Rabin Angeles, Angela Muji on ‘A Werewolf Boy,’ mutual crush, dealing with hate
Rabin Angeles and Angela Muji are aware that they have big shoes to fill as the leads of the Philippine adaptation of “A Werewolf Boy,” especially since the original film starred award-winning actors Song Joong-ki and Park Bo-young. This explains why the pressure got into them at some point, although they have learned to take things one step at a time.
“During shooting, I was bashed a lot. At the time, I couldn’t stop reading the hate comments,” Muji confessed in a press conference for the film. Her voice was starting to get shaky at the time, leading Angeles to put his arm around her.
“I wanted to know what they were saying about me. I was in the dressing room. I was crying for two hours straight [while] reading them,” she continued. “It got to me. It deeply affected me and my mental health.”
As a result, the rising loveteam took it upon themselves to give their all. “Ito ang magiging career-defining moment namin, so pressured kami… iniisip na lang namin na whatever happens, it’s God’s will,” Muji said, explaining why their first solo film is sort of a make-or-break move for them.
“The Werewolf Boy,” which premiered in Philippine theaters on January 14, tells the story of a feral boy (Angeles) who befriends the silent Sarah, even though the latter’s family is against their bond.
One of the points that Angeles had to focus on in his workshops was to make himself appear as wolf-like as he could. “One hour magpe-play ng video of a wolf na naglalakad tapos ginagaya ko ‘yung kilos niya, paano siya kumain, humarap sa tao — as in lahat.
Bawal akong mag-break kasi wolf ako. Kaya sa shooting, hindi na ako nahirapan. Pakiramdam ko werewolf na ako. Hindi ako nagsasalita, naka-paa ako,” he shared.
Acting as healing
“The Werewolf Boy” is not a typical romcom, even though filmmaker Crisanto Aquino said he added elements of the particular genre into the film. It combines magic realism and drama to tell the story of an ill-fated romance. Despite its heavy theme, Angeles said doing the heavy scenes was healing for him.
“Ang healing sa’kin is nakaiyak ako nang maayos dito. Nailabas ko ang emosyon ko talaga. As a person, hindi ako palaiyak. Ayokong nalulungkot, gusto kong masaya ako,” he admitted.
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“Pero sa pelikulang ‘to, natutunan kong walang masama sa pagiging mahina. Hindi masama magpakita ng emosyon. Sobra dami kong natutunan sa pag-arte, dahil [din] ang dami naming kasamang beterano,” he continued.
For Muji’s part, letting go of Sarah was the most healing experience for her. “I was holding on to a lot of heavy and depressing emotions. At that time, I was getting a lot of hate. I would say that the hate pushed and helped me bring out the emotions that Sarah needed,” she explained. “[It was] healing toward the end because it means that I’m free.”
Asked how he deals with negativity, Angeles said he eventually learned to accept that it comes with the job. “Ginawa naming inspirasyon ang haters. Kahit anong sabihin nila, kahit paulit-ulit, hindi kami [gaganti] or sasagot. Gagawin lang namin ang lahat para mas gumaling.”
With her leading man’s words in mind, Muji said she came to terms with the fact that she “won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.” Having this kind of mindset helped. She is still learning how to adapt this thinking into her everyday life, but at least it doesn’t take up too much space in her life like before.
“It’s easy for people to hide behind fake profiles and dummy accounts since they won’t feel accountable for what they say. It’s hard to track them, so they feel free to throw hurtful words. But even if we don’t see your faces, even if they’re hiding behind those [profile pictures], God is always watching. Lahat ng ginagawa natin, may balik,” she said.
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Like many loveteams, following up on a successful series (or film) is a way to test how far their chemistry goes. Angeles said creating chemistry with Muji is easy since he harbored a crush on her since they were young.
“Bata pa lang, crush ko na si Angela. Nakikita ko [na] siya sa studio so may chemistry na talaga. ‘Yung pagtitig ko sa kanya [effortless] kasi crush ko na siya eh. Noong una sobrang excited ako gawin to kasi feel ko madali kasi wala akong linya,” he said, noting that they still need to put in the work to ensure that their acting goes beyond chemistry.
Either way, “A Werewolf Boy” sets the tone of Angeles and Muji’s partnership. Whether they decide to take their chemistry from reel to real, it’s undeniable that their bond goes beyond the camera — and it’s clear that they’re ready to go all the way.
