Gabby Padilla on what makes an indie project worthwhile
Gabby Padilla
I’m super open to doing mainstream,” said actress Gabby Padilla, who is part of quite a number of critically acclaimed, independently produced Filipino films.
“I’m open to anything. Of course, I also want to try mainstream like doing a teleserye. It’s just that as of now, the projects that land in my lap and those that actually push through are mostly indie,” she told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview.
Gabby’s most recent film is Jopy Arnaldo’s Cinemalaya entry, titled “Gitling.” She is also part of projects such as “Marupok AF,” “Ngayon Kaya,” “Billie and Emma,” “Dead Kids,” “Kalel, 15,” “Eerie” and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.”
“It’s important that the material is good. It also has to be by a team that I trust, since we will work with each other; if it’s a team that shares the same values and vision,” said Gabby of what she considers prior to accepting a project.
After the release of “Gitling,” where Gabby plays lead alongside Japanese actor Ken Yamamura, she is now working on another indie project by US-based director Allan Brocka titled “Love and Lockdown.”
In the film, a Canadian trans man reluctantly returns to the Philippines with his British-Indian girlfriend for a quick trip to correct his passport. The COVID-19 lockdown traps them in the small village where he was born, forcing him to confront his family, his past and himself.
“I play Valeria, the epal (attention whore) cousin of the lead character, Danny, in this family dramedy. The dynamics of a Filipino family is presented in the story—everybody is included, everybody has an opinion. It’s a happy and good thing because, in the end, you will see that what brings us all together is the love and genuine concern for Danny,” Gabby explained.
She talked about what it was like to work with Allan, who is a nephew of the late National Artist for Film Lino Brocka. “His process is different, especially his manner of shooting. He has this system that’s very uniform—he would first get full coverage of a scene and then get a lot of closeups. Also, the number of scenes to shoot in a day is minimal. It’s not like how we do it here where we shoot a minimum of 17 scenes each day. He really spends time to ensure the good quality of all the scenes,” Gabby observed.
Memorable co-actors
Gabby, who took up theater arts in college and has been acting on stage for years, said she has always been a fan of actress Shamaine Buencamino. “I’ve seen her on stage and on screen, and every time wala talagang tapon. She is also such a sweet, kind and genuine human being,” said Gabby. “The same goes for Ate Dolly [de Leon]. I’ve worked with her in ‘Billie and Emma,’ and now that she has achieved new heights internationally, she hasn’t changed. She is very kind, talented and generous.”
Gabby said she had to work closely with Maris Racal in “Marupok AF” and they’ve become good friends since. “It was fun, especially since it’s my first time working with her. We played best friends there, so we had to have chemistry and history. Because she is such an open and warm person, we really got to know each other in between takes. She made it so easy for me to develop a friendship with her that even off-screen and after we shot the film, we’ve remained friends and hang out a lot.”
Working with Tokyo-based actor Ken in “Gitling” was also memorable for Gabby. “We were so lucky that he was a part of the film. He flew here to work on the film. We shot in Bacolod. It’s such a nice experience to work with an international actor because he was able to bring something different to the table. He was also able to enjoy his time here in the Philippines so much that he wants to come back really soon.” INQ
