CELEBRITY Vice Ganda was recently in Cebu with co-stars to promote the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) film, “Fantastica.” During the interview, Vice Ganda said he does not feel pressured anymore on maintaining his status as the film festival’s box office top grosser.
Featured at the MMFF for several years now, Vice said it has already become part of his “system” and just “enjoys the experience year after year.”
On having Dingdong Dantes and Richard Gutierrez as leading men on the comedy-fantasy epic, Vice Ganda revealed that it was challenging—“suntok sa buwan”—to request from Star Cinema, the services of actors outside his mother network. Budget-wise, Vice Ganda countered the apprehension of Star Cinema with his fearless forecast that the movie will earn P1 billion in the box office. He was so grateful that the company granted his request.
On Philippine television, Vice Ganda is one of the very few hosts who has the artistic “license” to mention opposing networks and their competing programs, hosts and the like while on air. He said that top management called his attention at first since, he said, “television culture, then, was not used to it or was not ready yet.”
As for rumors of a rivalry between Dantes and Gutierrez, Vice Ganda debunked these saying that both men are friends, chatting and joking with each other on the set.
Meanwhile, Dantes is grateful for the “guidance” he received from Vice Ganda while shooting “Fantastica,” considering that this is the first time that he is in a full-length “hardcore comedy” project. For him, working with only the concept and no script “came out to be a lot better than the traditional” as it became “collaborative” and “gave space” for the actors to create their own attack on the situation at hand.
Dantes said he admires Vice Ganda for being hardworking as an artist and entertainer; highlighting the latter’s outlook and intention to please and entertain the audience. He admitted that his wife, Marian Rivera, dropped by the set toward the end of their shoot, and gave a hint that she could be one of the three “surprise guests” that Vice Ganda teases on noontime show “It’s Showtime.”
Young star Loisa Andalio plays one of the three princesses from “Fantastica” along with Maymay Entrata and Kisses Delavin. She admitted feeling starstruck with Vice Ganda’s leading men and “nakikitawa na lang” to make the work easier.
“Fantastica” is showing Dec. 25 nationwide along with the other entries to the 2018 MMFF.