How Piolo Pascual pulled off multiple characters in horror debut film Mallari

MANILA, Philippines — It’s not true that Piolo Pascual played three different characters in his Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2023 entry, Mallari.

The truth is, he played four.

Without giving any spoilers, the fourth character emerges in what proves to be Piolo’s toughest scene in the period horror-thriller centered around Fr. Severino Mallari, the Philippines’ first documented serial killer.

“The hardest scene for me was when I was talking to myself as Severino Mallari, in scene 71, his shift from being a good parish priest into the killer. That was really what we were watching out for, me and direk, like how we were going to attack it,” he said in response to a STAR question during an interview after the advance special screening on Wednesday.

“So because I had to deal with my own demons to do all of those different demons hanging around him, yun ang pinakamahirap.”

According to Derick Cabrido, the director of Mallari based on a script by Enrico Santos, collaborating with the actor was effortless, yet he noticed Piolo grappling with the challenges in that particular scene.

“It’s the scene that we really prepared for. We knew what when the time came to shoot the scene, it would take us time — hours — to do it,” he said.

True enough, it took them six to eight hours of filming. Kudos are in order for Piolo having nailed that scene and the rest of the film that saw him shifting from one character to another. Distinguishing each main character — Fr. Severino, photojournalist John Rey and doctor Jonathan — while establishing their deep ties to each other, in this story that unfolded in three timelines (1840s, 1940s and 2023), was a tricky and challenging feat.  

Looking back, Piolo said that every time a shooting day wrapped, it brought him immense relief. When the shoot was over, “sabi ni direk, magpagpag daw ako (to get out of the character). Yung pagpag ko mag-rehearsal para sa concert, singer naman ako the next day,” he quipped.

Mallari is Piolo’s horror debut, a marked departure from what could be described as his field of expertise, the romance genre.  

“I grew up on rom-com. Doing three different characters was a bit of a stretch… But I just went full-on and did what I had to do,” he said.

On hindsight, what provided him crucial support was the presence of an acting coach on set.

“One thing I’m grateful for, which they didn’t tell me, coming from a month-long vacation because I really had to prep for the movie... I read the script, didn’t want to pass and upon arriving, the next day, we were shooting already. And that’s the only time I found out that I had an acting coach. Meaning, all the three timelines had to be taken every shooting day,” Piolo recalled. 

“So, very specific, my director was very specific, he knew what he wanted and he would tell my acting coach, Tita Angie Castrence, in every scene, before every scene, we’d study it, we’d backtrack, we had an arc for each character, it was really hard, but it was a blessing we shot it. You might ask, bakit naman dire-diretso at that time because maybe pressed for the deadline but it really worked to our advantage because the vision was there, the director knew what he wanted, the producer gave us everything. Mentorque gave everything that the director and DOP (director of photography) wanted and required.”

In other words, the producers delivered on their promise from the moment Mallari was first pitched to him.

“The first thing I asked, if I may share, when they pitched it was, ‘How much is the production value? What is the production value of the film?’ And it took… hindi naman sky is the limit but sabi nila gagawin nila ‘to.

“And you know, tapping Warner Bros. (as distributor), this and that, it was really hard but it was more than worth it because as an artista, ang sarap gumawa ng ganitong pelikula na kung ano man ang kailangan, ibibigay. So you’ll be proud of it. For me, it was a wonderful experience. Everyone gave their A-game because it’s something really special for all of us and the Philippine cinema for that matter.”

After the advance screening, Piolo was teased about his performance as deserving of a Best Actor award. 

“Hindi po, pang box-office hahaha. Box-office muna bago award,” candidly said Piolo, hoping the reception would be replicated when Mallari opens on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, as part of the annual MMFF. 

“It was more than I expected,” he said of finally seeing the film in its entirety. “I became a spectator. I was watching in awe over everyone’s performance and how everything just came together. It was a showcase, to say the least.”

“I’m just grateful that everyone sat through the film. I was really amazed,” he added.  

Meanwhile, producer John Bryan Diamante of Mentorque Productions was happy to report that they were able to secure more cinemas for the film come opening day. 

“Alam naman namin R-13 kami. That’s also a challenge for us. So talagang we made sure (to talk to theater owners), tingnan niyo naman yung pelikula namin. After watching it, natutuwa kami kasi marami rin nagustuhan kaya dumami ang aming cinemas. So, I think we’re going to start with 100 cinemas on Dec. 25, as of the moment.” 

Mallari also stars Gloria Diaz, JC Santos, Janella Salvador, Elisse Joson and Ron Angeles, among others.