MERCEDES CABRAL as CONNIE
DIRECTOR GB SAMPEDRO (GB stands for Giuseppe Bede) started his filmmaking career in 2009 with “Astig” that won awards in the Cinemalaya Filmfest.
It took five years he got to direct his next film, “Separados”, in 2014 and another three years to do his third movie, “Mang Kepweng Returns”, in 2017.
But ever since he got to direct for Vivamax, he has been very prolific in churning out a new film every couple of months.
He has since put up his own company, Five 2 Seven Entertainment Production, and directed for Viva the sex-comedies “Kaka” with Sunshine Guimary, “Crush Kong Curly” with AJ Raval and “5 in 1” with an all-star cast.
He also did the sexy comedy mini-series, “High (School) on Sex”.
He like directed sexy psychological thrillers with disturbed lead characters like “Kinsenas Katapusan” with Ayanna Misola, “Doblado” with Josef Elizalde, “Purificacion” with Cara Gonzales and “Kara Krus” with Denise Esteban and Luis Alandy.
He now comes up with something different in “La Querida”, written by Eric Ramos.
The movie has two different but both very passionate love stories. The two stories interweave with one another.
One story happens to an older couple in their 40s, starring Jay Manalo as Leo and Mercedes Cabral as Connie.
The other story happens to a younger couple in their 20s, starring Arron Villaflor as Jose and Angela Morena as Maria.
It turns out they are both cases of forbidden love affairs since Jay is a married man, with Yda Manzano playing his wife, while Angela is a married woman, with Josef Elizalde playing her husband.
The movie tries to expound on the real meaning of the word “Querida”.
As Arron and Angela explain in an important scene, Querida in Spanish, as used in Jose Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios”, means dear, love, beloved.
“But in Tagalog,” says Arron, “nagkaroon ito ng negative connotation.”
“Yes,” Angela agrees. “Naging kabit, kulasisi, third party, secret lover, homewrecker.”
It’s the first time for Arron and Angela to work with each other and they said they had fun on the set.
“Magkababayan kami ni Arron,” says Angela. “Pareho kaming kabalen so nagkasundo kami agad. Napakabait niya during the shoot.
"Magaling na aktor at magaan katrabaho. He helped me a lot lalo sa isang difficult scene na he really helped in pushing me to give my best at maitawid ko nang maayos.”
Arron in the turn is happy because he’s playing a good boy role in “La Querida” after playing negative characters in “Wag Mong Agawin ang Akin”, “Secrets of a Nympho” and "Night Bird”.
“Ibang-iba talaga ito kasi it’s a romance, a love story,” he says. “Maganda yung role ko as a young man na na-in love with Angela without knowing na married na pala siya.
"Maganda yung story at nangyayari naman talaga sa totoong buhay yung mga sitwasyon na pinakita namin dito. I enjoyed working with Angela kasi napakagaling niya rito.
"Bagay ito sa darating na Valentine kasi hindi lang isa kundi dalawang love stories ang mapapanood nila.”
Mercedes Cabral and Arron Villaflor are really so busy as they’re also part of other current projects.
In the series “Erotica Manila”, Mercedes plays a hasbeen movie star who has a fling with a production assistant on the set of her movie.
Arron, in turn, is with “Night Bird” where he plays a bad guy who rapes and accidentally kills his date, Chloe Jenna.
The movie has a big cast since it has two different stories. How did Direk GB cast the movie?
“Yes, malaki ang cast at talagang pinag-isipan muna namin nang matagal kung sino ang babagay sa bawat role.
"I’ve worked with Jay, Angela and Arron so alam ko na makakaya nilang gampanan ang characters they’re playing in the movie.
"Si Mercedes naman, first time to ko, bagay na bagay siyang kapareha ni Jay sa story nila. Pati ang supporting cast members, piling-pili silang lahat.
'At ang pinaka-challenging dito, yung pagtatahi sa dalawang magkaibang story para mabuo siya.”
The supporting cast of “La Querida” includes Andrew Muhlach, Jiad Arroyo, Irma Adlawan, Aurora Sevilla, Rey PJ Abellana and Christian Lucasan.