Na miss ko kasi ang acting so I’m happy, but noong una, parang weird, nanibago ako kasi matagal akong ‘di nakaharap sa kamera. — Nadine Lustre’
NADINE Lustre is back in Vivamax’ drama-thriller, “Greed,” directed by Yam Laranas, all set to stream on March 16 on Vivamax Plus. In 2020, she made a move to terminate her contract with Viva, which didn’t take this sitting down so there was an intense legal dispute. It was resolved late last year and it was agreed that Nadine will be honoring her existing contract that will expire in 2029 yet.
“Greed” is set in a remote village where a poor young couple, Nadine and Diego Loyzaga, who dreams of a better life, wins the biggest prize in the lottery. A neighbor, Epy Quizon, tries to steal the winning lotto ticket. What follows is a nightmare that explodes in a shocking climax full of blood and violence.
So how is it shooting “Greed”?
“Very exciting,” she says in her solo press con. “Na miss ko kasi ang acting so I’m happy, but noong una, parang weird, nanibago ako kasi matagal akong ‘di nakaharap sa kamera. After a while, I warmed up na and I enjoyed working with Direk Yam.”
How about Diego Loyzaga as her leading man?
“Si Diego, magkakilala na kami before, but we’re not close. Dito lang sa ‘Greed’ kami nakapag-bonding nang husto at naging friends. He’s so super easy to work with, pati si Kuya Epi Quizon na co-star namin. Kwentuhan kami pag break time at andami naming napag-usapan. I like ‘yung positive energy na binibigay nila kapag take na, lalo na sa violent scenes.”
What kind of films would she like to do in the future?
“I want to do scripts na mind boggling, ‘yung mapapaisip ka, even horror or ‘yung psychopath ako. At this point, tapos na ako sa love teams. It helped our careers ni James (Reid) then but now, graduate na ako. At my age, parang hindi na bagay sa’kin ang love team.”
Will she be willing to do a movie with James again?
“It all depends on him kasi he’s now more focused on his music. Baka naman kapag may magandang project, bumalik siya sa acting.”
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Ken Chan is happy for Rita Daniella to star in her own movie paired with Jak Roberto, “Madawag ang Landas Patungong Pag-asa,” while he stars in his own primetime teleserye paired with Bianca Umali in “Mano Po Legacy 2: Her Big Boss.”
“‘Ritken’ fans told me na malungkot sila kasi nga nagkahiwalay kami ni Rita, but it’s something that is bound to happen,” he says. “Kasi three years na kaming laging magkasama and when we did ‘Ang Dalawang Ikaw,’ GMA told us it’ll be good na we do separate projects and we understand that.”
So how is it being paired with Bianca this time?
“Siempre, nakakapanibago. But Bianca is a big help, kasi like me, dati rin siyang identified sa one love team with Miguel Tanfelix, but now, she’s on her own starting sa ‘Legal Wives’ na si Dennis Trillo ang nakasama niya. She told me it’s really better for one’s career na hindi ka identified sa isang love team lang kasi you get to work with other co-stars at hindi ka malilimitahan sa trabaho mo.”
He loves his role in “Her Big Boss” as Richard Lim as he plays the title role of the big boss.
“Unlike the first ‘Mano Po’ na drama, this one is a romantic-comedy naman and my character is someone who has obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. Parang ‘yung character ni Jack Nicholson sa ‘As Good As It Gets’ that won him an Oscar best actor award. Very strict boss din ako rito ni Bianca. Tipong hindi masyadong tumatawa.”
Their show is now being seen on GMA after “Widow’s Web.”
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Allen Dizon is due to be elevated to the FAMAS hall of fame for winning their best actor award five times for the movies “Paupahan” (2009), “Dukot” (2010), “Magkakabaung” (2015), “Bomba” (2018) and “Latay” (2021). He has also won awards from all award-giving bodies and has received many acting trophies from international film festivals.
He now delivers another fine performance in director Joel Lamangan’s advocacy film on police brutality, “Walkers.” He plays an abusive policeman who does all sorts of crimes, including rape and murder that he could very well be the personification of evil. Did he have any second thoughts about accepting the role?
“None because the film is by Direk Joel and I trust him so much,” he says. “And before, laging mabait ang role ko sa movies niya, like in ‘Dukot’ na aktibista akong dinukot ng militar, ‘Patikul’ na coffee farmer ako and ‘Migrante’ na migrant worker naman ako. This time, I play a very corrupt law enforcer at tiyak magagalit sa akin ang viewers. Ang sama talaga ng character ko but I like my role. Mas challenging gumanap in villain roles kasi dapat baguhin mo ang takbo ng utak mo to show your dark side.”
