AJ RAVAL bursts into tears during the presscon of “Crush Kong Curly”, her latest Vivamax release on December 17.
There’s a line in the movie where AJ tells her leading man Wilbert Ross, who accused her of being immoral: “Respeto muna bago judgment”. Can she relate to that statement?
“Yes, I can, kasi na-judge na po ako,” she says, referring to her being bashed after she admitted she’s dating Aljur Abrenica.
“Alam naman natin yung mga tao rito. Hindi ako nagsinungaling, nagsabi ako ng totoo, pero na-judge pa rin ako. I tried to explain, pero walang nakaintindi.”
It was at this point that her voice broke and she started crying. After she wiped away her tears and she recovered, she said:
“Ayoko na muna pong pag-usapan. Next question na lang po. Ayoko ng magbitaw ng kahit anong salita tungkol sa lovelife.”
In “Crush Kong Curly”, she plays Elle, a pretty girl with very curly hair who works as an online influencer. She then meets Wilbert Ross, her leading man, a former seminarian with conservative views. This is Wilbert’s first lead role. So how is it to be paired with a newcomer? Did she guide him in the movie?
“The good thing about Wilbert is he’s willing to learn and ready siya sa mga pinagagawa sa kanya ni Direk GB Sampedro,” she says. “He always tries to give his best by asking our director and the staff about his role. About guiding him, no, I didn’t make alalay to him.”
But Wilbert butts in and says she helped him in their intimate scenes. “Sa love scene, tinuruan mo ako, sabi mo: ‘Tingnan mo ko sa mata, isipin mong in love ka talaga sakin.’ And for that, I’m thankful.”
She says it’s good they’ve worked previously in “Shoot Shoot, Di Kita Titigilan”. “Kaya cool lang ang bonding ng friendship namin ni Wilbert. Madali naman ako makasundo kasi I’m one of the boys. Lumaki ko sa tatay ko at puro lalaki mga kapatid ko, so sanay ako sa company nila. Ang bonding ko, even with my friends, nagre-wrestling kami, suntukan. So sanay ako dealing with boys.”
She just started her career last January with “Gusto Ko Maging Pornstar”. Then more films quickly followed: “Death of a Girlfriend”, “Nerissa”, “Taya”, “Shoot Shoot” and now, “Crush Kong Curly”. A total of six films. Does she feel like she’s a big star now?
“At ginagawa ko na rin po ang seventh film ko, an action movie with Direk Roman Perez Jr.,” she says. “I’m just so grateful nag boom ang career ko, but hindi ko sinasaksak sa isip ko na kilala na ako.
"Napansin ko lang na kilala na pala ako nang ang bawat sabihin ko nagiging issue. So now, mas maingat na ko at hindi na dire-diretso sa pagsasalita. Hindi naman lahat, kailangan mong i-share sa public. You still have to keep private things, private.”
With seven films to her credit, how will she rate her acting now?
“I think na may improvement naman po sa acting skills ko. Mas totoo ang emotions ko na nararamdaman ko ngayon sa mga eksena. Importante kasing maganda yung story ng movie na ginagawa mo.
"Like dito sa ‘Crush Kong Curly’, it’s not just another sex comedy kasi may aral din siya. May lalim ang story nito kasi yung character ko, basta hinusgahan siya ng family ni Wilbert.
"Di nila alam kung bakit siya napunta sa trabaho niya as a sexy influencer and how she strives so hard para mabago ang takbo ng buhay niya.”
Has she introduced any guy to her family who they later rejected?
“Ay, wala pa po akong napakilala sa family ko, kasi hindi pa naman ako nagkaroon ng serious relationship na sigurado. Usually, between the two of us lang muna.
"May nanliligaw noon sa akin na hindi tinanggap ng family ko. Yung tatay ko (Jeric Raval), laging nakabantay sa akin. E, luko-luko rin yung tatay ko, so natakot yung guy at siya na ang mismong lumayo.”
