For Alessandra de Rossi, ‘one take’ is all it takes

Alessandra de Rossi (right) with Euwenn Mikaell —GMA PICTURES

Working with Alessandra de Rossi means rarely needing more than one take to nail a scene.

This is one of the reasons acclaimed director Zig Dulay has such a high regard for the actress—the standard to which he holds other artists.

“She only needs one take most of the time—sold na ’ko. Sometimes, I do additional takes for safety, or baka may iba pa siyang pwedeng ibigay … But even if we do end up doing multiple takes, it’s the first one I would still end up using,” Zig said over lunch with reporters for the upcoming film “Firefly,” which recently made the lineup of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Some actors are like diesel that need warming up before they give their best. Alessandra goes “from zero to 100,” Zig said. But the actress isn’t exactly sure how she does it.

“But the thing is, I can’t repeat what I have already given—it’s hard to replicate the emotions,” Alessandra said. “The emotions are there when I need them. Bigla na lang darating. I’m like, ‘OK, ito na pala ’yun.’ And I don’t know what makes them come out. But they come out fast. I’m quick to get in and out of character when needed.”

And having worked with Alessandra multiple times in the past, Zig has observed that the actress doesn’t try to wrestle with her emotions. She lets them take her on a ride—even if she ends up in a destination different from what was originally intended.

“Her talent comes out even if she doesn’t plan to. She brings you into the realism of the emotion. When you watch her act, you can see that she’s headed toward a certain place. But somewhere in the middle, she ends up falling and draws you in … And I can see that she doesn’t intend to do it that way—doon lang talaga s’ya dinala ng emotions,” Zig said.

“And that’s something I look for in other actors,” added Zig, who has worked with Alessandra in television projects like GMA 7’s “Wagas” and the acclaimed 2015 indie film “Bambanti.”

‘Slice of life’

While some people equate histrionics with great acting, Alessandra makes a case for subtle and more nuanced portrayals. “I just want something that’s close to reality—something out of a slice of life,” said Alessandra, who has won two acting awards from both the Famas (for “Watch List” and “Azucena”) and Gaward Urian (“Watch List” and “Sta. Niña”).

“It can be hard editing her scenes, because, sometimes, Alex’s quiet moments, the way she just stares, are so effective,” Zig said.

But more than its effectiveness or potency, Alessandra’s style of acting—as it turned out—is also beneficial to her health and well-being. Years of doing melodrama series, and playing villains, she said, did a number on her.

“Sumasama ang pakiramdam ko because I’m always angry when I don’t really get angry in real life … You’re always stressed. And it’s always inside you. I had hyperacidity, palpitations and sore throat from all the shouting. And it was happening like every other day for years. ‘Ayoko ng ganito,’ I thought,” Alessandra related.

“When my character died in ‘Through Night and Day’ (drama movie), it’s as if my body died as well. I feel like it’s real when it shouldn’t,” she added.

But after quitting the teleserye grind and focusing on films, things have gotten much better for her, health-wise. “They (the symptoms) all went away!” Alex said.

Most of her recent projects have been romantic comedies like “Walang KaParis” and “What If.” But make no mistake: She still can do drama. But her days of doing caricature characters and soap opera villains are over.

Meaningful projects

And no regrets. After all, she has long achieved what she set out to do when she first entered show biz.

“I had no ambitions that I wanted to become famous—it wasn’t part of my plans. I just wanted to see myself on television and say, ‘That’s me!’ When that happened, I was all good. And I couldn’t ask for anything else,” said the 39-year-old actress, who hopes to do more meaningful projects that are better aligned with her values.

That’s why “Firefly”—a collaboration between GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs—is a suitable vehicle for the type of acting and stories Alessandra wants to do and tell.

The movie follows 10-year-old Tonton (Euwenn Mikaell) and his mother, Elay (Alessandra), who share a passion of telling and reading stories. Using “clues” that he thinks his mother left behind in an old notebook, Tonton embarks on a journey to find a magical island.

This place—as described in his mother’s bedtime stories—is where one can make a wish upon seeing the light of a thousand fireflies. Along the way, he meets three strangers who will either help or hinder him in his quest.

Directed by Zig and written by Angeli Atienza, “Firefly” is a coming-of-age/adventure-road trip drama with touches of magical realism. The story is set in 1999 and told through Tonton’s “rose-colored memories with his mother.”

“When you make a movie, you do it with all your heart. You work hard and believe in it. It’s better if we can have a big audience, and we know that the MMFF has that… It can help us encourage more people to watch our film. And the more children watch it, the closer we get to achieving our purpose,” Zig said. INQ