Her heart is in the indies–‘I do them for my spirit’

ALESSANDRA de Rossi in Cannes. Facebook photo

With her usual candor, actress Alessandra de Rossi reveals how she divides her time between independent and mainstream movies.

“My heart is in the indies,” she tells the Inquirer. “My work in the mainstream is for the fans and my bank account.”

Alex values the artistic freedom she experiences in indie films. “There are no restrictions. I do indie films for myself… my spirit.”

She says she had such a soul-enriching experience when she made Auraeus Solito’s “Busong,” an entry in the Directors’ Showcase of Cinemalaya 2011.

She spent eight days in Palawan for the shoot. “I didn’t bring an assistant. I was on my own … Palawan is beautiful. We call it Virgin Island, an undiscovered paradise. I hope we can preserve its beauty.”

In a memorable scene in “Busong,” numerous cocoons were glued on her body as butterflies emerged from them.

Alex recounts: “My call time was 4 a.m. But when I got to the set, the cocoons were about to hatch… so we had to rush and finish the scene.”

Proud of ‘Busong’

Needless to say, she’s proud of “Busong” which brought her to Cannes—it was part of the Directors’ Fortnight last May.

“I was happy to be there, of course,” she relates, “but it hit me only after three days… just how big an event it was. It was great to see foreigners being so appreciative of our movie… they were moved by a story that came from so far away.”

Alex also noticed that foreign reporters were genuinely interested in the craft of filmmaking. They respect filmmakers and are not easily awed by celebrities, she said. “They kept asking Direk Auraeus all sorts of questions and didn’t pay any attention to me. They were interested in the movie, not in the actors’ love life. I’m happy for Direk … he was able to share the stories of his childhood with audiences here and abroad.”

(Solito won best director in Cinemalaya’s Directors’ Showcase category.)

Alex is currently working on another indie film for the Cinema One fest, “Oryang” under filmmaker Sari Dalena, where she will portray yet another strong woman character—an activist who gets pregnant.

Her work in mainstream television continues to flourish as well. She recently rejoined GMA 7, and plays a villainess role in the afternoon soap, “Sinner or Saint.”

She feels right at home in the Kapuso channel, Alex says. “This is where I grew up. GMA 7 people know me very well. They know when I’m not feeling great or when I’m too tired. The staff of ABS-CBN was also nice, but GMA 7 is where I belong.”