Count Alessandra de Rossi as one, perhaps, of only a handful of Filipinos who will tell veteran actor and heartthrob Piolo Pascual that he isn’t that special.

In a media interview for their latest movie, My Amanda, I asked the two to recall when they first met. “Amsterdam?” Piolo volunteered. Alessandra shot back right away: “I don’t event remember that. You see, you’re not that striking.” 

It’s like this the entire stretch of the interview, with the two entertainment multi-hyphenates teasing, bantering, and poking fun at each other even as they spoke about the wonder and challenge that was making My Amanda, Alessandra’s directorial debut. 

“I had to go through everything just to see the process of filmmaking kasi hindi naman ako nag-aral eh. Lumaki ako sa set, pero ‘di ko alam yung nangyayari sa likod (because I didn’t study this. I grew up on the film set but I had no idea what was happening behind the scenes),” explained Alessandra, who also wrote the script. 

My Amanda, which is now streaming on Netflix, is Alessandra’s love letter to romance and friendship. “We’ve talked about love so many different times but the kind of love that we experienced in this film is so different; it’s so genuine that you would want that kind of love,” said Piolo. 

Completed in 2019, it’s been a long wait for the My Amanda team, and Alessandra especially. It’s also a relief for Piolo, who made sure to note that they’ve had to deal with Alessandra “constant nagging” for nearly three years. 

In this interview (which we’ve slightly edited for brevity), we talk about the idea behind My Amanda, the challenges of directing, and why both Alessandra and Piolo were all in for the movie. 

How did you come up with the concept? 

A: Wala lang, I just wanted to talk about something different. All Filipino films kasi, parang romcom…

P: Easy –

A: Hindi, there’s nothing wrong with that. Gusto ko lang ng ibang klaseng romance. (I just wanted a different kind of romance.)

P: Ibang take! (A different take!)

A: Ibang take on romance and friendship, also. Fan ako ng mga ano eh, friendship films. Ang saya nila panuorin. So yun yun, nakita ko si Piolo and Joyce [Bernal, who also produced the movie] – yung kind of friendship that they have and then…why? 

(A different take on romance and friendship, too. I’m such a fan of friendship films. It’s such a joy to watch. So I was seeing Piolo and Joyce [Bernal, movie producer] – the kind of friendship that they have and…why?)

P: (Laughing) Stop saying that. 

A: But you’re my producers! I also have that kind of friendship with my guy best friend. 

P: ‘Yun. 

A: I think it’s very fun to watch a guy and a girl banter and tease each other when they don’t like each other but they truly love each other. So yun yung, doon nag-stem yung idea. (That’s where I got the idea.)

Eric Charbonneau / Le Studio Photography

What does My Amanda want to say about friendship and love? 

A: That…yun na yun. 

P: For me, the relationship itself talks about how love can be taken, how love can be expressed, without having to be romantic about it. And this film really showed that and more, as you may have seen. The relationship between two friends is just icing on the cake. What’s born out of that relationship is the best part of the movie. We’ve talked about love so many different times but the kind of love that we experienced in this film is so different; it’s so genuine that you would want that kind of love. 

A: I have it. Oh, di ba? 

Let’s talk about chemistry. It’s obvious in the movie and then now that I’m talking to you guys, I also see your chemistry. Do you remember the first time the two of you met?

P: Toronto? 

A: I don’t even remember that. You see, you’re not that striking. 

P: That was Toronto! Or was it Busan? 

A: Tayo? Maybe somewhere in ABS-CBN, I guess. No! You had a movie, Manila. 

P: That wasn’t the first time… 

A: Okay, sorry. 

Eric Charbonneau / Le Studio Photography

What were your first impressions of each other? 

P: Indie!

A: Mainstream! .…Na nagpapaka-indie! (A mainstream actor who wanted to go indie.)  

A: But we bonded talaga sa shoot ng Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis. (We really bonded while shooting Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis.)

P: Yeah, with Lav Diaz. 

A: …and then we went to Amsterdam. That’s where the movie was born because I was just watching Piolo and Joyce and I said, aha! Ganitong-ganito friendship ko – mas malala pa (This is the kind of friendship I have too). Parang I wanna talk about it. It’s fun to watch. 

P: You didn’t talk about it. You wrote about it. 

A: Well, yeah. 

Eric Charbonneau / Le Studio Photography

Alessandra, how long did you prepare for writing, directing, then starring in it? 

A: Medyo kalokohan…nandyan na siya. Yung writing nagstart ako September 2017. Kita-Kita was July, so ganoon kabilis na nasa isip ko. Kasi Feb yung magkasama tayo sa Berlin eh. And then medyo matagal-tagal rin kasi ‘di ko rin alam saan pupunta yung story, dahil ‘di naman ako totoong writer na may ano…sequence break. Ano tawag sa ganoon?

(I started writing in September 2017. The movie Kita-Kita was in July, so the concept came to me that quick. Piolo and I were in Berlin in February. It took a while to write because I didn’t know where I wanted to take the story and I wasn’t a real writer who made…sequence breaks. What’s it called?)  

P: Sequence treatment. 

A: Hindi ako ganoon eh, so kung ano lang naisip ko. Natapos ko siya, siguro mga Feb 2018. Pero ang tagal. Pero may show tayo noon eh. Inoffer ko sa kanila ni Joyce. Joyce Bernal dapat mag-didirect. It was really for Spring Films. 

