Rhian-Piolo’s ‘daring’ film closes Cinemalaya

Rhian Ramos, who took on her most daring role so far in the psychological thriller “Silong,” said she was glad she did the film with Piolo Pascual, whom she described as “a love-scene veteran.”

“I felt so stressed because of the sexy scenes. If those sequences turned out well, it’s because of Piolo. I needed help and he gave it to me,” Ramos said. “He’s such a gentleman. After each take, he was the first to cover me up with a blanket. It required a lot of courage. On the day of the shoot, I asked for a bottle of wine.”

Rhian said the love scenes were important “to show how passionate the characters are… They weren’t added just to make the film commercial.”

Not sexy

Piolo added: “We don’t want to sell it as a sexy film; it’s not.”

“Silong” is a film by Jeffrey Hidalgo and Roy Magsaysay Ho. Piolo’s character Miguel, a reclusive doctor, will find a mysterious woman (Rhian) injured and bloodied in the middle of a road. He later realizes that she is trying to escape from a dark past.

The closing film of this year’s Cinemalaya, “Silong” will premiere Friday night, 9 p.m. at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City.

“Beyond their celebrity [status], Piolo and Rhian are good actors,” said Hidalgo. Ho wrote the screenplay. “It started with a concept from me and (producer) Darlene Catly Malimas. We contacted Roy to write our concept but he came up with something better,” said Hidalgo, who is also a singer.

“It’s nice to do something different,” said Rhian. “Although it was a nerve-wracking experience, I discovered a lot about myself as an actor.”

For Piolo, Rhian “is one of the easiest people to work with. She didn’t complain of the long hours. She’s a trouper.”

He added that the directors, Hidalgo and Ho, were “open to the actors’ suggestions. This is a team effort.”

A commercial release for “Silong” is in the works, said Piolo. “We first want to get the word out. That’s why we set a screening at the Cinemalaya.” Marinel R. Cruz