Had lunch with Jake Cuenca this afternoon as he talks more about Morpheus, his character in the hit show "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim" (Philippine adaptation) on Viu. Obviously he's attacking this role differently and when he watched it, he eagerly wants to do justice with the role.
Jake says "If I make you cry here, it's not because of heartbreak, but this man is calm and done differently. PSJ is a great actor, so is Cyrus, but the effort here is even more than my previous role in Ironheart. I really prepared for it emotionally. This time you are bringing this to an audience, I had to look for things in between."
He adds that after the pandemic, he wanted to work with the best people including the late Deo Endrinal. He would've regretted it because they were able to tweak the character for him and it's a different take in the Filipino adaptation. When I read it, it was interesting. I do flourish on an off beat role especially Eros, on Catleya Killer it's always very interesting and meaty. I've come to embrace that they put me here for a reason, and I can elevate it."
They thought it was going to be the typical Jake Cuenca but they will talk about the portrayal after the show. He is grateful especially for the audience that comes with it. Jake knows how hot KimPao is. He says "When I'm in the set I don't look at romantic scenes, but I'm really blessed to have been able to work with Pau, and with my best friend, I feel I've had more growth. If we did this when we were young, it would have looked totally different."
Here's the full conversation we had with him
Now if you're in the mood for more of Jake Cuenca, he's on What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and it is exclusive on Viu. You can see the first 5 episodes if you are subscribed but if you want to watch it on TV, it's on abscbn channels. You can also watch it for FREE on Viu as soon as it comes out on TV.
Congratulations Jake on another show! There will surely be more of these projects including the one with Baron Geisler. You just wait!
Just got off the Brilliant Awards 2023, The Brightest of All Time. Brilliant Skin Inc. holds events like these annually to honor the regional leaders, franchisees, distributors of their cosmetic products in the country. Clad in their most gorgeous white and pink shimmering outfits, they were all welcomed at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre in Pasay City by Brilliant Skin CEO Glenda Dela Cruz.
Ms. Glenda says "This night is all for you, I know there are a lot of people who came from the Cordilleras, Region 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, Bangsamoro and NCR. You are the ones who are really brilliant."
She adds "We have been able to weather through the challenges of 2023. We had fears, uncertainty, and I thought everything would be gone. I learned to be grateful, and to tell you honestly, I'm a better version now. My life is an open book now, I let go of people that I loved and accepted it even though it was difficult. We made waves when we started our Pinakamakinang events in Araneta, and now we are in Malaysia with our TikTok shop, and with our online platform in countries like Dubai (UAE), Malaysia, and soon in Singapore. We did this because of you. We continue to work hard, and I hope this goes the same with all of you. This proves that no matter what they say, you stand behind me all the way. I won't be wasting your trust. I thank God for saving me so many times, and he has done so much for me."
After personally thanking the "Brilliants", a term she coined for those who support her, she began showing her gratitude with the tons of celebrity performers she prepared for them. With the likes of Mariel Padilla and Luis Manzano as their hosts, model and actor Daniel Matsunaga, song and dance numbers from international stars 4th Impact and talk of the town Andrea Brillantes, everyone was just so glad to be in the midst of their endorsers who went there to just perform for them. Add to that singers JK Labajo, Kyle Echarri, Jason Dy, good looking actor Paulo Avelino, our golden boy Alden Richards, rock phenom Kean Cipriano and KZ Tandingan brought the house down as each of the winners were announced on stage. It was really nice to see how the crowd reacted when people from their own region was called, and how proud they really are.
Ms. Glenda was so thankful that despite her recent health challenges, they were all able to gather in one place so she could personally spend time with them, to take photos, talk and thank them for the hard work they put in for Brilliant Skin.
Here's some scenes we caught on video that evening!
@kumagcow 4th IMPACT at the BRILLIANT AWARDS 2023 doing Crazy In Love by BEYONCE @official4thimpact #tiktoktainment #music #4thimpact ♬ Here We Go - 4th Impact
@kumagcow ANDREA BRILLANTES at the BRILLIANT AWARDS 2023 #andreabrillantes #brilliantskinessentials #music #tiktoktainment #brilliantawards2023 ♬ Happy to Be Me - Andrea Brillantes
Congratulations to the men and women who received awards and those who also won the generous raffle that was done for them that evening. You deserve the accolades and incentives you got from Brilliant Skin Inc. and I hope you start to do start paying it forward just like what Ms. Glenda is doing for you!
Tickets are now being sold for this particular film called Fangirl. It is starred by Paolo Avelino and Charlie Dizon under BlackSheep Productions, Project 8 and Globe Studios directed by Antoinette Jadaone. Tokyo International Film Festival gave so much acclaim with this very interesting piece and has been sent as an entry in festivals in other countries. This is a coming of age film where an ultimate fan girl got to spend one night with Paulo Avelino.
