An all-important scene between De Guzman (left) and Imperial in “3 Days 2 Nights in Poblacion” —PHOTO COURTESY OF BLACK CAP PICTURES
Actress Barbie Imperial didn’t just act alongside former boyfriend JM de Guzman in the romantic comedy “3 Days 2 Nights in Poblacion,” she had to kiss him, too, and this took quite a lot of convincing, revealed director RC delos Reyes.
“The kiss is an important part of the story. Barbie knew this early on because it was included in the script. She was hesitant in the beginning. I guess she felt it was too personal. She even said, ‘Direk, puwede bang wala?’” RC told Inquirer Entertainment shortly after the special screening at the Century City Mall in Makati City.
The film follows the adventures of two best friends, Charlie (Barbie) and Gabbi (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), who grew up in a small provincial town and reunite after five years of being apart. To rekindle their friendship, they spend three days and two nights on the party streets of Poblacion before Gabbi finally flies to Canada and lives there. What they hoped to be a fun weekend is made complicated with the arrival of Javi (JM de Guzman) and the unraveling of secrets from their shared past. ‘Romantic pull’
“This is a very special film because we made my muses in Ten17 P, who is Jasmine (“Alter Me,” “Siargao”), and in Mavx Productions, who is Barbie (“I Love Lizzy”), work together in one project. We also thought JM was perfect for the role because, somehow, he and Barbie still have this romantic pull. This is aside from their history as a real-life couple,” explained RC, who also cowrote the story with Jules Katanyag. RC said he personally asked Barbie’s permission to get JM as cast member. “I guess she was already aware of what projects JM has been doing in the years since they broke up. She must have kept track of his progress because I didn’t have a hard time convincing her. I guess more than their history, she also thinks JM is a good actor, and so she wanted to work with him again,” RC explained.
‘Spark’
“What really took a lot of convincing was the kissing scene. I told her it’s just a one-time thing. On the set, before agreeing to it, she took one deep breath and said, ‘Direk, we will only do this once, OK?’ That was it, but the kiss had a spark. Even Jasmine said she was pleased with what she saw,” the director recalled.
Asked what it was like working with his hand-picked cast, RC said: “JM and Barbie are exact opposites. JM is very quiet. It’s like he has a world of his own, but he transforms when he is in front of the camera. Barbie is the boisterous type, while Jasmine is everyone’s big sister. The challenge was how to make Barbie and Jasmine look like they’re best friends. It was good that the two were committed to their roles,” he said. RC had to discuss with Barbie how to make sure her portrayal of Charlie is different from what the audience saw in “I Love Lizzy.” He explained: “Lizzy is a known boozer in their province, while Charlie is a lot more cosmopolitan in her ways. Charlie grew tired of her provincial life and went to the city, only to end up feeling jaded. Her dreams and personal goals changed after meeting this man who didn’t take her seriously. Since Barbie is a natural in front of the camera, she was able to pull this off. There was no awkwardness in her scenes with JM. They actually joked around a lot.”
READ: Barbie Imperial’s ‘crucial moment’ after breakup with Diego Loyzaga
The film also features Kakai Bautista, Mercedes Cabral and Lady Morgana, a contestant in the first season of “Drag Race Philippines.”
RC said the film is very personal to him, as well. “It was so personal that I learned how to drink alcohol. Jules and I did immersion in Poblacion. This was because my producers, who asked me to pitch to them in 2022, wanted to make a friendship movie,” he began. “This one attempts to say that true friends, no matter how grown up you’ve all become, will stay with you. However, there are also people who will simply pass through your life to teach you a lesson, like JM’s character. This tells you that you don’t need a lot of friends, only a few will stay,” he pointed out.
Important element
Poblacion is also an important element in the film. “I’m from Mandaluyong City. Growing up, I viewed Makati as a place to fulfill your ambitions and dreams. I really wanted to turn Makati into a movie set. When we did our immersion, I thought, ‘So this is what Poblacion is like!’ I love its culture, food and the crowd, who I think are very different from the ones partying in BGC (Taguig City) and Morato (Quezon City). The crowd in Poblacion is the in-between. They’re hipsters. They’re neither super rich nor super jologs. They’re still very much grounded.”
“3 Days 2 Nights in Poblacion,” produced by Black Cap Pictures, will be screened in cinemas nationwide starting March 13.