Althea Vega: Star on her own terms

MANILA, Philippines – In the world of Philippine independent cinema, Althea Vega is a familiar face and a prolific actress.

Indeed, the 25-year-old Althea qualifies for the distinction, “star,” in this milieu, although she has so far kept herself outside the radar of mainstream showbiz – going by the few, if at all, stories about her on pep.ph.

You may find out more about Althea on her wordpress. But soon she may get the international exposure her talents deserve – not by any assistance in the local showbiz community but by being in the right place at the right time: as the lead actress in British director Sean Ellis’ “Metro Manila.”

READ: 3 Philippine-themed films submitted to Oscars

“Metro Manila” has been making the rounds of the international film circuit, and it is only as of this reporting that this film will soon be shown in Philippine cinemas.

The film won the Audience Choice Award in the 2013 Sundance International Film Festival.

“Metro Manila” follows the story of a poor provincial family moving to the big city in search of a better life.

Althea plays Mai Ramirez, a young housewife forced by circumstances to work in a nightclub to augment the meager salary of her husband Oscar (played by Jake Macapagal), whose job soon drags him to a network of crime and corruption.

Althea remembered auditioning for the role 3 years ago at an office in RCBC Plaza in Makati City. It might have been just one of those auditions, but this was a British production for an English-language script that would morph into a Filipino-language drama by the time of the shooting. 

“After a few days, I got the call and they told me I was chosen to play the role of Mai,” Althea said.

A different project

She prepared for the role as soon as she got the script and she remembers being excited that she was going to be directed by a young British filmmaker.

“We started shooting in December, 2010. We shot in Manila for a few days, [and then] Banaue. We had a Christmas break. After that, tuloy ulit ang shoot sa Manila. Natapos ang shooting January na.” (The shoot continued in Manila. We finished by January.)

How did Althea find director Ellis?

“It was a privilege working with him,” she said. “I think, he’s quite a unique person. He’s a brilliant person, and what I liked about him was that he just let me discover my acting style, which is to stay natural.”

Althea had no idea at the time, of course, that the film would soon enough be submitted to the Oscars for consideration. She felt good (“masarap sa pakiramdam”), she said, when she heard the news.

“Worth it yung pinaghirapan namin at mas lalo pa ako na-inspire na gumawa nang mga makahulugang pelikula.” (All our hard work was worth it, and I’m more inspired to do more meaningful films.)

Regardless of the film’s reception abroad, Althea hopes her fellow Filipinos would see “Metro Manila.”

‘Indie bold actress’

Among Althea’s notable works in the indie scene are Aloy Adlawan’s fascinating, unpredictable “Ang Katiwala” (with Dennis Trillo), Mes de Guzman’s “Diablo” (which won 4 awards at the 2012 Cinemalaya, including Best Film and Best Director), and Cesar Evangelista’s period film “Amor y Muerte.”

The year 2013 being the LGBT milieu, Althea also has a love story with Angel Aquino, “Astray,” currently being completed. “Metro Manila” is another striking entry in Althea’s increasingly diverse filmography. – Rappler.com 

Here’s the trailer of ‘Metro Manila’: