While you already had an acting career in your native Philippines before,
you are probably best known to an international audience from your work on
some of the last films by Bruno Mattei [Bruno
Mattei bio - click here]. How did you get hooked up with Mattei in the
first place?
An Italian production called for audition when they were
shooting a sexy movie here in Philippines last 2006. Several agents had my portfolio
when I was called thru an agent (Jojo Veloso), but unluckily
they didn’t agree with my talent fee. But the following day, a former
sexy star PA called me and asked me to go back because they learned
that I am a freelance actress. So, they decided to talk to me directly.
And that was the start of my Italian career.
While the first few movies you did with Mattei (Shudder on the
Skin, Secrets of Women, The Dark Side of a Woman) were
basically erotic movies, later films (The
Jail: A Women's Hell, Island
of the Living Dead, Zombie:
The Beginning) had a darker, more violent tone to them. Which did you prefer to
make, which do you prefer to watch?
I prefer everything - because every character I played makes
me a better actress and a better person. I always learn new things with each
new project I do.
According to all my
information, Bruno Mattei was never an actual "actor's director" (which at
times painfully showed), yet your performances were mostly spot-on. How
did you approach your roles, what did you draw upon to get your characters
right?
As a former stage actress from my school I was trained
well… We all know that a stage play is far from a feature film or TV. I always
study my character and sometimes I research things about it. Every time I
am in front of the camera I make sure I'm in character already and not
Yvette.
In some of your films with Mattei, you had quite
a few nude and (simulated) sex scenes. Was nudity in front of the
camera ever a problem for you?
No, because I’m a
different person every time I’m in front of the camera. For me, a role
is only a role.
What kind of a director
was Bruno Mattei, and what kind of a person? And were you aware of his
reputation before filming with him?
Yes, I did some research on him
and asked my producer some questions. As a director, he knows what
he’s doing and focusses on it. Only shows that he loves his field of
work. As a person, he can be good friend, great father, teacher and a
mentor.
How
did you get into acting in the first place, and did you ever take any
acting classes or the like?
|
Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
|
|
|
Stage plays in high school
and college days… Then, I went to acting workshops.
What can you tell us
about your Filipino movies prior to your collaborations with Bruno Mattei? I started as a talent, and one day, they gave me a chance to work by doing
supporting roles / 2nd
leads in every project. It’s another training ground for me as an
actress. I love working with Filipino actors and directors. There's a different
approach to different stories and different point of views. I love
the essence of an idea from a different perspective by intelligent people. I
have never had the chance of
working in Filipino movies that I can call my own - but one day, I will
achieve here what I had done for Italian movies and television.
Thanks
for the interview!
|