Nadine Lustre wants to do ‘darker’ projects

Nadine Lustre during a press conference for “Roadkillers.” Image: Instagram/@vivaartistsagency

Nadine Lustre drew laughs when she looked back at a report that amused her in the past, as she spoke about wanting to do “darker and grittier projects” in this stage of her career.

“I’m at a point [in my acting career] where I want to explore different genres. I want to take on more challenging roles,” she told reporters at a press conference for her series “Roadkillers.”

“Nakakatawa kasi may nabasa po akong headline, ‘Nadine ayaw na mag-loveteam, gusto maging psychopath,’” she recalled which made everyone in the room laugh. (It makes me laugh because I remembered coming across a headline saying, “Nadine no longer open to love teams, opts to be a psychopath instead.”)

“Roadkillers” tells the story of Stacey Sunico (Nadine Lustre) who kills a patient in a desperate attempt to save her father battling with COVID-19. It was eventually revealed that she was coerced into a life of crime and murder — as well as her late father turning out to be a henchman for a corrupt being in power.

“I want to do [darker] and grittier projects, I guess. It’s just because my previous projects were mostly romcoms and dramas,” she said. “That’s what I’ve always been saying because it is very interesting, you know. Like doing the role of a psychopath or a killer or someone deranged. Or trying to figure out how this person’s mind works.”

Among Lustre’s past projects include “Diary ng Panget: The Movie,” “Talk Back and You’re Dead,” “On The Wings of Love,” and “Till I Met You,” which follow the genres she was referring to.

The actress-singer then shared that she’s fond of the action genre, so the mere act of rehearsing stunts, firing weapons, and channeling her inner action star made her feel fulfilled.

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Father and daughter dynamic

Lustre also touched on Stacey’s dynamic with her father Renato (Bodjie Pascua), which reminded her of her relationship with her father Ulysses in real life.

“[Bodjie Pascua] reminds me of my Dad with everything,” she said while sharing that she was a daddy’s girl while growing up. “My dad is a mechanic by profession. I also grew up as a daddy’s girl, so I love tinkering with things… even those of my classmates. I would fix it.”

The actress, however, clarified in jest that her dad is not a “henchman of a politician,” but she always looked up to him and found him to be cool. This, in return, allowed her to look at Pascua with admiration as well.

“I was fascinated with my dad who’s good at fixing things, even the controller of a Playstation. I grew up looking up to my father exactly like Stacey,” she said. “Hindi siya henchman ng pulitiko. But I was the same with Stacey who found him cool. Every time I had an interaction with Tito Bodjie, I would remember my dad.”

Lustre and Pascua are also joined by Jerome Ponce, Francis Magundayao, Allan Paule, and Simon Ibarra in the Rae Red-helmed series.