Midway through the advance preview of “Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam,” lead stars Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles prove their worth as actors in the Darryl Yap movie about the dynamics of love, pain and acceptance.

It’s a comedic milestone for the Molina and Napoles. But is also acting showcase, no doubt, for the reel and real life tandem who honed their skills in their long years in theater work.

Combining drama and comedy, “Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam” is about Tasha (Kim Molina), a woman diagnosed with so-called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, which makes her impervious to pain -- be it in the physical or emotional level. She has no idea how love works, according to the movie’s synopsis. That is until she starts her adventure with Ngongo (Jerald Napoles) who has cleft palate. Their combination is a riot as Ngongo falls in love with the unfeeling Tasha.

Molina acquits herself as the protagonist who buries all her emotions until her explosive moment towards the end of the movie. One scene -- a mountainside fall in a tourist site in Bohol -- was particularly a struggle for Molina.

“Di ko mailabas ang terror ko! Kasi nga dapat walang pakiramdam!” she said in a virtual conference. “It was a 200-meter plunge tapos papalabasin na chill lang ako! Nung una, sumigaw na ako, 'Tulungan nyo ko Direk!' Nasigaw ko na rin pangalan ni Jerald! Hindi naman puedeng mag-green screen kami," she recalled laughing.

Completely immersed in his role, Napoles actually eclipses Molina in some portions of the movie, particularly in his ruminations about his seeming disability and how he overcame it despite the pain of his family about his condition.

She acknowledged Napoles’ talent. “My motivation to act well is because magaling ang leading man ko," Molina said.

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But together in several of the movie’s hilarious sequences, Molina and Napoles have perfect chemistry and comedic timing. A standout scene is their guess the word game where they confused the word “ngulay” (as pronounced by Ngongo) for the name of a color and a vegetable.

Amid concern about his role, Napoles offers no excuses. “I did not portray Ngongo according to the public perception of a cleft palate," he stressed. “In my interaction with Kim’s character, I played him as a normal person. Hindi rin naman kami tatanggap ng mga role which will ridicule people!”

More than their real bond as lovers, Molina credits her theater training in her follow-up performance after her phenomenal box-office hit “Jowable,” also megged by Darryl Yap.

“Natutunan ko sa stage, huwag kang huhugot sa personal experience for the role dahil matutuyuan ka with the succession of live shows," she related. “Kailangan pag-aralan ang role, alamin ang trajectory ng character. You have to be present in the moment as the character, and not to get emotions from your personal life!”

Molina and Napoles only remaining dilemma is their image as comedians. “Hindi naman kami sineseryoso ng mga tao… Di pa lang nagsasalita, tumatawa na sila,” Napoles said laughing.

Molina added: “We want them to know through ‘Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam’ na kaya din namin ang mga ganung eksena, drama or comedy… thank you so much, world peace tayo!”

Watch “Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam” on ktx.ph, iWantTFC, TFC IPTV, SKY PPV, Cignal PPV for P250 and on Vivamax.

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