Director Joel Lamangan On What Really Happened On The Set Of 'The Significant Other' Where Lovi Poe & Erich Gonzales Got Violent With Each Other

DIRECTOR JOEL LAMANGAN brought the house down during the eulogy for the late director Maryo J. de los Reyes. He said Maryo was his mentor when he joined PETA (Philippine Educational Theatre Association) in 1976. “Nauna siya sa’kin doon kasi 1968 pa siya,” says Joel. “Kinorner niya ko, sabi niya sa’kin, hindi ka magiging magaling na artista dahil may itinatago ka. Bakla ka! Dahil sa kanya, mas nakilala kong sarili ko, pero natakot ako, anong sasabihin ng family ko kung malalaman nilang bakla ako? Teacher ko siya at siya rin ang nagbigay sa’kin ng break sa movies. Kinuha niya ko sa isang bold movie, kasama sina Steve Paulo aka Tata Esteban at si Myrna Castillo. Akala ko, kay Steve niya ko pagagawin ng love scene dahil yun ang pinagnanasaan ko. Pero pinleytime niya ko. Kay Myrna ako pinag-bedscene. Naku, diring-diri ako!”

He directed several movies last year. His first movie for 2018 will now be shown on February 21, “The Significant Other”, which is about the eternal love triangle starring Lovi Poe, Tom Rodriguez
and Erich Gonzales. How did he make “The Significant Other” different from other love triangle movies that are now a dime-a-dozen?

“Hindi ko puedeng i-reveal but ibang-iba ang ending nito from other love triangle films na napanood na. Magugulat kayo. But I have to credit my three stars. Magaling silang lahat. Si Lovi, ilang beses ko nang nakatrabaho. Nanalo na siyang best actress for our movie, ‘Sagrada Familia’. It’s always nice to work with her kasi she’s nice to everyone, sa lahat ng tao sa set, parang daddy niyang si FPJ. Si Tom, nakatrabaho ko na sa TV pero first time sa movie. Okay naman siya. He delivers. Si Erich, ngayon ko pa lang talaga nakatrabaho at hindi siya nagpatalo sa mga kasama niya.”

How come there was a report that Lovi and Erich are feuding because of a “sampalan” scene they did where they really hurt each other? The rumor says it’s because he forced to them really slap each other very hard. “Ang sabi ko lang, huwag nilang pekein nang hindi na i-take two. Si Erich ang unang nanampal nang pagkalakas-lakas. Sumabit ang kamay niya sa hikaw ni Lovi, nasugatan, nagdugo. Wedding gown ang suot niya, nalagyan ng dugo. Kita mong na-shocked si Lovi, lumabas ang pagiging anak niya ni FPJ at gumanti talaga. Kaya nagkasakitan nga sila. Natigil ang shooting. Nagulat ang lahat. Pareho silang tumalikod at nag-walkout. Namroblema kami. Kasi big scene yun, ginastusan. Hindi puedeng i-pack up ang shooting. Pero maya-maya, after mahimasmasan sila, bumalik din. Nag-usap sila. Nagkabati rin. Sige raw, ituloy na ang shoot. Pagkatapos nila, yung mga nanay naman nila ang nagsampalan. Si Dina Bonnevie, nanay ni Lovi. Si Snooky Serna, nanay ni Erich. Sabi ko, hoy, huwag nyong gagayahin yung mga anak nyo, ha. Pero veterans na sila, so alam na nila ang gagawin nila at maayos na nagawa ang eksena.”

In the story, Tom is a successful cosmetic surgeon while Lovi is the number one model in the country. Their relationship has gone cold when Tom met Erich, an aspiring model with a big birthmark on her neck. Someone referred her to Tom to remove the birthmark and that’s how their romance started.

After “The Significant Other”, Direk Joel is directing a romantic movie produced by talent manager
Arnold Vegafria, “Because I Love You”, which will be the first starring role of Shaira Mae
de la Cruz and David Licauco. Then he’s directing the mother-daughter team of Rosemarie Gil and Cherie Gil in the late Rolando Tinio’s work, “My Mother, My Daughter”, produced by some advertising people.

He’s also slated to do two new films for Baby Go’s BG Productions and, after “Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag”, he is developing another stage musical, “Binondo”, about the Chinese community in Manila. For the coming Metro-Manila Filmfest in December, he’s now preparing an environmental movie, “Maruming Hangin”, about pollution, with script by Ricky Lee.