Five sisters shopping in Bonifacio High Street, The Fort,
might not seem unusual but what makes it extraordinary is the fact that the
sisters are actually stars of the Metro Manila Film Fest entry Desperadas 2.
Iza Calzado, Ruffa Gutierrez, Marian Rivera, and Rufa Mae
Quinto are back as the quirky sisters who find out that they have a long-lost
sister, to be played by singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid. In his role as a royal
princess from a remote island located near Africa, it takes around two hours to
complete the sun-kissed look of Ogie complete with a dress, a wig, and heels.
An industry insider notes that this movie is good karma for Ogie since Regal
matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde handpicked him to play the role of the
long-lost sister. It will be remembered that he was supposed to play a key role
in Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Ze Moveeh but the plan did not push through.
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was able to talk with the stars while they were not busy shooting sequences with director Joel Lamangan. Rufa Mae narrates the experiences that her character, Patricia, will experience in the Desperadas sequel.
"Sa previous movie, maghiwalay kami ni Wendell Ramos,
annulled na kami. Mayroong bagong nanliligaw na congressman, si Christian
Vasquez, na mayaman na mayaman. May helicopter scene, pinapag-shopping niya
kaming magkakapatid, bongga! Siyempre, writer and author pa rin ako ng book."
Her character who is a sexologist who has written several books on sexual relationships.
She continues: "Si Iza, nagkaanak na kasi, di ba, nabuntis siya sa first film? Ipapakita ko yung scenario ng isang single mom na nagtatrabaho," says Rufa Mae. Incidentally, she will star in another film titled Civil Status: Single.
Marian is the youngest sibling Courtney who married
basketball star Patrick (Will Devaughn). "Nag-grow na ang character ko, hindi
na siya KSP [kulang sa pansin]," describes Marian. "Hindi na siya papansin at
successful na siya. Ang problema na lang yung asawa niya kasi insecure siya sa
sobrang successful niya. Yun yung kailangan niyang i-handle."
How was it like working with Ogie? "Nakaka-aliw siya, sobrang professional.
Naloloka siya sa akin kasi tili ako ng tili."
Ruffa Gutierrez reprises her role as Isabella, a single mother who had financial problems in the past but was too proud to admit it. She was paired with R&B singer Jay-R who is cast as a model named Vito.
"Sa first Desperadas, wala akong pakialam sa pera, gastos ako ng gastos, inubos ko yung pera ng tatay ko sa mga luho ko. Ngayon, hindi na ako mayaman but I'm still trying to keep up the façade that I still have money. Isabella has more problems now, parang na i-in love na siya sa partner niyang si Jay-R. May bago kaming kapatid dito, hindi lalaki kung di isang tunay na babae na si Ogie.
"Behind the scenes, masasabi ko na mas close kami ngayon.
Last year kasi ang ka-close ko lang si Rufa Mae pero ngayon, close ko na rin
sina Iza, sina Marian. Last year, parang baguhan pa lang si Marian so nahihiya
pa siya. Ngayon, nakita ko kay Marian may confidence na siya. Magaan lahat ng
kasama sa set. Walang intriga, walang sapawan, walang talbugan. It's a very
good working vibe, especially with Ogie there—it's a riot!"
Their other sister is Iza who plays the role of Stephanie, a conservative lawyer married to Richard (TJ Trinidad).
Aside from shooting in The Fort, some sequences of Desperadas 2 have
been shot in Alabang and Subic Bay Freeport. This is one of the eight Filipino
movies that will open on December 25, 2008.