Kaila Estrada. Images: Instagram/@kailaestrada, YouTube/ABS-CBN Entertainment
“Can’t Buy Me Love” co-director Mae Cruz-Alviar was all praises for Kaila Estrada, saying the young actress pulled off her forest confrontation scene in just one take.
One of the highlights of “Can’t Buy Me Love” showed Estrada’s character Bettina is revealed to be the killer of Caroline Tiu’s (Belle Mariano) mother in the penultimate confrontation scene in a forest, where she was able to show her dramatic chops. The scene became viral on social media and she received plaudits from viewers.
Days after the finale was aired, Cruz-Alviar told reporters on the sidelines of the Box Office Entertainment Awards that while filming the confrontation scene was tedious, Estrada appeared to have understood her assignment well as she was able to finish her scene in a single take.
“Mahaba ang buong gubat [scene] pero ‘yung confrontation, tuloy-tuloy lang ‘yun. Halos isang take lang siya kasi binigay niya ang lahat niya. Maganda naman ang performance niya. Buong puso niyang binigay. One take lang ‘yun halos,” she said. “There’s a motivation for her being the main villain.”
(The forest scene was long to film, but the confrontation kept going. It almost lasted for one take because she gave her all. Her performance was beautiful. She put her whole heart into it. It almost lasted for a single take.)
When asked to expound on Estrada’s performance, the filmmaker said she and the production were “sure” that the actress would pull it off without a hitch.
“Sure na kami d’un. Walang tapon sa cast. And kahit sinong maging killer, sure kami na mapapanindigan nila ‘yun and mabigyan ng justice. But Kaila, kapag nakikita ko [siya], [isa siya] sa next generation of superstars,” she said.
(We were sure about it. Everyone is really good in the cast. And whoever will be the killer, we’re sure that they can pull it off and would give justice to it. But Kaila, when I see her, she’s one of the next generation of superstars.)
Cruz-Alviar noted that “everyone was an obvious suspect,” but they took time to choose the eventual killer since they wanted someone who could “surprise the audience.”
“Everyone was an obvious suspect. We wanted something that could really surprise the audience and we’re happy that we achieved that,” she said. “We wanted to keep it under wraps because, in fact, we even have NDAs for the stars, staff, and anyone who was there on the set. We wanted to keep it a secret and a surprise.”
READ: Belle Mariano, Kaila Estrada say their friendship is ‘for life’
On working with DonBelle
Cruz-Alviar also shared that she “loved” working with the show’s leads, Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, throughout “Can’t Buy Me Love’s” run since both are “very passionate” with their work.
“I love them. Napakapassionate nila sa work. Grabe ang dedication nila sa craft. Ang sarap nilang katrabaho kasi minamahal nila ang trabaho nila at nirerespeto nila ang katrabaho nila,” she said.
(I love them. They’re very passionate about their work. Their dedication to their craft is worth praising. They’re fun to work with because they love their job and respect their co-workers.)
When asked if she wanted to work with them again, Cruz-Alviar immediately responded with an “Oh, yeah!”
Estrada has been gaining praise for her acting performances in “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Linlang,” with netizens saying she’s more than her celebrity parents John Estrada and Janice de Belen.
“Can’t Buy Me Love,” which starred Pangilinan, Mariano, and Estrada, aired its finale episode earlier this month. The series starred Anthony Jennings, Maris Racal, Albie Casiño, Rowell Santiago, Agot Isidro, Joao Costancia, Ruffa Gutierrez, Nova Villa, and Ina Raymundo, just to name a few. It was directed by Cruz-Alviar, Cathy Garcia-Sampana, Ian Loreños, Henry King Quitain, Petersen Vargas, and Raymund Ocampo.
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