Shuvee Etrata expressed her gratitude to Vice Ganda and Nadine Lustre for giving her and fellow ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ housemates a chance to be part of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2025 entry ‘Call Me Mother.’
Etrata, who stars as a student activist named Ria in the MMFF 2025 entry, showed her appreciation for Vice and Nadine at an intimate media huddle on Tuesday, December 2. They are also joined by co-stars Brent Manalo, Mika Salamanca, and Klarisse de Guzman.
‘Excited na excited ako for people to see [the film], thank you so much to Meme and Ate Nadz to be part of it,’ she said.
For Etrata, the opportunity to be part of the film is ‘surreal’ as someone who used to watch MMFF films back then.
‘It feels surreal as someone na nanonood ng MMFF films [dati], ngayon part na ako. Excited na akong makita ng mga tao ang pinaghirapan ng buong team. Sana ma-appreciate nila ang ginawa namin,’ she said.
Natural comedians
Touching on the work ethic of the former ‘PBB’ housemates, Vice Ganda said they are natural comedians and their closeness made it easier for him and Lustre to establish a positive working relationship.
‘Naku, mga komedyante ang mga ‘to. Humahaba ang eksena namin dahil sa kanila. Naturally, ang sasaya nila. And close na sila so sumisingaw ang closeness ng relationship nila so ang dali lang magharutan at magpatawa. Iba iba ang joke nila kada shot,’ he said. The ‘It’s Showtime’ mainstay host hoped that the closeness of the cast will extend beyond the screen.
‘Masaya ang shooting experience namin, hindi nga nila alam na tapos na. Sobra kaming nag-enjoy, masaya ang vibe sa set namin. Hindi magtatakang na kahit tapos na, tatagos sa screen ang [pag-enjoy namin] sa pelikula,’ he said.
Etrata’s remarks echoed the caption of her Instagram post, which included photos of herself with the cast of the MMFF 2025 film.
‘Nasa MMFF na kami. Thank you so much meme @praybeytbenjamin for this opportunity. Salamat sa paniniwala mo sa amin at sa pagbigay sa amin ng pagkakataon magkasama sa isang pelikula. We love you soooo much!’ she wrote.
The friendship of Etrata and Vice Ganda made headlines last September after a video of the ‘PBB’ housemate saying ‘eew’ at the actor-comedian resurfaced on social media, wherein she was being asked whether she sees select celebrities as ‘tropa’ (friend) or ‘jowa’ (lover).
The Sparkle star, however, clarified in the same video that she is not disgusted by Vice, and it is due to the fact that both of them ‘are girls.’
After the resurfaced video went viral, Etrata said she sent a message to Vice expressing her apology and hoped that they would ‘talk things out.’ She also clarified that her appearance on ‘It’s Showtime’ would depend on the ‘availability’ of her schedule.
On the other hand, Vice remained silent about the controversy.