‘Daring’ projects a ‘turning point’ for Jasmine Curtis-Smith

FROM LEFT: Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Piolo Pascual, and John Lloyd Cruz

“He is the type of actor you would want to test your limits with,” said actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith when asked what it was like to have shot a movie with John Lloyd Cruz (JLC) that contains “daring scenes” that she wouldn’t have allowed herself to do “if not for the project.”

The film, with the working title “Money Slumber,” was directed by Bor Ocampo and written by Jason Paul Laxamana, with John Lloyd as coproducer and a member of the creative team. It wrapped up shooting in July.

“Yes, there were a lot of daring scenes, as well as scenes I’ve never done before — those that I feel I would never allow myself to do, except for this project. With JLC, you always want to try to measure up to his being a good actor, or at least to try to level up as an actor — if you’re any good at it,” she told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent interview.

Asked what she ended up discovering about herself after this particular project, Jasmine said: “That I’m growing as an artist. Other actors would understand this: there were moments when we feel stagnant because we don’t have acting projects. It’s only after doing one would you see that there’s growth, definitely.”

She continued: “JLC has a lot of creative input in this film. I’m not allowed to tell you much about the story, except that it’s all about how we handle and spend money. And the intimate scenes with JLC, kaabang-abang siya. That’s all I’ll say.”

‘Very mature’ character

Jasmine also has an unreleased film titled “Real Life Fiction,” with Piolo Pascual as her leading man. On the psychological thriller directed by Paul Soriano, she said: “It’s not ‘Inception,’ but it’s also a story within a story. It’s about two artists who are creating a story. Confusing subplots and twists are added to confuse viewers, who will have to figure out what’s real and what’s not.”

Jasmine admitted to have had a hard time with her character because “she is very mature, as well as her story. In real life, I’ve never experienced any of the things that she went through.”

While Jasmine was John Lloyd’s first choice as main cast for “Money Slumber,” the actress said she has always been Paul’s “muse.”

She explained: “‘Real Life Fiction’ is already my fourth project with Direk Paul. I’d like to say I’m his muse in his films. He directed me and Jericho (Rosales) in ‘Siargao.’ He also produced ‘Transient’ and ‘Alter Me.’ I’m hoping to work on more projects with him.”

Meanwhile, she described Piolo as “a great leading man. Just like JLC, the way he took care of me, as his leading lady, felt like, ‘Wow! Ang ganda mo!’ These men didn’t have to do it because I feel that Piolo and JLC are way above my tier when it comes to this industry. I think that’s their way of showing respect, not only because I’m their leading lady, but also because they have genuine respect for my body of work. That’s also how I feel about them.”

The actress added: “While working with them, I needed to fight the feeling of being starstruck, the thinking that these guys are the crème de la crème and that I don’t deserve to be paired with them — that it should’ve been my sister (Anne Curtis) or Bea Alonzo, or someone more superior. It’s such a turning point for me to be treated like this by these men, especially since there are a lot of other actresses who are dying to be paired with them in any project.”

Meanwhile, Jasmine attended a recent event organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) with her longtime boyfriend Jeff Ortega.

“It’s nice to attend an event where the two of us are invited,” she pointed out, being that Jeff is the regional director of the Department of Tourism in Ilocos province and that the FDCP has an ongoing film tourism project.

Tying the knot?

Jasmine then denied reports that she broke up with Jeff at some point in their seven-year relationship. She also explained why in previous media gatherings, she refused to talk about the rumored breakup.

“At the time, I wasn’t in a good place. I wasn’t ready to share. Ever since, I’ve been very open and honest to the press,” she declared. “I might be going through something emotionally at the time and was afraid that what I’d say would only lead to the wrong interpretation. This was because even before I got interviewed, stories were already published about the issue. I didn’t want to make the situation worse.”

“We never broke up,” she declared. “If I break up with someone, then that’s it! No more turning back.”

On whether she and Jeff are already making plans to tie the knot soon, she said: “Definitely. We’ve been talking about this early on in the relationship. This is because when we invest our time and emotions on someone, we both wish that it’s for something good. Everything we went through — our fights, our happy moments, how we support each other in our respective careers — we all put that into consideration.”

The 28-year-old added: “We’re like an old couple. That’s why I don’t think you’d feel surprised anymore if ever we’d announce the date… para na rin kasi kaming gan’on.”

As to her dream wedding, Jasmine said: “When we were younger, I used to imagine getting married on the beach, with the sand and the sunset playing important parts in the whole thing. These days, I don’t imagine anymore. We just want a happy celebration with our respective families. They are our priority, especially our dads, because they’re already in their late 70s. We want to make sure that traveling will not be such a hassle to them.”

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