Dolly de Leon on embracing celebrity status

Dolly de Leon —DOLLY DE LEON/ INSTAGRAM

Golden Globe nominee Dolly de Leon, who recently inked a talent management deal with CreaZion Studios, said she did so because the company is one with her goal of “wanting to improve how things are done” in local show biz.

“Isn’t it that when you throw a stone in the river, it creates ripples? If we practice a certain way, then hopefully, other people will follow suit,” Dolly told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview. She also said that, for starters, she intended to “stay away from formula and instead create new stories, come up with fresh ideas.”

The star of Swedish director Ruben Ostlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” said she is also determined to show respect to artists for what they believe in, and not step on the “small people” and treat them equally. She said, “Both CreaZion and I agree and believe in that,” she pointed out. “We believe that film and TV workers shouldn’t be overworked, that we should first set our working hours and abide by them.”

When we asked if she doesn’t think the goals she has set were far too ideal, Dolly replied: “CreaZion also produces its own content. They’re setting a standard in their own company. There’s also this theory called the butterfly effect or the idea that a small change can affect even the most complex systems.

“I can’t go around talking about the Eddie Garcia bill if I don’t practice it myself and if I associate myself with people who tend to abuse smaller people. Ours is a good fit. CreaZion don’t just look at me as a number or as a brand, but as a person.”

Another thing that she and the company agreed on was the kind of endorsement deals to accept. “I will never endorse something that I don’t personally use. I first have to believe in the brand. They trust me and respect me for my decision. I can say ‘no’ and it’s fine with them. They don’t force things. Sometimes they send samples, but they wait for a period of time so I can try the product first,” she explained.

Understanding business side

Dolly has definitely embraced the business side of being an actor and celebrity, she said. “Yes, I’ve accepted the fact that it’s now part of the work that I do. You know the kind of roles I’ve played in the past—I never cared about the business aspect of it. What was important for me then was that I had work. Today, I sort of have a better understanding of how things work,” she stressed. “I’ve realized that it’s a huge machine, that I’m only a small part of it. But in order for us to work efficiently, we have to know what’s going on with the whole machine.”

In control

Having said that, Dolly still insisted on having full control and independence when it comes to her online presence. “I’m still the one in control of my social media accounts. For me, that’s still my space. I don’t need someone to curate it for me because I’m very capable of discerning whether or not my posts come off as offensive or out of place.”

Dolly said the talent management deal with CreaZion Studios, headed by indie filmmaker RJ Agustin, came through after a meeting she had with the team for a possible TV series. “When they learned that no one was handling my career at the time, they started pitching the idea to me. I said I’d think about it first. When I returned from the United States to promote ‘A Very Good Girl,’ I finally said I wanted to work with them.”

If schedules pushed through, Dolly is supposed to be in Munich, Germany, at the moment, working on the second series of the Prime Video series “Nine Perfect Strangers” with Nicole Kidman in the lead. Meanwhile, RJ explained that CreaZion was first formed in 2018, “But we had to postpone the launch until 2023 because we felt that the timing wasn’t right. We shall be focusing on film and TV productions, and global distribution of not just Filipino productions, but also those from other Southeast Asian countries,” he declared.

CreaZion also handles the careers of over 10 talents, including Chai Fonacier, who is part of the critically acclaimed horror-thriller “Nocebo.” RJ added: “We really want to take care of them. Their goal to penetrate the Southeast Asian market is aligned with ours.” CreaZion also has a digital marketing arm and an online magazine called Zeen.