Gerald Anderson and Kylie Padilla in 'Unravel'
MANILA -- Pairing actors who have not previously worked together and from rival networks as well is perhaps a huge gamble for the producer and the actors themselves.
Their chemistry onscreen will be invariably tested, as what happened in the first team-up of Gerald Anderson and Kylie Padilla in director RC de los Reyes’ romance drama, “Unravel,” an official entry to the first Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
Screenwriter Senedy Que touched on a sensitive mental health issue in “Unravel,” his tribute to his late mentor and director, Jake Tordesillas, who passed on in 2017.
Anderson, who is from ABS-CBN, works with Padilla, a GMA 7 talent, for the first time. They looked good together and their chemistry became undeniable in “Unravel.”
“I first heard the story about ‘Unravel’ when we were in a train station in Budapest while we were shooting another movie,” Anderson told ABS-CBN News. “Hearing the story, I was already fascinated and excited to do it right away.
“As an actor, I haven’t done this kind of story. I haven’t tackled this character and his journey. That really excited me.
“This film teaches us to always be nice, especially to strangers whom we don’t know what they are going through. We all have our respective journey in life.
“As you can see in the film, what Lucy was going through was different from what Noah was going through. So just always be nice, respectful and always be kind.”
Padilla unabashedly admitted she was a fan of the love team of Kim Chiu and Anderson before she even started working with the actor.
“Naging honest lang naman ako, but I would watch their movies together in theater,” she said. “But then, when Gerald and I went to Switzerland, tinanggal ko na lahat ‘yun. I needed to be professional. Trabaho lang talaga.”
She added, “After reading the script, natakot ako kasi sobrang dark ng subject matter. But as an actress, I stepped into Lucy’s point of view right away. In the story, human connection is integral because of what they are going through.
“Nagka-anxiety ako for one week. Pero nagkaroon na ako ng konting hope na maramdaman ng mga manonood na hindi sila nag-iisa. There’s always a second chance in life. Just give it a chance for other people to never lose hope in trying again.
“I felt so much empathy for my character [Lucy]. The subject matter is a good conversation starter because this is reality. People go through this and if they have more awareness, they will be more open to talk about it.”
Anderson was all praise working with Padilla in “Unravel” for the first time. “She was very professional,” he said of his first-time leading lady. “Kylie is a very good actress and I was able to witness that in person when we had scenes together.
“More than anything, she was really so humble, very natural, masarap kausap, down-to-earth and very cowboy din. The kind of shoot that we did in Switzerland, talagang dapat kaya mong mag-adjust. So many things can happen.
“We were in another country, hindi namin hawak ‘yung lugar. She was very professional. Talagang naging mas madali ang shoot.”
Anderson and Padilla bravely tried all sorts of high-altitude sports like canyon swing and sky diving in “Unravel.”
De los Reyes used drone shots and Go-Pro to give experiential feeling to the audience. “Para mas maramdaman nila ang actual feeling ng sky diving and canyon swing,” De los Reyes explained.
Anderson’s favorite was when they went sky diving in the Swiss town of Interlaken. “We jumped 30,000 feet up in the air and we saw the entire Interlaken, the clouds, the mountains, the villages, sobrang ganda,” he shared.
“I was really so happy that we did that. Sobrang saya ko when we landed. Kylie was very adventurous. I saw that from our first look-test. Sobrang takot na takot siya sa sky diving and canyon swing, but she did it for the love of the craft. Very brave.”
Padilla described working with Anderson for the first time as “easy.” She had a great time. “Of course, may kaba at first because unbelievable pa siya sa akin na makakasama ko si Gerald,” she said.
“Sobrang surreal sa akin. But when we started shooting and I jumped into my character, I just trusted Direk RC. Maganda naman ang kinalabasan.
“I did the sky diving and canyon swing because if I didn’t do it, wala kaming pelikula. Ginamit ko siya as catalyst for my life and I survived it.”
She was sleepless for three days before they did those death-defying aerial activities. “I told myself that if I conquered sky diving and canyon swing, I can conquer my anxieties in the future,” Padilla disclosed.
Anderson admired Padilla as his first-time co-actor. “You saw in the film how passionate Kylie was,” he said. “How she loves her craft, working on the film.
“When you shoot abroad, konti lang kami. So malaking bagay kung gaano ka-professional ang ka-trabaho mo. She really loves her work.”
De los Reyes himself was very honored working with his two “brilliant” actors. “Si Gerald, I’ve never worked with him in the past, but PA [production assistant] pa lang ako, nakikita ko na siya and I admired how he acted.
“Sabi ko, ‘Sana, one day maka-trabaho ko siya.’ But I never had the chance to work with him until ‘Unravel’ came.”
The director likewise praised Padilla’s acting. “What I love about her are her eyes. Her eyes speak a lot. Hindi na niya kailangan umarte. You can see it in her eyes.
“I’m super thankful to Mavx Productions for giving me this opportunity to work with those two actors and direct this brilliant story by Senedy Que.”