Piolo Pascual excited to meet Meryl Streep

PIOLO Pascual, star of “Hele,” wants to have dinner with jury president Meryl Streep

Piolo Pascual is not afraid to admit that he fought for his latest film, Lav Diaz’s eight-hour epic, “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis.” “Star Cinema didn’t want to allow us,” he told the Inquirer in an exclusive interview. The film costars John Lloyd Cruz, another prized talent of Star Cinema, the movie arm of ABS-CBN, which is also Pascual’s home studio.

The studio’s reasoning was that if Cruz and Pascual were to make a movie together, it should be under Star Cinema. “That was how Star Cinema got on board,” he explained. (Charo and Malou Santos of Star Cinema are listed as executive producers, and “Hele” will be distributed locally by Star Cinema.)

“Thing is, this film goes beyond us,” he pointed out. “I would’ve felt bad if somebody else got the part. I really wanted to do it, and I refused to give it up just because of my contractual obligation.”

That is why he felt “vindicated” that “Hele” made it as part of the main competition of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), to be held in Germany from Feb. 11 to 21.

“I asked permission [from the  studio] as early as now if I could attend the fest,” he said. “I hope they allow us—after all, we aren’t just representing the film; we are carrying the nation’s flag.”

Pascual, who previously attended the Cannes Film Festival (for “Manila” in 2009 and “On the Job” in 2013), is looking forward to attend the Berlinale, which will have Oscar winner Meryl Streep as president of the jury.

Perhaps he could score a selfie with La Streep, as well? “Just to see the stars up close would be great,” he quipped. “I heard there is a dinner with the delegates of the films and the jury members.”

Apart from the chance to hobnob with A-list celebrities, being part of “Hele” is “a reward in itself,” as far as Pascual is concerned.

For starters, shooting in Lake Bulusan in Sorsogon was unforgettable, he recalled. “It wasn’t work for us,” he recounted. “We didn’t want to leave the place! It was like traveling back in time.”

As an actor, he admitted, the place helped him get into character in a jiffy. “We were ‘set up’ already. All the tools we needed as actors were there,” he clarified.

It was total “immersion,” in more ways than one. “We didn’t have a tent, a standby area. You could sit anywhere you wanted. Bahala ka (It’s up to you.). If there was a poisonous snake in the forest, [that was part of] the risk. But it was a great feeling to immerse yourself in the atmosphere.”

He confessed that Diaz’s “collaborative” directing style proved to be “challenging.” Since Diaz gave his actors total freedom, Pascual felt pressured “to live up to the director’s expectations.”

He constantly asked himself: “Will you act dumb or focus on your character?” He prepared himself by rereading Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.” (He portrays Ibarra/Simoun of “Noli” and “El Fili.”)

“Last time I read those books was in high school,” he volunteered. “I never thought I’d get to express Rizal’s words and ideas onscreen.”

Working with Cruz was also an “experience,” he said. “Lloydie is one of the best actors of our time. So, what’s left for me to do? Should I try to compete and upstage him, or should I simply be a team player? At the end of the day, this film is beyond us—it’s bigger than any of us.”

Savor the experience

He remembers one scene, shot while they were crossing the lake in a boat, in the middle of the night. “It was completely dark! And Lloydie said he didn’t know how to swim,” he related.

Instead of getting scared, it made them savor the experience all the more.

“We kept in mind that we had to do well in the first take because direk Lav usually uses Take One,” he said.

One day, he had to memorize eight pages of dialogue in a scene that ran for 17 minutes. “It was like going back to my roots in theater. I started in Teatro Tomasino in college.”

All in all, “Hele” helped him grow as a thespian. “It made me respect my craft even more. A film is bigger than any actor. You are just one part of a bigger whole,” he said.

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