Elijah Canlas’ dilemma over daring scenes in ‘Livescream’

Elijah Canlas (center) with costars Pheobe Walker (left) and Kat Dovey

Elijah Canlas said his role in Perci Intalan’s sado-thriller “Livescream” is so daring that even his girlfriend, Miles Ocampo, who is an acclaimed actress in her own right, has initially raised concerns about whether or not he should do a lot of the “graphic scenes” in the movie.

“Miles and I had the longest discussion ever with this film as the topic. When I told her about the project, she was super excited at first. But when she read the script with me, she learned about all the graphic scenes I had to do. The first question she asked was, ‘Are these scenes necessary?’ She knows I’m a very capable actor, I guess jealousy as a partner kicked in,” he told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent virtual chat.

“I completely understand her reaction because if I were put in the same position, I would be jealous as well. There’s also the fact that no one will understand our jobs better than each other because we’re in the same line of work. After a couple of days of assuring and explaining, she eventually helped me prepare for the role,” Elijah pointed out.

Gone too far

“Livescream” tells the story of an online influencer named Exo who has gone a bit too far with his prank videos, prompting netizens to cancel him. One day, he wakes up in a cell, with no idea how he got there. At first, he thinks it’s just a prank set up by his girlfriend. But things take a serious turn when a mysterious figure gives him instructions to use a “torture wall” or else his girlfriend and grandmother will suffer. Exo now loses all control of the situation and he’s in for all kinds of physical, sexual and mental abuse—all streamed live!

Elijah said Miles was aware of how tiring it was for him to do the project. He is alone in 70 to 80 percent of the movie, he added. “It wasn’t always easy to detach myself from all the torture scenes I had to shoot. In between takes, I would call her and she would distract me by asking what’s going on. She became my peace. She helped me calm down. Whenever she visits, she would secretly hand me a bar of Snickers or Kitkat. Only Miles knew how tired and hungry I was after every shooting day,” Elijah recalled.

The 22-year-old actor then shared the physical demands of becoming Exo. “I had to work out intensely a month prior to the shoot. I did it every day and even had a coach. Even though I had work or prior commitments, I needed to include the workout session into my schedule. This was because I never had any history of workout in my body. I love playing sports, but I never had cuts in my muscles—that was the goal. I also had a strict diet. I would eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, but when I was already at work, I could only eat ice cubes. Because Exo is so vain as a character, I had to go to that extent,” he pointed out.

“It’s also the first time I played a complete jerk. I know that it’s hard for the audience to root for him as the protagonist of the story, so my goal was to convince them,” he said.

Elijah Canlas

Christian Bale fan

Elijah claimed that Christian Bale is one of his idols and would often follow the latter’s “acting process.” He explained: “I’ve seen all of his films, even ‘Empire of the Sun,’ which he did when he was still young. I’ve always wanted to learn about his process and follow it. He is such a disciplined actor. Like him, I want to treat acting as a craft … as an art form.

Elijah, however, said he does not fully support method acting. “I avoid it as much as possible because it’s not healthy for the actor mentally, and for the production people, it’s such a hassle. I’ve seen documentaries about actors doing method and learned about the bad experiences that happened while they were at work. I avoid this and simply focus on script analysis and character sketches,” explained Elijah, who is best known for “Kalel, 15” where he won acting awards from the Gawad Urian, Famas, Asian Film Festival, Asian Film Festival Rome, and Harlem International Film Festival.

“Aside from the physical manifestations of the character, I also created his backstory. I would sometimes make a slam book, which includes his name, age, birthday, likes, dislikes, zodiac sign and hobbies. I do this even though it’s not needed in the script because I want the character to be whole as a person,” he added.

‘Center of gravity’

Elijah said he even used the Stella Adler technique while portraying Exo. “I tried to find Exo’s center of gravity. An example of this is when I walk, my right shoulder moves forward and drags the rest of my body. I also made Exo’s voice a bit husky. As a vlogger, he shows a lot of toxic masculinity when he talks.”

In the end, Elijah said Miles agreed for him to do all the “necessary scenes” in the film. “I had to explain to her Direk Perci’s vision. To be fair, I also tried compromising with Direk, who told me that the scenes were necessary. He had the most complete thesis defense ever, and because I committed myself to the project, I had to give my 100 percent in order for him to achieve his vision,” Elijah explained.

“And Miles, as the supportive partner she is, believes in me and is aware of my passion. Eventually, she saw that there really was no problem with the scenes, especially when she saw the final product. During the first screening, she kept telling me, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ Kinilig ako because I didn’t expect that would be her reaction to it.”

“Livescream” also features Phoebe Walker and Kat Dovey. It has been streaming on Vivamax Plus since Nov. 9.

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