- It’s confirmed! Bb. Pilipinas International Mariel de Leon will be Coco Martin’s leading lady for his upcoming film “Ang Panday” which will be one of the official entries for the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival [MMFF] this December.
- Mariel is the daughter of award-winning actor Christopher de Leon and actress Sandy Andolong. With showbiz running in her genes, it’s not surprising that she’ll give acting a try.
- Mariel is set to compete in the Miss International beauty pageant sometime this November.
Mariel de Leon just couldn’t help it. Perhaps this is due to the fact that showbiz runs in her blood. Her parents, thespians Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong are still very much active in show business. Mariel has finally agreed to become Coco Martin’s leading lady in the upcoming remake of “Ang Panday”.
“Ang Panday” which will be one of the official entries for the upcoming Metro Manila Film Festival will not only mark as the first acting exposure of Mariel, but it will also be Coco’s directorial debut. Coco will also be the movie producer under his CCM Creative Productions, his newly formed company. Coco will be using his real name on his first directorial job as Rodel Nacianceno.
“I feel so lucky and blessed, it’s really unbelievable talaga,” said Mariel. She said that her parents had given her their blessings on this new endeavor and she was also given the go-signal by the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. headed by Madam Stella Amrquez-Araneta. So there won’t be any problem if she’s pursuing showbiz while preparing for the Miss International pageant this November.
How does she find Coco? Even if Mariel says that she had just met him, she knew that Coco is someone who’s genuinely nice as a person. She even said that she can’t wait to work with him.
Even before she officially joined showbiz, she had been receiving a lot of negative criticisms from online bashers. So showbiz intrigues and rumors are something not new to her anymore. She says she had prepared herself for all of those stuff. She understands it’s all a part of showbiz.
Mariel wants to study her character [although her character wasn’t revealed yet as the movie is still under the development stage] well and she might ask her parents for some advice on how she would attack her role. She’s also thinking on taking in some acting workshops prior to the shoot so that she’d be able to deliver well. “I also need to work and polish on my Tagalog,” said Mariel.
What made her join showbiz despite being busy prepping up for the Miss International pageant? “I wanted to do something different for a change. My schedule’s often packed with my training but I believe it all boils down on how you handle your time,” she said.
“I said yes to this project [Ang Panday] because it would not be smart for me to turn it down. Kasi sayang naman the opportunity,” she explained.
Is she ready to do kissing scenes? Mariel actually had no qualms on doing kissing scenes but she’s not willing to go anywhere beyond that.
Mariel is bent on her training for the Miss International pageant in Tokyo by the end of this year. She’s been doing research on Japanese culture, the organization itself as well as the country.
