“No, she Ellen talaga ang first choice ko after I worked with her in ‘Bayang Magiliw’, where she played a small role,” says Direk Gil. “But then I got a call from Dave Fabros of GMA Artist Center asking for a meeting. Sabi raw ni Joey Abacan ng GMA Films, baka puedeng I can use their stars so they can later buy from me the TV rights. Sabi ko, I want to audition their stars. When Eric Ramos, the scriptwriter, and I talked to Kris Bernal, nagustuhan namin siya agad kasi she has this determination to play the role. Sabi niya, she’s 24 and she’s tired of playing the same old sweet roles she does on TV. She really wants to try something else, kahit daring. So we chose her kasi bagay talaga siya sa lead role of Twinkle, a girl na anak ng isang rebelde sa Mindanao but raised by someone in the military, isang general, played by Cris Villanueva. Kaso, napariwara siya, naging drug addict, and while in rehab, she learns na buhay pa ang biological father niya, played by Arnold Reyes. The film really happens one summer while Twinky is in rehab. So, sumama na si Kris Bernal sa amin doing research as we visit rehab centers. Then I got a call from GMA asking me if we could rewrite the script because Avon objected to it. Kasi Kris would be doing a new soap, ‘Prinsesa ng Masa’, where she’ll be selling Avon products. Kung puede raw, huwag masyadong gawing sexy yung role niya. Of course, may love scenes and she’ll show some flesh but wala namang frontal nudity diyan, ano? I said no, why would we rewrite the script just for them? No one tells me to do that. So we went back to Ellen Adarna and she did beautifully in the movie. Ewan ko nga why GMA won’t give her bigger roles. Ang mga kasama naming leading men niya, taga-GMA pa rin namin, Dominic Roco as yung boyfriend niyang bad influence sa kanya and Marc Acueza as yung good boy naman sa buhay niya. Dapat sana, si Enzo Pineda ang gusto ko sa role ni Marc, but hindi raw siya puede kasi may ‘Sunday All Stars’ siya, so we had to replace him. But I still want to work with Kris kasi napapanood ko siya and she acts well. Maybe, after this ‘Prinsesa ng Masa’, she’d be available for my next film, which is a remake of Vilma Santos’ ‘Miss X’, a big hit in 1980 about a Pinay prostitute in Amsterdam’s red light district. We’re still willing to get her. But as of now, as Twinkle, Kris’ loss is Ellen Adarna’s gain. I’m sure mapapansin si Ellen dito.”
