Cebuano director Keith Deligero speaks during an episode of CDN Freshtalk. CDN Digital photo | Gerard Vincent Francisco
Cebu City, Philippines—If Cebuano director Keith Deligero would have his dream film, he would choose John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo as his lead stars.
In an interview during the #CDNFreshtalk, a Sunday program of Cebu Daily News Digital in its Facebook page, Deligero said he dreams of both Kapamilya stars leading his planned romantic comedy film.
“Maayo unta og mosugot pa si John Lloyd. Oo, he is (good actor),” Deligero said.
(I hope John Lloyd would agree for a comeback. Yes, he is a good actor.)
Cruz had been in a show business hiatus since 2017 after he was linked to Cebuana actress Ellen Adarna.
In 2018, Adarna reportedly gave birth to her firstborn with Cruz.
“Kung mag huna huha ka og rom-com (romantic comedy) gud, si John Lloyd gyud na. Rom-com kay si Popoy and Basha man gyud na,” Deligero said.
(If you think about rom-com, it is John Lloyd. Rom-Com is Popoy and Basha.)
Popoy and Basha were the characters of Cruz and Bea Alonzo, respectively, in the movies, “One More Chance” (2007) and “A Second Chance” (2015).
“Mag dream na lang man ka, adto na lang gyud ka sa pinakataas (best stars). Naka feel ko naa siya’y gipangita nga something. Feeling nako, og magkatrabaho me makatabang ko og pangita ana nga something,” he answered why he would choose Cruz.
(Since you are working on a dream project, then have good people on that project. I feel that John Lloyd is searching for something. I have a feeling that if we would work together, I could help him find that something.)
John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo. | photo from sarahgph Instagram
In choosing Geronimo, Deligero said that he finds Popstar Royalty interesting and a good actress in her previous films.
Geronimo and Cruz worked together in several films like “Finally Found Someone” (2017), “It Takes a Man and a Woman” (2013), “You Changed My Life” (2009), and “A Very Special Love” (2008).
“Ganahan ko niya. Even before katong first series niya sa hapon, pagbalhin niya sa ABS-CBN. Regardless sa chemistry, naa koy ma feel something special sa iya,” he said.
(I like her as an actress even before she starred her first series in ABS-CBN. Regardless of chemistry, there is something special on her.)
Why Rom-Com?
Deligero admitted that he has no specific favorite genre in terms of making films.
He said he wants to try all the movie genres, including the rom-com, before he could decide what will be his forte.
“The way I conceptualize, dili kay genre first but story first then genre. Mao na, mag una story and idea. Ganahan ko something rom-com nga i-360 degrees turn,” he said.
(It is not genre first. The way I conceptualized is there must be a story first before choosing a genre. You want a rom-com with a 360-degree twist.)
The planned romantic comedy film will be a Tagalog story with Bisaya flavor.
Deligero is a filmmaker known for his works like “Babylon” (2017), “Lily” (2016), and “Iskalawags” (2013).
His 2018 action film, “A Short History of a Few Bad Things” got five nominations during the 67th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards Nights.
The five nominations were Best Picture, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Original Screenplay, and Outstanding Achievement in Editing.
Lead actor Victor Neri won the Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Last week, the Gawad Urian 2019 announced the list of nominees including Deligero’s “A Short History of a Few Bad Things.”
The movie got seven nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Music, and Best Sound.
The Gawad Urian 2019 awarding ceremony is slated on June 18 at the UPFI Film Center in Quezon City. /bmjo
