A Cebuana indie film enthusiast and actress takes the lead role in the Japanese film “Itoshi No Irene” (“Irene of Love”), which is based on the 1995 manga series of the same name.
Nats Sitoy is the daughter of the late provincial board member Alreigh Sitoy and the granddaughter of Adelino Sitoy, former Cordova mayor and now head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.
In an interview, she said politics is far from her sights—for now. Acting is her priority.
“I grew up in a political family and it is natural that we would be inclined into joining politics, but as of now, this is my priority,” Sitoy said of acting.
Locally, Sitoy recently starred in the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino film “Pinay Beauty (She’s No White).” Other films under her belt are “Asuang,” which is an entry in this year’s Cinema One Originals and “Amo,” which is currently streaming on Netflix. She is also part of the web series “Fan Girl Diaries 2” and starred in the hit GMA teleserye “I Heart Davao” last year.
She mostly does indie films. She won best supporting actress in the film “Lily,” which was directed by Keith Deligero in the 2016 Cinema One Originals.
Sitoy had to audition for the eponymous role in the Japanese film. She auditioned for it last May in Manila. It was award-winning Cebuana producer Bianca Balbuena who messaged her to audition for the role. “Itoshi No Irene” is co-produced by Epicmedia, which Balbuena heads.
“Na-pressure ko ba (I was pressured),” Sitoy remembered the audition process. “So wala ra pod ko ni-expect na pabalikon ko. Na swerte-an lang nga na-callback pa ko. Pag-callback namo, naa na ang mga Japanese staff (I didn’t expect a callback. But I was lucky to get one. And when I went to the callback, the Japanese staff were already there),” she continued.
Sitoy remembered that when she first entered the room for the auditions, the staff kept looking at her. She later learned that they were looking at her because they already found their Irene—the character calls for a woman who is innocent, happy-go-lucky and bubbly. The film staff also told Sitoy that she looked like the Irene in the manga.
When she got the role of Irene, Sitoy studied basic Japanese words to understand her line. But since she plays a Filipina, she also speaks Filipino and English. She had an interpreter during her stay in Japan so as not to have a hard time conversing with other people.
The Cebuana actress learned that the Japanese filmmakers are very strict with punctuality.
But what really amazed her was how meticulous the Japanese filmmakers were. They actually have a separate stunt team for scenes involving blood. Sitoy shared that the blood director has his own video monitor to check the timing of the dropping of the blood in a particular scene. In the Philippine, blood is merely painted on the actor.
Japanese people are also well organized and they put prime on teamwork.
“There was a time it rained during the summer shoot, nag dali-dali silang tanan, tinabangay gi-tabunan ang road (they were all in hurry and they helped each other cover the road,” remembered Sitoy. “They covered it with a big plastic . Then after the rain stopped, gi-tangtang nila and murag nothing happened lang. Grabe sila ka organized (they removed the cover like nothing happened. They were so organized.”
For her, the best part of being an actress is that she enjoys the feeling of being able to portray the characters through the roles given to her. Aside from inspiring other people through her craft and the characters she portrays, being an actress excites her to work harder.
Sitoy dreamed of one day portraying the role of a drug-dependent person or a person who has an unusual illness for she wants to challenge herself in every role that is given to her.
She said that if given an opportunity to work with big stars, she wants to work with Carlo Aquino, JM De Guzman and Coco Martin, as well as Judy Anne Santos.
For her part, she believed that Visayan Cinema is very much alive. However, this has not caught the attention of the entertainment industry in the country. Sitoy also believes that there are many Visayan artists and it’s high time for them to be recognized and be given ample opportunities to showcase their innate talents.
The Cebuana actress finished her high school at the Centre for International Education (CIE) Cebu Campus and graduated college at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde with a degree in filmmaking.
“Itoshi No Irene” will be released at Toho Cinema in Japan on Sept. 14.
But what really amazed her was how meticulous the Japanese filmmakers were. They actually have a separate stunt team for scenes involving blood. Sitoy shared that the blood director has his own video monitor to check the timing of the dropping of the blood in a particular scene. In the Philippines, blood is merely painted on the actor.
Japanese people are also well organized and they put prime on teamwork.
“There was a time it rained during the summer shoot, nag dali-dali silang tanan, nagtinabangay gitabunan ang road (they were all in hurry and they helped each other put cover on the road),” remembered Sitoy. “They covered it with a big plastic . Then after the rain stopped, gi-tangtang nila and murag nothing happened lang. Grabe sila ka-organized (they removed the cover like nothing happened. They were so organized).”
For her, the best part of being an actress is that she enjoys the feeling of being able to portray the characters given to her. Aside from inspiring other people through her craft and the characters she portrays, being an actress inspires her to work harder.
Sitoy dreamed of one day portraying the role of a drug-dependent person or a person who has an unusual illness for she wants to challenge herself in every role that is given to her.
She said that if given an opportunity to work with big stars, she wants to work with Carlo Aquino, JM De Guzman and Coco Martin, as well as Judy Anne Santos.
For her part, she believed that Visayan Cinema is very much alive. However, this has not caught the attention of the entertainment industry in the country. Sitoy also believes that there are many Visayan artists and it’s high time for them to be recognized and be given ample opportunities to showcase their innate talents.
The Cebuana actress finished her high school at the Centre for International Education Cebu Campus and graduated college at De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde with a degree in filmmaking.
“Itoshi No Irene” will be released at Toho Cinema in Japan on Sept. 14. (S)