It’s been three years since we last saw Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber star in a film together and, since then, we’ve witnessed their growth as people and as actors. Now, they’re back to delight their loyal fans with a movie comeback they’ve all been waiting for that will start the new year off with a bang!
Exactly on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2021, their new movie titled “Princess DayaReese” is premiering online with a story that will surely grip you, make you laugh, and make you fall in love with the characters that both Maymay and Edward are set to portray.
The story of Princess DayaReese begins with Reese, a girl with an ambition to get rich quick for the sake of her family and to prove to her grandfather that she can do it all without his help. So, when she is offered the opportunity to trade places with Princess Ulap of the Oro Kingdom, a fantasy land that is in a different world than what we know of, she immediately grabs it in exchange for material wealth. However, she will eventually find it difficult to keep up her act when journalist and movie director Caleb and his team visit Oro Kingdom to film a documentary and unravel its amazing secrets. And when Caleb starts discovering that something seems off especially with “Princess Ulap” (Reese in disguise), he will go to great lengths to find out the truth no matter what.
“Princess DayaReese” was a film that went through many obstacles. From originally scheduled to be shot in April, it got postponed to August, then September, before finally being pushed through in November with a premiere date already set on January. You’d think that all these different setbacks would make it difficult for the cast and crew to work on the film. However, it proved to be the opposite.
“Ang haba ng journey bago namin nasimulan which is sobrang advantage para sa akin para mas mapaghandaan ko ‘yung character ko,” Maymay shared with When In Manila in an exclusive interview. “Hindi lang din naman sa preparation ko kung bakit naging madali ‘yung shooting kundi dahil ‘yung buong production na lahat kami nagkakaisa, nagtutulungan. Ni isang reklamo wala akong narinig.”
“Sobrang perfect lang para sa akin kasi ang gaan nilang makatrabaho, todo support sila kaya mas lalong namotivate kami ni Edward na mas galingan pa namin kasi talagang pinaramdam nila na sa amin na kaya namin,” she added.
It wasn’t difficult for them to form chemistry with their co-stars either. Maymay and Edward couldn’t help but gush over how supportive the entire cast and crew were to each other throughout the process, from helping each other in their scenes to making sure each one brings out their best.
“We had a lot of time to talk. ‘Yun ‘yung pinakanagustuhan ko sa lock-in shooting,” Edward shared. “We had a lot of time to talk to our cast and our director, to bond with them, to gel, to build the chemistry, to get annoyed with each other, and then make up.”
“If you were to look at the old normal… after two weeks siguro ‘yung chemistry na ‘yun. Sa lock-in shooting, two days, three days buo na.”
“Kagaya ng sinabi ko kanina, nagkakaisa, nagtutulungan at bawat isa sa kanila solid. Sobrang solid. Wala kang maririnig na kahit isang reklamo, bigay na bigay, kahit wala sa kanila ‘yung shot pero susuportahan ka nila para mas lalong mafeed yung eksena,” Maymay continued.
Their own dynamic as a loveteam hasn’t changed through the years either. They trust that they will have each other’s back when needed, but also know when to let each other do their own thing.
“Kay Edward, gaya ng dati, nagtutulungan talaga kami. Alam na namin ‘yung timing kung kelan kami papasok para tulungan namin ‘yung isa’t isa kasi minsan mas okay sa amin na mag-isa lang para mas focus dun sa gustong makuha namin na emosyon. At madaling katrabaho si Edward kasi nga willing siyang tumulong ‘pag kailangan ko ng tulong,” shared Maymay.
Of course, with the premiere of their comeback film comes the pressure of living up to the expectations of their fans. Maymay admitted feeling the pressure when the movie was first pitched to them but, as time went by, that pressure turned into excitement.
“Halo-halo ‘yung feeling. Nung sinabi samin na magkakamovie na kami ulit, nung pinitch pa lang ito, syempre [may] pressure. Nandun ‘yung pressure at kaba. Pero ‘pag nandun ka na mismo sa kwentong iyon, maeexcite ka na. Mapapalitan ng excitement ‘yun kasi ang ganda ng istorya talaga,” she said. “Excited na masaya na sobrang blessed kasi, wow, parang binigyan kami ulit ng chance para ipagkatiwala sa amin ‘tong malaking proyekto na ito.”
Edward, on the other hand, felt grateful knowing that this was a chance to show how much he and Maymay have improved as actors.
(ALSO READ: ‘Let’s write our own history,’ says Edward Barber as he and Maymay Entrata Register as Voters)
“[‘Loving in Tandem’ back in] 2017 was our first movie. We got that movie na halos walang acting experience,” he reminisced. “There were times where we felt like, ‘What the heck are we doing here?’”
“The fact that they trusted us especially this year… we really appreciate that trust and the chance and the patience,” he added. “Coming from 2017, ‘yung ‘Loving in Tandem’, to 2020 or technically 2021 na ‘Princess DayaReese’—proud na proud kami.”
And as a new year begins with all of us hoping for growth, positivity, and change, “Princess DayaReese” will remind us of the importance of being grateful for what you have and of allowing yourself to make mistakes.
“Ang important lesson na nakuha ko sa movie na ito [ay] ‘yung pagkakatotoo sa sarili mo na hindi mo kailangan magpanggap para mahalin ka dun sa mga taong nakapaligid sayo,” mused Maymay. “Na ‘di mo kailangan madaliin ‘yung pagkuha mo sa pangarap mo. Bale ang sarap kasi sa pakiramdam kapag nakita mo ‘yung produkto ng alam mong pinaghirapan mo.”
“It’s okay to make mistakes. Whether as a character or as an actor,” continued Edward. “It’s really okay to make mistakes and you don’t have to be perfect every time. I’m a perfectionist in every way, I’ve tried to be perfect. [But] it’s okay to make mistakes. If you fall down, get back up. Super cheesy pero totoo. When you realize it yourself, and you have that kindness to yourself na okay, nagkamali ka, just keep on going, don’t give up. No one’s expecting you to be perfect except yourself. Allow yourself to breathe. Be kind to yourself.”
(ALSO READ: 16 Filipino Celebrity Love Teams We Will Stan Forever)
“Princess DayaReese” will be available on KTX.ph (ktx.ph), iWant TFC (tfc.tv), IPTV, Cignal PPV (my.cignal.tv), and Sky Cable PPV (mysky.com.ph) starting January 1, 2021.
Are you excited about this? Share with us your thoughts in the comments!
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