ACTRESS Marian Rivera, who plays the lead in the independent movie “Balota,” said she did not agree to using a stunt double for her action scenes, and so she ended up with cuts and bruises.
“Balota” is director Kip Oebanda’s entry to this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which will run in August.
“I’m excited because I did a lot of firsts in this movie. For one, Direk wanted a no-makeup look. Here, I also had to deliver lines the way I’ve never done in my other films and TV series. Also, I insisted on not using anybody double for my fight scenes. That’s why I went home with cuts and bruises. I didn’t mind. I knew they would all heal eventually, anyway. What’s important is that I was able to give my 100 percent to the film,” the actress told reporters during a recent media gathering.
Marian plays a teacher tasked to be a poll watcher during the 2007 elections in “Balota.”
In a separate interview with Inquirer Entertainment, Kip explained that Marian’s cuts and bruises were partly because she insisted on being real and truthful in portraying her character.
“We had on the set a ballot box that was actually used in 2007. It was made of steel and weighed six kilos with the ballots inside. We had a rubber version made, but she didn’t want to use that. The steel ballot box was tied to her wrist. While she was running, the box kept hitting her. That’s one of the reasons she got bruises,” he said.
“Her explanation to me was that she really wanted to go through what her character had experienced. We were also surprised because there were times when, while shooting scenes on the forest floor, instead of putting fake dirt on her face and body, she would just put actual soil on herself,” Kip recalled.
When asked what he discovered about Marian while shooting, Kip said: “What is very clear to me about Marian is that she is a very family-centered person. She would arrive on time, so we were able to start early, and we would eventually release her early. She really loves her family and this, I feel, is a compelling part of her character since this is a mother-and-son story.”
Marian added that because of “Balota,” she is now considering doing action movies in the future. “I guess so, after this one. The experience was a memorable one for me. This movie is a combination of suspense, action, drama, and comedy,” she said. (Marinel Cruz © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
