Eugene Domingo on being a versatile actress

Gulf News

Eugene Domingo on being a versatile actress. Award-winning Filipino actress Eugene Domingo and top-notch filmmaker Jun Robles Lana talk about showcasing Philippine movies in world-class international film festivals. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

Transcript

00:00It's definitely a surprise because for the first time, I am entrusted to do full-length

00:15drama and for the longest time in my career in the Philippines, I am known to be doing

00:22roles that tend to be comic.

00:24So I am just very glad that Director Jun Robles-Lana finally offered me a material that is answering

00:34my quest as a person, as an actress, as a woman, as a Filipina.

00:42This is a film that has a message about women, women empowerment.

00:49Simply because I wanted to cast the best possible actress for the role and I've known Eugene

00:58Domingo for many years.

00:59I'm very familiar with her work in Cheddar and I thought that she was perfect for the

01:04role of Marilu.

01:05I know her range as an actress and I was quite sure, really, really sure that she would portray

01:12Marilu brilliantly.

01:13I don't really consider myself as great.

01:16It is too early or I don't think I will ever be a great actress because if you think you

01:22are great, then you are done.

01:24I'm still learning.

01:26I'm still trying to expose myself and I would like to believe that I will forever be a student

01:34in any way, in acting, as a person, as a Filipino.

01:40I always want to explore.

01:42The secret always is, whether you're an actress or in any profession, is your passion.

01:49You shouldn't stop learning.

01:51Don't ever, ever think of yourself as great and don't ever think that you already know

01:56everything because we do not.

01:59Life is more exciting when you continue learning.

02:02As a filmmaker, I don't really think of, I'm not really concerned about what makes my film

02:07different from the works of other filmmakers.

02:10I just make the films that I'm very passionate about, the films that I feel are stories that

02:17I want to tell as a filmmaker.

02:19And this was a story that I've been working on since 1997 when it won in a national screenwriting

02:29competition in Manila.

02:30It was a long journey to get to this point, to be actually screening here in a film festival

02:37here in Abu Dhabi.

02:39It took me a while to get funding to gather this brilliant cast.

02:45So that was really my concern, how to get this story that I was very passionate about,

02:51how I could get the resources to finally finance and turn it into a film.

02:58When you represent your country, I believe in any profession, whether you're a beauty

03:04queen or a boxer.

03:06When you go out and compete and represent your country, it's not about you anymore.

03:13It's not just about your being famous or your being gifted.

03:18It's about your country.

03:20Whenever I win or whenever I get anything, I always give it back to the Philippines.

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