On February 24, Bela Padilla revealed she wanted Liza Soberano to star in her upcoming movie and directorial debut, 366.
During the media conference for 366, Padilla admitted that the lead role wasn’t meant for her since she’s the one helming the project.
“366 originally wasn’t meant for me. I didn’t want to act on this because I was/ told I was/ going to direct this film. So, originally/ I wanted someone else to be the lead actress for 366.
“And then the pandemic happened, and alam naman natin, lahat tayo nahirapan noong pandemic and there a lot of actors who didn’t want to work which I understand syempre mahirap ‘yung biglang sasabak sa Bubble sa shooting life, and walang kasiguraduhan sa pag-shoot in the middle pandemic. So hindi ko pinilit ‘yung original vision ko for this.”
She then revealed that she wanted Soberano to star in her directorial debut, recounting that she asked for Soberano’s availability for filming during the movie’s pre-production.
“I really wanted Liza Soberano to be the lead actress for 366. I even came to a point na I asked for her schedule already. She was doing a TV show at that time also. It was Make It With You.
“So I inquired about Liza Soberano for this, and then, eventually nga po the pandemic happened. I had to do major revisions to the script. Because originally I wanted 366 to be [shot] in Budapest, Hungary. So 90% of the film was supposed to be shot in Budapest. I had to change that because nag-close ‘yung borders.”
As the scheduling panned out and the pandemic happened, the role landed on Padilla, making her the lead actress, writer, and director of 366.
Padilla then differentiated her portrayal to Soberano’s if the Kapamilya actress landed the leading role, noting that they would have different interpretations of the character Padilla wrote for the movie.
“It’s definitely different since I am older than Liza. I guess my interpretation of grief and love is different. We’re at very different stages of our lives, so I gave a different interpretation or performance than she would have given.
“I would still love to work with her, though. And I would still love to see what kind of performance she would give to a project like this. So maybe, one day. I can work with her. I do believe po na whoever ends up with the project is the one meant to be for the project.”
Padilla stars in her directorial debut, 366, alongside dramatic actors Zanjoe Marudo and JC Santos, and it streams on Vivamax on April 22.
