Award-winning actress Bea Alonzo is back on the silver screen with the romantic love triangle movie, Kasal (The Wedding), which releases in the UAE on May 24.
The movie Kasal tells the story of a public school teacher, Lia Marquez, played by Alonzo who is about to marry eligible bachelor Philip Cordero, portrayed by Paulo Avelino. But things get complicated when then her ex-boyfriend, Wado dela Cost (Derek Ramsay) suddenly emerges to expose a well-guarded secret about Philip.
As the wedding day approaches, Lia finds herself at a crossroads, as she begins to doubt her feelings for Philip, while a man from her past rekindles an old romance.
“The trailer is so different from the real story. There’s a plot twist na talagang nakakalaglag sa upuan [that will make you fall off your chair],” shared Alonzo in an email interview with Gulf News tabloid!.
“It’s your normal Star Cinema drama [Filipino motion picture company] that we all miss but it’s very edgy, it’s very brave for a Star Cinema material to discuss this kind of social issue that I can’t really talk about yet right now. I want to know what’s the take of the Filipinos about the issue that we tackle in this movie.”
The 30-year old actress also shared her learnings from portraying Lia in the movie.
“Actually, it’s a journey. While doing the character, I have discovered a lot of things about myself that I didn’t know before. So, it’s always a process,” said Alonzo.
“The person that I’ll be marrying in the movie is like the prince of Cebu, coming from a very prominent family. So, from being a very simple woman, paano ka ba papasok sa ganoong klaseng pamilya [how do you integrated into such a family]? And especially if you’ll discover a very important secret — how will you handle it?” she added.
It’s not the first time that Alonzo is working with Ramsay and Avelino and she has nothing but praise for the duo. Alonzo has worked with Ramsay in And I Love You So (2009), while she’s done the television soap opera Sana Bukas pa ang Kahapon in 2014 with Avelino.
“I miss working with Derek. I miss seeing him in a Star Cinema movie. For me, Derek was born to become a leading man. He has all the qualities that a leading man should have — chiselled jawline, handsome, his physique is really a leading man material. The way he moves is with sensuality — it’s like he was born to be a star, a leading man,” said Alonzo.
Apart from his physical attributes, Alonzo also praised Ramsay’s acting skills.
“He really delivered in this movie. He gave many nuances that I haven’t seen before. Mas lumalim siya bilang isang artista [He’s become a better actor], and I guess it comes with age and maturity. He became a seasoned actor.”
Alonzo is equally as proud of being paired again with Avelino.
“For Paulo, I’m very proud of him in this film. Given his background, that most of his projects are independent movies and offbeat, now he’s doing a mainstream drama and he really delivers.”
“It’s our first time to work together on big screen. I think I want to see Paulo on the big screen because he’s subtle as an actor,” she added.
And although she has being doing movies for more than a decade, Alonzo still finds acting a challenge.
“It’s always a challenge doing a film. It’s not a typical job, like going into an office and doing paperwork routine. It’s not like that. There are days that you’re emotional, there are days that you’re not, there are days that you’re vulnerable, there are days that you’re not. So, lagi siyang tinatrabaho [it’s a work in progress], it’s not that easy.”
On being named “This Generation’s Movie Queen” by the media and fans, Alonzo admitted to feeling uneasy with the title.
“I’m not used to that, nagki-cringe ako [I cringe],” says Alonzo.
As in all of her past films, Alonzo said Kasal was a big learning experience.
“I learnt so many things doing this film. It’s a journey, it’s like life. I like to learn more things. In every character that I do, I learn something new. There’s always a part of me that stays with the character. There’s always a part of the character that stays with me. So, it’s a learning process.”
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Kasal releases in the UAE on May 24.
