While Rochelle Pangilinan has been acting for quite some time, she considers ‘Child No. 82’ as ‘food for my soul,’ as it allowed her to explore more of herself as an actress.
‘Child No. 82,’ an action-adventure film that marks the full-length directorial debut of Tim Rone Villanueva, tells the story of Max (JM Ibarra) finding out he is the son of the late action star Maximo ‘Boy Kana’ Maniego Sr. (Vhong Navarro). Max is in a race against time to prove that he is indeed the biological son, much to the worry of his mother (Rochelle Pangilinan).
‘Itong Cinemalaya, pangarap kong makasama rito. Habang kumakain kami [noong press con] at tinitingnan ko ang mga kasama ko rito, iniisip ko na matataba talaga ang utak nila. ‘Child No. 82′ is food for my soul. Gusto ko talagang gumaling sa pag-arte, at isa ito sa paraan na nakikita ko na mas gagaling ka pa dapat,’ Pangilinan told Inquirer Entertainment on the sidelines of the festival’s launch.
(It’s been my dream to be part of Cinemalaya. While eating, I observed the others here in this festival. I’m in awe of how great their minds are. ‘Child No. 82’ is food for my soul. I always wanted to grow as an actress, and this is one of the ways where I can improve.)
As a mom to her daughter Shiloh, Pangilinan confessed that she doesn’t want most of the film’s events to happen in real life, especially when it comes to figuring out one’s identity.
‘Maraming makakarelate rito na nanay na lumalaban araw-araw para lang buhayin ang anak nila at siyempre, ang anak nilang Gen Z na maraming pinagdadaanan pero [nonetheless], masaya pa rin silang magi-ina,’ she said.
‘Maraming eksena rito na pinagdaanan ni JM ay ayokong mangyari sa anak ko, isa sa kinatatakutan ko ‘yun. Isa sa natutunan ko rito bilang isang working mom ay sisiguraduhin na lagi akong nasa tabi ng anak ko,’ she continued.
(A lot of moms can relate to this, especially to those who fight every single day to raise their children. Gen Zs who also go through so much can also relate to this. But to clarify, we have a happy mom-and-son relationship here. I don’t want my daughter to go through the experiences that JM has been through here. It’s one of the things I’m scared about. What I also learned as a working mom is to always be by my child’s side.) The actress opened up about learning from Villanueva, her co-stars, and the film’s creatives, sharing that Villanueva is the kind of filmmaker who focuses on solutions whenever problems arise.
‘Kapag may nangyayaring problema, laging solusyon. Hindi niya iniisip ang problema, sino may kasalanan, sa kanya ko nakuha ‘yun. Nagagamit ko siya sa tunay na buhay,’ she said.
‘Nakakatuwa lalo na sa mga bumuo ng pelikula, nag-pay off lahat ng pinaghirapan. Ibang klase sila. Lahat sila, alam nila ang ginagawa nila kahit kanino ka magtanong sa set. Alam kung anong kukunan, professional lahat, ayokong matapos ang araw. Kahit mahirap ang eksena, masaya kami,’ she added.
(When problems arise, he always focuses on the solutions. He doesn’t stay on the problem and who is at fault, I got that from him. I apply that trait in real life now. It makes me happy seeing the hard work of everyone involved pay off. They’re so good. They know what they’re doing – no matter whom you ask in the set. They know where to shoot. Everyone was so professional. I didn’t want the day to end. Even if the scenes were hard, we were happy.)
When asked if she’s ready to accept an acting award, Pangilinan said: ‘Hindi ko siya ine-expect pero kung binigay sa’kin, sino ako para tumanggi? Extra blessing ‘yun. Hindi ako umaasa pero [sana] mapanood [lahat ng pelikula], enough na ‘yun for me.’
(I don’t expect to receive an award. But if they would give it to me, who am I to pass it on? It’s an extra blessing. I don’t want to hope for it too much, but I hope I can watch all of this year’s films. That’s enough for me.)