Cherry Pie Picache
“I’m not saying I don’t feel hurt, I just know that it’s part of the job,” declared actress Cherry Pie Picache of online/verbal bashing that she said inevitably comes with playing lead in controversial movies, like Joel Lamangan’s “Oras de Peligro.”
The historical drama, which begins its commercial screenings nationwide today, is in a head-on battle at the box office with another locally produced film related to the same subject matter, Darryl Yap’s “Martyr or Murderer.” Supporters of both projects are actively engaged in an online tussle as to which film deserves to be seen by local moviegoers and whether producers intentionally set their film’s screening date to March 1 to ensure a face-off between the two productions.
“They’ve always been there,” said Picache as a way to describe her bashers. “I won’t say I don’t feel hurt, especially when they get really personal and talk about my late mother because they don’t know a thing about what happened to her. It’s just that I’ve come to accept that bashers will never go away. Those who know me are aware that I always stand for what I believe in and I don’t mince words. It’s just that if it’s a matter that doesn’t help me improve my life, I choose to ignore it. It’s that simple—block, delete and move on.”
Film within a film
“Oras de Peligro” attempts to present the events that happened on the four days leading to the Edsa Revolution in 1986 that eventually overthrew the government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Picache is Beatriz, whose husband Dario (Allen Dizon) is murdered by a corrupt and abusive policeman. Because of the incident, her family turns from passive victims of social injustice into active participants in the final hours of the uprising.
“It’s a film within a film. You will see real footage of incidents during the Edsa revolt. Beatriz’s family is only one of the many who experienced hard times. According to Direk Joel, they are composite characters of different people we know,” Picache told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent Zoom interview. Even Picache has personal experiences to share of how involved she was as a teenager at the time. “I was just 16 then. My family went to Edsa. We were all situated along Annapolis in Greenhills. We answered the call of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin for everyone to go out and march to Edsa. I witnessed the time when people were giving rosaries and bread to soldiers,” she recalled.
When asked why she felt this particular film is important and worth all the trouble she’s getting from bashers, Picache explained: “It’s very timely. It reflects the things I really believe in. It’s a campaign against disinformation and fake news. I said, nagtugma ang lahat. Although, to be honest, I still had to think if it was really OK before saying ‘yes,’ especially since I was very active during the 2022 presidential campaign.”
Also, Picache said Beatriz is very different from the mother roles she did for TV. “What’s good about her is that, while she is also a mother, this is not the highlight of the movie. I also got to read the script by Boni Ilagan and Eric Ramos and found it to be very beautiful. That’s actually my first consideration. I also missed working with Direk Joel. I haven’t done a film in a long time since most projects offered to me lately were mother roles, something that I’m already doing for TV.”
“Oras de Peligro” is by Bagong Siklab Productions.
Role in ‘Batang Quiapo’
Speaking of TV work, Picache plays Marites, the mother of Tanggol, the character Coco Martin plays in the new action-drama series, “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”“She is a loving mom, but at the same time, she would do everything for her husband Rigor (John Estrada). There are so many things that the audience will have to look forward to about Marites in terms of her relationship with the people around her,” Picache said.
“There’s her relationship with her own mother, Tindeng (Charo Santos-Concio), as well as with Rigor, and more importantly, with Tanggol. It’s already revealed in the series that she got pregnant with Tanggol after Ramon (Christopher de Leon) raped her. People should watch out for that connection, too,” she declared. Her character is closely connected to the protagonist of the series. Is she prepared to work on the show for many years if ever the program would air as long as its predecessor, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano”?
“I’m prepared to stay for 10 years,” Picache said, laughing. “It would be nice if our show indeed runs that long. I just hope that the people who showed love and support to ‘Ang Probinsyano’ will also do the same for our program. ‘Batang Quiapo’ is rich with stories that reflect not only the lives of those who live in Quiapo or in Manila, but also of the Filipino culture.”