and that’s where the troubles begin.”

“So, I guess, Eileen should learn to love herself first,” she added.

Besides the horror story, she also noted that “it’s the acting between me and Derek that everybody should watch also.”

“It’s a family drama and also the kid is amazing,” Beauty continued, likening Erin to the titular child character in her former ABS-CBN series Ningning. “She will be like the next Ningning in my eyes. She’s very talented.”

Kampon became one of the first four entries that secured a slot in the annual film festival on the merit of the script alone. The role of Eileen was reportedly for Kris Aquino originally, but as one press member said, it ended up being “meant” for Beauty.

“We got approved (for the MMFF) right away. I was so shocked, I was so happy. The script is really beautiful. It was a four-year-old script. It went to many artistas, and then finally it landed to me. I’m thankful to Atty. Joji (Alonso, producer) for trusting me with this project and also to my manager (Aguila Entertainment) for always believing in me,” she said. 

“Natapos namin siya na sa awa ng Diyos, thank you Lord, wala kaming aberya. We finished it on time and we did it.”

One thing is for sure, she takes great pride in being included in MMFF’s film roster, which expanded to 10 entries this 2023 from the usual eight in previous years.

“Nakakatuwa kasi ang daming choices. Sana makabangon na yung Philippine cinema, you know? That’s what I’m praying for and sana lahat ng films kumikita ‘cause it’s gonna be a tight competition,” she said, reiterating, “I’m just so lucky to be part of it because you have Sharon Cuneta, Vilma Santos, Alessandra de Rossi, Marian Rivera, and then biglang may Beauty Gonzalez.

“I mean, I’m already happy with that. I’ve been part of the MMFF before but I was always like supporting (actor). This is my first full-length lead role so I’m all out for all the promotions really. I said, I’m not gonna be tired because it’s gonna be an iconic experience. Grabe yung pressure ‘day! (laughs),” Beauty expressed in Cebuano. 

Given an R-13 rating by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), Kampon is directed by King Palisoc from the script of Dodo Dayao, and produced by lawyer-turned-producer Joji Alonso’s Quantum Films. It also stars Nico Antonio, Zeinab Harake, Nor Domingo, among others.