Tickets are being sold now via bit.ly/WatchFanGirl
Antoinette Jadaone says "I was a super movie fan before, when I was a kid my aunts used to go to santacruzans in araneta center just to see them there. When I got into film I was more into people behind the camera. My family loves films, my grandpa made a cinema in Pasig so I got to watch films for free. We used to watch all Filipino movies. I did film in UP Diliman. Fangirl is relatable, we've both been through things like these in one form or another. We idolize, it's like a romcom that is anti romcom. You will get to see a fantasy wherein you could spend one night with your idol, and this might go differently. The first leg of auditions, we already had someone for the role of Charlie. Out of 600, we got 7 of them do workshops with Paulo, we got look tests, we got costumes, but at the last minute there were contract problems already. We got to call one more leg of auditions and got Charlie there. When she got in, in about 2 to 3 days we already went shooting. When you see her, you already know it's her. She had lots of make up, she had lashes and all, you could see it was like a commercial for her. I had to see her bare and she went in, her walk was like a street gang member, she talked like someone from the streets too and deliberated about it a bit. She was also okay with kissing scenes and matured ones, so that's how it happened. I think one of the things this came from is how I have worked in films, it is interesting to see the culture of fans when we watch our idols on screen where the line is so faded. People expect what they portray in the movie is actually what they also do, but there is a difference when you have a camera or not. There are two concepts that I combined here, as a fan and as an actor. I think it goes with it as a cautionary tale, it happens. I think as film makers, we must tackle not just things that are talked about, but those that are not talked about. So scenes mostly will be things that people are afraid to tackle, done in tasted, done with Charlie's comfort and understanding the vision of it. I wrote this in 2016, I was way different then as a writer and director. I developed it in 2019 and the material changed a lot. It helped with that I got the advise of European writers because I got a more worldly view of fan culture rather than just a Filipino fan view. Things are going with technology, so fan culture changes with that. Actually writing this was different because it changes in the point of view of the fan. As a writer I resorted into method writing, I didn't have to ask Paulo anymore and just got information from articles before. I asked Paulo what he needed to be removed or not but he just returned and understood it why I had him play himself. Since I did this in 2016, I had an actor in mind, but Paulo was the tough one, people would fear portraying themselves on film and it is what we had to play with. They would think he's like that but it's a role, but I understand their inhibitions. He just asked who the fangirl was and just told him then. "
Paolo Avelino shares "I didn't become a fan of sorts because it was not as usual for stars to go to Baguio when I was a kid. What's challenging here was the fact that I had to do it while I wasn't acting. (I asked about his tweets in the past months and asked if it was connected in some way with this). No John, those tweets came before making this film. These days I'm not so active on social media, my fans remain the same, mostly moms or grandmoms. Charlie and I might or might not have kissing scenes, you might need to interpret it and see if it is okay with what we see in this film. Maybe one thing that you'll see here is me being a father, another is being optimistic, how I finish things, and how simple I am as a person behind the camera. I like it quiet, I hope it transcends into the film. You wouldn't think Direk would do this, that is what peaked my interest when I did this film. I don't categorize dates, if we jive then we can date, she can go here in my house if she wants. Most of the people behind Paunatics are pros, they are tamed, they are normal people and I talk to them like that. Paulo Avelino in the script isn't too far from who I am, but wether it is fictional or not I'm okay with it. When I read it, I only processed it in a few days. It wasn't so hard, I just did it for Antonette (he kids) but it was really a good material honestly. I find Charlie cute, she was like high school, very innocent, when I talked to her, I saw why she was chosen to play this role."
Charlie Dizon says "Yes, just like anyone, I have been a fan of someone. I went to a mall show of Richard Gutierrez and I did kinda experience it too. I was in the crowd, screaming his name, I did that back in the days. Now my family is very happy, they always asked about the progress of filming this and I'm actually very nervous when they see this film. I couldn't imagine kissing my idol in real life, it's out of my league. I would date a fan, if it were me I would want that. I also talk to my fans like that which is why I am also in a group chat with them. I am a KPOP fan, an FX fan because I wanted to become a rapper. I tried out doing that in Korea and I met them, I debuted there and got inspired training. My real name isn't Charlie Dizon, it's a screen name but I got Dizon from my Mom. I would want to be with Park Seo Joon, he's my ideal guy and if ever I got the chance to work with him I'd love that, together with John Lloyd Cruz, I got to hug him in a movie project.
This is going to premiere on December 25. Go watch it for its merits and see why this is loved internationally too!