(I wasn’t thinking that way, I just wrote it the way I thought it. I finished it maybe in February 2018. It took so long. We were in a show then. I offered it to Piolo and Joyce. Joyce Bernal was supposed to direct. The movie was really for Spring Films.)

P: How come she didn’t direct it? 

A: Hindi daw niya alam kung paano i-handle (She said she didn’t know how to handle it).

P: Yung ganoong klaseng love story? (That kind of love story?)

A: Oo tsaka ayaw pa niya mag-direct noong mga panahon na iyon. So…yun, noong pinabasa ko siya sa ibang director, okay sila pero gusto nilang magdagdag ng ibang anggulo, kasi ang hirap daw i-market. Tas parang ako, ay, hindi pwede. Kaya napilitan…and then one day nanunuod ako ng The Mirror Has Two Faces sa Netflix. Sabi ko ang ganda naman ng story na ito, ang simple simple. And then BAM, produced and directed by Barbara Streisand. Oh really now? Teka nga. 

(And she didn’t want to direct then. So I gave the script to other directors. They liked it but they wanted to add something to it, because it was hard to market. I didn’t want to change it. So I was forced to…then one day, I watched The Mirror Has Two Faces on Netflix. I told myself, this is a beautiful story, it’s so simple. And then, BAM, it was produced and directed by Barbara Streisand. Seeing that made me think.)

P: Gaya-gaya ka pala. (So you were just copying off her.)

A: Ano ‘to? And yun na po ang pinakamalaking pagkakamali ko. (I was intrigued. And that was my greatest mistake.)

P: Kasi – she produced, she edited, she scored, she did everything. 

A: I had to go through everything just to see the process of filmmaking kasi hindi naman ako nag-aral eh. Lumaki ako sa set, pero di ko alam yung nangyayari sa likod. (I didn’t study this. I grew up on film sets but I didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes.)

P: What can you say about post-production? Which is harder – pre or post?

A: Post talaga eh. Kasi doon binubuo yung film. ‘Yun yung sasalo ng mistakes ng nakaraan, yung ‘di mo nakuha sa principal photography. (Post, for sure. Because that’s how the film is made. That’s where you correct the mistakes you made.)

P: That’s where the magic happens. 

A: Yes. Talagang na-imagine mo naitahi mo ang lahat. And of course, with Joyce Bernal na nasa likod ko, na nag-edit rin talaga. Nabuo na siya, guys! (That’s how things come together. Of course, Joyce Bernal was right behind me in editing the film. Now it’s come together, guys!)

Eric Charbonneau / Le Studio Photography

How does it feel that it’s finally coming out?

A: (Sings) I feel something…

P: I dunno, Bea, grabe. For three years, we had to deal with her constant nagging – “When are we gonna come out!”

A: Grabe naman yung constant (You’re exaggerating). Once a week lang yun!

P: But she was getting disappointed because she wanted it out so she could move on already. But it was worth the wait. So how do you feel now that it’s finally coming out?

A: It’s the right time. 

P: So ngayon, right time? 

A: Well yeah. God is always on time, diba? Sadly, walang sinehan. Pero naisip ko rin better for me kasi walang premiere night. Parang, di kailangan ma-force yung mga tao pumalakpak. 

(Sadly, there are no theaters. But I think that’s better for me because there’s no premiere night. People won’t be forced to clap after watching.)

How did you prepare to portray the two characters? 

P: I guess when you like something, when you do something that you really really value, you do everything. And this is…Kita-Kita, I’ve seen more than a 100 times. I had to be with it for a whole year. For this, it was more than that. Because we really wanted to come up with a film that would be tastefully done and would be appreciated by a lot of people. That’s why we never complained. I mean, she was hospitalized many times because she was stressing over so many things. Pero it was all worth the pain, the sacrifices and the waiting. 

A: Yung mga…yung bill sa hospital, hindi worth it yun. Tsaka tulog ka sa shoot, tigilan mo ako. (Oh the hospital bill wasn’t worth it. And you were asleep while we were shooting, stop it!)

P: Ikaw? (How about you?)

A: Ako? Yun nga, tama siya. Na-ospital. I lost myself so many times. Hindi ko alam kung paano ba ako mag-isip – as a director, as a writer, as an actor, as a producer. May mga ganoon eh. May moments na inulan kami. So parang, ‘Alex, kailangan mo nang kunin ‘to or else bukas magbabayad tayo ulit.’ Parang…paano ko kukunan na umuulan?! Tas naisip ko okay, producer ka tas kaibigan mo rin yung producers mo, yung kapatid mo, brother-in-law mo rin…so parang, may ano syempre. May degree of hiya! Ayoko na sila pagbayarin, sige bahala na si Batman. (Laughs) So ayun, na-ospital na lang ako. Sana pala ako nalang nag-bayad ng ibang days, same yung gastos [sa ospital].   

(He’s right. I was hospitalized. I lost myself so many times. I wasn’t sure which role I was playing – as a director, as a writer, as an actor, as a producer. There were moments like that. We got rained on so they were telling me, ‘Alex, we need to shoot this or tomorrow we’ll have to pay again.’ And I was wondering…how do I shoot in the rain?! And I reminded myself that I’m a producer, your friends are producers, your sisters, brother-in-law are producers so there’s…pressure. I didn’t want them to pay extra, so I left it to fate. So I ended up in the hospital. I should have just paid for those extra days since I spent as much on the hospital bill.)

– Rappler.com