Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 14) — Besting two Padillas, veteran actress Gladys Reyes on Friday said she was “shocked” after being named Best Actress in the inaugural Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for her role in the movie “Apag.”
“I wasn’t really expecting anything, I was just so happy I was there… that is why I was shocked when my name was called,” she told CNN Philippines. “I’m so grateful that they were able to notice my performance.”
Actresses Bela Padilla and Kylie Padilla were also nominated in the best female lead role category.
“Apag,” a film by Brillante Mendoza, tells the story of Kapampangan restaurant owner Rafael, played by actor Coco Martin, who gets involved in a car accident that leads to the death of another individual.
Actors Lito Lapid, Jaclyn Jose, and Mercedes Cabral also star in the movie.
Reyes said she found her role as \”Nita Balagtas\” truly challenging.
In doing every scene, Reyes said the actors were only given sequence guides and no dialogues at all.
Once on the set, Mendoza will only give some instructions then it’s up to the actor what lines or ad libs to deliver, she added.
“It was a big challenge for me because in my 38 years in the industry, I’ve never done any movie, or even a serye (series) that would require us to say our own lines,” she shared.
“It was a big challenge, exciting at the same time, but I was really nervous because once I was on the set… I just put myself in the character of ‘Nita Balagtas’ and that’s it. I just did my best,” she added.
Reyes said she considers “Apag” very special because she experienced many firsts in the project.
Aside from being named Best Actress in the maiden Summer MMFF, Reyes said this was also her first award in a movie, and her first film with a Cannes-winning filmmaker.
During the awards night, the film’s theme song \”Paralaya\” by Andy Alviz also won Best Original Theme Song.
Meanwhile, Reyes also stars in another MMFF entry, “Here Comes the Groom,” which also received a number of recognitions including 3rd Best Picture.
