Vilma Santos, Nadine Lustre promise a deep-dive into dark themes in ‘Uninvited’

Vilma Santos (left) and Nadine Lustre during the grand media conference of “Uninvited” | Image: Instagram/@mentorqueproductions

Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos and award-winning actress Nadine Lustre vowed to explore the dark and gritty concepts in their upcoming film “Uninvited,” saying that their portrayals are characters they haven’t played before.

Lustre shared during the grand media conference of the film on Wednesday, Nov. 20, that she is not as intense as her character Nicole, who tends to engage in all kinds of vices.

“It’s hard because Nicole and I are polar opposites. Nicole is kind of extreme. She is rich, and she engages in all kinds of vices. And she has this hatred towards her dad and what ever happened in her life. While, me, I’m just chill,” she said.

The “Deleter” actress remarked that her only similarity with the foul-mouthed and mysterious Nicole is that they are both fighters.

“It is a huge change from all the roles I have done before. Everyone knows me from romcoms and dramas. My roles are always mabait na anak, palaban, pero mabait (the kind daughter, fighter yet kind). This time, I was able to explore and try a different side of acting. I wanted you to see ano pa kaya ko gawin (what else I can do). Sobrang extreme from my previous characters—something I always wanted to do,” she added.

Talking about one specific scene from the trailer with Aga Muhlach, who plays her dad in the film, Lustre shared that it was not an awkward thing to shoot despite the malice that was initiated into it.

“It’s not really awkward. If anything, I was glad that we managed to do that scene. But if you watch the trailer, it’s a bit triggering. What’s funny is that Kuya Aga is also very different from his character,” she said.

Lustre’s trailer teaser has garnered around 10 million views on across all social media platforms and has landed the trending list on X (formerly Twitter) upon its release last Nov. 8.

Meanwhile, Santos admitted that there was pressure on her part to accept the role in “Uninvited,” especially after winning Best Actress in last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for “When I Met You In Tokyo.” 

“It’s been hard for me to find a role that will be suitable for my age and the role that will challenge me because, in my more than 62 years in the industry, I feel like I’ve already done every role and most of the characters appear to be repetitive. But with ‘Uninvited’ and my role, I feel I was somehow challenged,” Santos said.

Directed by Dan Villegas, “Uninvited” centers on family secrets and horror during a 24-hour party. It is an official entry to the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and produced by Mentorque Productions, producer of MMFF 2023 hit “Mallari,” and Project 8 Projects, producer of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2024 entry “Sunshine.”

“Uninvited” also features Mylene Dizon, Lotlot de Leon, Elijah Canlas, and Gabby Padilla, among others.