‘Amorosa’ a challenge for Angel Aquino

ANGEL Aquino: I feel the pressure.

For the most part of her acting career, Angel Aquino has taken on support roles. Now, portraying the title role in Star Cinema and Skylight Films’ coming psychological horror flick, “Amorosa: The Revenge,” Angel faces a different challenge—and she’s daunted.

“This is definitely my biggest break in the industry,” Angel told the Inquirer at a recent media gathering. “I feel so nervous!”

Technically, Angel has played lead roles in the past, as in Adolfo Alix Jr.’s 2006 indie film “Donsol.” But, she noted, starring in a mainstream movie was a whole new ball game for her—like treading uncharted waters.

“It just feels so different—more demanding,” she pointed out. “While we were shooting, it seemed, with every scene, that the pressure was on me.”

To deal with that pressure, the actress-host-model said, director Topel Lee’s advice was for her to “act like you own it.”

“I had to constantly keep in mind that, for this film, the ball was in my hands,” she said.

In “Amorosa,” Angel plays Rosa, whose family is ripped apart by a road accident. Seeking a new beginning, she and her two sons, Rommel (Enrique Gil) and Amiel (Martin del Rosario), decide to manage an old pension house, where she falls victim to a faceless ghost.

“At work, I tried to block out all thoughts of the supernatural. But at times I became so paranoid that I spooked myself,” she said, laughing. “I think it actually helped that I get scared easily. My reactions came out naturally.”

Focus on acting

The 39-year-old stunner has made quite a name in the fields of hosting and modeling. These days, Angel said, her focus is on growing as an actress.

“Acting gives me a different dimension and depth. It keeps me on my toes. There’s no room for complacency,” she said. “This is how I challenge myself. I always make it a point to give more than a hundred percent.”

It’s villainess roles that usually chase her, especially in drama series for television. Most notable so far have been her portrayals of Vera in “Magkaribal” and Victoria in “Maria la del Barrio.”

“I enjoyed those very much because I’m the total opposite in real life. I find doing such roles liberating because I can be mean and bitchy without being guilty,” she said.

Angel hopes, though, that she doesn’t get typecast as contravida. She’s been raring to expand her horizons by taking on grittier characters— “Someone volatile, perhaps,” she said, “the type that just suddenly explodes.”

Loveless

Asked about her love life, Angel revealed that she recently broke up with her non-show biz boyfriend. “That relationship lasted only four months. I guess our personalities just didn’t click … and no, I’m not in a hurry for another romantic relationship!” she said.

(Opening in theaters on Aug. 29, “Amorosa: The Revenge” also stars Empress Schuck, Ejay Falcon, Carlo Aquino and Jane Oineza.)