Piolo Pascual, Jasmine Curtis-Smith take on ‘most mature roles’ in R-rated ‘Real Life Fiction’

MANILA, Philippines — Piolo Pascual and Jasmine Curtis-Smith essay their “most mature roles” yet in the upcoming film, “Real Life Fiction,” directed by Paul Soriano.

Produced by TEN17P, Viva Films, Spring Films and distributed by Black Cap Pictures, the R-rated drama-thriller, which was filmed during the height of the pandemic, delves into the abyss of an actor’s mind as he loses bits of his sense of self after years of being one of the most celebrated personalities in the industry.

Piolo plays Paco, an actor with an illustrious career, who decides to write, direct, and act in a film that will inevitably bring him closer to his own demise before revealing that his truth may be far from what he has become.

Paula, played by Jasmine, comes into play as Paco’s on- and off-screen muse, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s not. The movie sheds light on the psyche and the limits to which actors push themselves and the people around them to find brilliance in madness.

“It was fun. Very fun,” described Jasmine of working with Piolo. She admitted during the presscon of “Real Life Fiction” held last week at SM North EDSA cinema that her character in the flick is her most mature role to date.

“Hope you enjoyed it,” she said with a laugh, referring to the steamy scenes with Piolo.

Piolo also laughed and chimed in, “We had too much fun.”

The movie sheds light on the psyche and the limits to which actors push themselves and the people around them to find brilliance in madness.

One of the takeaways that moviegoers can glean from the film is the importance of self-talk and opening up to another person to improve one’s well-being.

“It’s not abnormal to be talking to yourself. It’s not abnormal to acknowledge and question your thoughts, the things that run in your head. But you also have to have a grasp of reality,” reflected Piolo.

“Because sometimes, if you don’t have a sounding board or wala kang nakakausap, you tend to believe your own thoughts. And you have to talk to someone,” he added.

The actor related this to his character as Paco as someone who “made his life more complicated by choice.”

“So, I guess this is a question of how you’re gonna be with yourself, having to deal with your own demons and where you’re gonna go from there. You’re gonna go this way or that way. For me, it’s reflective. You really have to dig deep into yourself.”

For Jasmine, she described Paula as someone who is committed to the project and her boyfriend. “And in any relationship, you should always know the fine line of your commitment to yourself and to your partner,” she reflected.

“In the same way that you commit to your job and to your real life — whether or not, you’re an artist, you’re an actor, you’re on-screen or off-screen. There’s always that fine line of work and commitments.”

Piolo plays Paco, a celebrated actor who decides to write, direct, and act in a film that will bring him closer to his own demise before revealing that his truth may be far from what he has become.

She stressed how significant it is to set boundaries between work and personal life. “So, self-talk (is also essential) and also look for the people that can support you. If it’s texting yourself, if it’s texting your friend, and if it’s looking yourself in the mirror. And literally saying to yourself what you want to hear, then say it, do it. It might be a little crazy, you might sound weird but honestly, it helps because I feel like I do that nowadays.”

Doing so is vital so that you don’t get lost in your work and career, added Jasmine.

As actors, Piolo and Jasmine acknowledged that sometimes, it’s hard to shake off the characters they’ve portrayed but they find a way to let go of them after filming.

“It happens. It happens all the time. Because of course, there are times when your guard is down. You’re too tired. Your defenses are down. Then you become the character. It’s hard to shake it off because there’s so much emotional investment,” admitted Piolo.

“But at the end of the day, you have to wake up to a new day, and be somebody else. So, those things you know. There are a lot of blurry moments but you have to live with (them) and deal with (them) as much as you can because you don’t have any choice but be the person that people expect you to be.”

Jasmine is Paula, who comes into play as Paco's on- and off-screen muse, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s not.

When Piolo is off-cam, he is just a regular guy. He said, “I guess it’s just because of work that’s why it seems big, larger than life, especially when you watch it on screen or sa movie. But it’s all in a day’s work for me. I don’t carry or bring it home with me.”

“At the end of the day, you shrug it off. You shake it off and then you go home to your family without the cameras. And also, that’s why I limit my exposure. I don’t do my own channel because that’s already your day job. If you’re gonna be hounded by cameras 24/7, you will lose your privacy,” the actor shared.

On the other hand, Jasmine, who has been taping for a year for a GMA show, shared that she can easily separate her role from who she is in real life.

“Because I know, well, No. 1, I’m not married, I don’t have children. So, those are easily distinguished from my life and my role’s life,” she explained.

Echoing what Piolo said earlier about “emotional investment” in a character, the actress confessed that sometimes, it’s difficult to “shape up because your body doesn’t know that it’s not real.”

Jasmine and Piolo share an intense moment onscreen. Off screen, the lead stars say they ‘had too much fun’ working with each other.

“So, sometimes these signals get sent to your brain and then you start to kind of consolidate or create beliefs in yourself that there is some truth to (them),” she added.

Jasmine further cited an example where one might start to feel annoyed and frustrated at a co-actor playing kontrabida but not actually a cruel person in real life. “And that’s because of those emotional investments that you chose to put into your scenes and in your character that create that blurry line in your mind and in your brain.”

“It’s like science that just happens and you have to constantly say, ‘Stop,’ and put yourself into therapy. Let’s say, ‘It’s not you. Hey, let it go. She’s not your kaaway in real life.’”

Nevertheless, it was a breeze for the two filming “Real Life Fiction” during the pandemic lock-in because it’s “close to reality,” Jasmine said.

Along with Piolo and Jasmine, Epy Quizon also stars in “Real Life Fiction” as Paco’s stern yet considerate manager with the special participation of filmmaker Lav Diaz (“Phantosmia”) as the owner of an eclectic pawnshop where Paco finds himself drawn into while searching for his true self.

(“Real Life Fiction” opens on Aug. 28 exclusively at SM Cinemas nationwide. Rated R16 by the MTRCB.)