FORMER Binibining Pilipinas Universe Ariella Arida plays Joanna, a woman who plays with fire in Vivamax’ sexy drama, “Breathe Again,” which starts streaming on June 3.
“I’m in a long-term relationship with Ivan Padilla as Paolo, and he proposes marriage to me then takes me to the beach, knowing that I love swimming. But that’s where complications occur.”
She takes diving lessons from a hunky diving instructor named Robert (Tony Labrusca). He tempts her and her repressed sexuality is awakened.
“The movie examines the dynamics of the relationships I have with two different men,” says Ariella. “Ang kulang doon sa isa, natagpuan ko doon sa isa pa.”
For the diving scenes, they were trained by an expert diving instructor. “Tony and I had to train for diving kasi we have several underwater scenes in Anilao, Batangas. I did scuba diving before, but it’s so different from free diving. You have to know the right techniques pati sa breathing and you cannot do it without proper training. We had no doubles, kaya nakababad talaga kami sa tubig for hours. And the underwater scenes are really so impressive on screen.”
How is it working with Tony? “He’s fun to work with. Doon pa lang sa diving lessons namin, naging close na agad kami. Sobrang chill lang katrabaho ni Tony. We did steamy love scenes and you will see that our director, Raffy Francisco, really pushed the boundaries when it comes to sexiness.”
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More than being a good actor, it’s important to treat everyone — co-actors, directors and members of the crew — with respect, says says Dexter Doria.
Dexter Doria has been acting since the late ‘70s. She got nominated as best supporting actress for films directed by name directors, like Lino Brocka’s “Inay” in 1978, Marilou Diaz Abaya’s “Moral” (she was just in one scene but her impact in the film is so great) and Gil Portes’ “Mga Munting Tinig.” All these directors have gone to the great beyond but Dexter
continues to be active as an actress.
Last year, she finally won three acting awards (FAMAS, Urian, Gawad Tanglaw) for her portrayal of a mother who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in “Memories of Forgetting,” directed by acclaimed indie writer-director Jay Altarejos. Now, she is reunited with Jay in his first project for Vivamax, “Memories of a Love Story.”
“Direk Jay gave me three best supporting actress awards,” she says. “Wala pang nakagawa niyan for me among my directors, so I have the highest respect for him. Kaya naman kapag siya ang tumawag sa akin, yes agad!”
In “Memories of a Love Story,” she plays the role of a powerful matriarch in Bicol who wants to control everyone, including her own grandson, played by Migz Almendras. When Migz falls in love with Oliver Aquino, the son of their former housemaid, she intervenes and stops their love affair. But she herself is having a long-time secret affair with her hunky driver, played by Josh Ivan Morales.
She’s been in showbiz for more than four decades. What’s the secret of her staying power?
“More than anything, pakikisama is the key to longevity. Galingan mo lagi ang trabaho mo siempre, but importante rin ang pakikisama mo, hindi lang sa director, producer at co-stars mo, but sa lahat, pati sa crew at sa utility. Because feeling entitled or feeling diva won’t get you anywhere. Dapat pantay pantay tayong lahat dito.”
Does she have any wild memories during her stay in showbiz?
“Ay wala, hindi naman ako kontrobersyal. Nabalitaan mo ba akong na-involve sa anumang controversy in my four decades as an artista? Wala, kasi I just go to the set and do my work. ‘Yun lang.”
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Carlitos Siguion Reyna is an award-winning director best known for acclaimed films like “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit,” “Ang Lalake sa Buhay ni Selya,” “Azucena,” “Ikaw Pa Lang ang Minahal” and “Ligaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin.” His last directorial job was for the CCP stage play, “Katsuri,” an adaptation of the classic “Of Mice and Men.”
He has now branched out into acting and is happy to be directed by Laurice Guillen in “Apoy sa Langit,” which is now showing Monday to Saturday on GMA after “Eat Bulaga.”
“When this offer from GMA came, Direk Laurice was the major reason why I said yes. I’ve seen her movies and I want to experience being directed by her. She knows exactly what she wants from her actors but what’s nice is that she also encourages you to make your own contributions to the role.”
In “Apoy sa Langit,” he plays Edong, a “sulsulero” friend and adviser of the character played by Zoren Legaspi. So what does he prefer now, acting or directing?
“I like both acting and directing. Enjoy ako doing them both. But I’m glad I went into acting at my age now, kasi mas marami akong nahuhugutan in playing more mature roles. I’m thankful to Direk Laurice for personally choosing me to be part of this show’s cast. Parang ibang set of muscles naman ang nae-exert mo when you’re acting.”
Direk Carlitos is married to writer-actress-director Bibeth Orteza. They were married on April Fool’s Day 33 years ago. They have two kids: Sara aka Aya and Rafa. Rafa is now also into acting and has done many films and TV shows.
