With three successful movies to his credit, Laurenti “Lauren” Dyogi has truly established himself as a filmmaker worth the watch. The 38-year-old director first did “Gimik the Reunion,” and his latest is “All My Life,” the blockbuster first team-up of Aga Muhlach and Kristine Hermosa. We were told “All My Life” is one of Star Cinema’s most successful movies, grossing about R175-million at the box-office.
Lauren megged the well-followed soap “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay,” which featured among others John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo in their very first team-up. John Lloyd and Bea, who Lauren considers his “babies,” are the lead stars in Lauren’s latest movie “Now That I Have You” which is slated to open today in local theaters.
Was Lauren pressured to come up with an equally successful movie after “All My Life?” He said no, “If it makes good, okay lang because we worked hard for it.” He added that he never thought of coming up with a movie that would equal or even surpass the box-office earnings of “All My Life.”
“My only concern was to enjoy the shooting. Besides, magkaiba ang dalawa” ‘All My Life’ was all-out drama, while ‘Now That I Have You’ is a light romance-comedy. I just wanted to make a different love story with the latter. We really don’t know what clicks or not.” But he hastened to add that Star Cinema’s edge over the others is that it has a network to promote to the maximum its movies.
“But for John Lloyd and Bea’s sake, I really hope the movie makes good. I’d like them to continue as a tandem. Sa akin nagsimula ang loveteam nila so I somehow feel responsible for them. They are my babies. Para ko silang mga anak.” The two were also paired in another soap, “It Might Be You,” but this was megged by another director.
About the success of “All My Life,” Lauren said “I’m happy to know that people would come to watch a good movie. I’m glad ‘All My Life’ appealed to the moviegoers. Yes, I believe that the movie industry is dead, but that’s okay because ibig sabihin, puedeng buhayin natin ulit.”
Lauren informed us that he worked on “All My Life” and “Now That I Have You” at the same time and the latter was supposed to be released ahead of the former but the contrary happened. He added that he considers “Now That I Have You” as a personal fulfillment because it has been his dream to see John Lloyd and Bea on the big screen.
Lauren is credited for being the first director to have megged the tandem of John Lloyd and Bea (in “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay”) but he clarified that when he was given the project, he was apprehensive at first. But with the prodding and enthusiasm of Ms. Charo Santos-Concio and the other executives of ABS-CBN, Lauren was emboldened.
Now about “Now That I Have You,” Lauren described it as “a very simple love story. It tells the truth about what we want to make us happy. It’s every person’s dream to find the right person. In the movie, we can feel that we can be loved because we all know that we want to love. This movie shows how and why twenty-somethings today behave with great confidence when they look for love. We all want to give love and feel lovable. Sa trabaho man or sa grupo ng barkada or whatever their interests are in life, young urban professionals today are dynamic and open-minded Kaya lang nagkakatalo sa mga conflicts nila sa sarili nila or with the kind of partners they want or happen to meet.”
John Lloyd and Bea play two people with opposite characters. Total strangers, they meet daily at the MRT station and soon they come to know each other. With “Now That I Have You,” Lauren is eager to share the “refreshed togetherness” of the two, their new level of confidence, their enthusiasm for their work. They certainly have grown considerably in their acting craft and this elevates them to new levels.
Lauren also said “I will admit that I really asked for this project. After ‘Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay’ ended, people admired and loved their tandem. They became instantly established as leads. Because very wholesome ang dating nilang dalawa. Both are talented. They blend well. Distinctive ang pair nila at saka hindi nagsasapawan. When production was to start, the challenge I felt was to give the audience different character for John Lloyd and Bea na wala sa TV roles nila. Confident na confident na sila with each other. They both trusted me and now may diskarte na sila sa isa’t isa. Everything between John Lloyd and Bea became even more beautiful in this movie.”
He went further to describe Bea as “quirky here, ibang–iba sa ‘Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay’ and ‘My First Romance.’ She made herself look light here but emotive...You can just see her range now as an actress. She’s really wonderful because she showed the funny side of her character but also make her character’s conflict rise. Binubuo niya sa isip niya kung ano si Michael eh hindi naman ganoon si Michael in real life. John Lloyd is equally impressive kasi nakakilala niya ng maigi kung sino si Michael. Isa palang lalaking may tinatagong insecurity. He has not moved on from his heartbreak from his first real love.”
“Now That I Have You” is based on a screenplay written by Jose Javier Reyes, himself a well-established and very talented director.
Source: Manila Bulletin, Aug 11 2004
Article by: Crispina Belen
Submitted by: Sabrina
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