No role's too small for ardent indie actress Mai Fanglayan
AFTER her best actress win at the 2018 ToFarm Film Festival for playing the title role in the award-winning indie “Tanabata’s Wife,” which also earned her nominations at the 2019 Gawad Urian and the PMPC Star Awards for Movies, Igorot actress Mai Fanglayan is back on the big screen via the period drama “Culion.”
She plays a young leper named Mabel, who arrives on Culion island against her will during the 1940s. Like all other patients there, she is forced into exile to spare her loved ones and community from the then incurable leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) that infected her.
Fanglayan gets less screen time in “Culion" that’s a far cry from her extensive exposure in her full-length movie debut “Tanabata’s Wife,” a love story between a Japanese farmer and a Cordilleran wife. (The ToFarm Best Picture winner also gave her a Best New Actress trophy at the 2019 Urduja Film Festival for playing the role of Fas-ang, the wife of Tanabata portrayed by Miyuki Kamimura, who was ToFarm Best Actor.)
But the Baguio City native and mass communication graduate of St. Louis University is not complaining about playing support this time. It’s “an opportunity of a lifetime,” according to her, just to be cast in a major project of the legendary scriptwriter Ricardo Lee and rising filmmaker Alvin Yapan, with a stellar cast led by Iza Calzado, Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Meryll Soriano.
“I love acting, and no matter how small or big the role is, I always give my best in ways I can give justice to the character and maybe touch people’s lives,” the 23-year-old petite actress, who had to audition for the part despite her triumphant turn in “Tanabata’s Wife,” told SunStar.
“My character in Culion is actually heavy and challenging, and it’s emotionally and physically draining, even if it’s not a major role,” she pointed out. “But after the take, gumagaan ang pakiramdam ko. It’s really worth it lalo na at natutunan kong itulak pa ang sarili ko nang higit pa sa inaakala kong kaya ko.”
She continued: “I feel so blessed and thankful that I was able to work with the great people in the industry which was only a dream. Pangarap lang siya noon na nagkatotoo. All thanks to (producer) Shandii Bacolod for trusting me.”
Fanglayan, who dabbles in photography and video editing, just finished two other big projects, one of which is an upcoming series for iWant TV. She’s hopeful “Culion” will open more doors for her acting career.
Culion an unknown world
“Culion,” according to her, will always hold a special place in her heart for opening her eyes into a world unknown to her and to many people her age.
“After I passed the audition, I did an extensive research on Culion, its history and its people,” she shared. “I was so happy to discover and understand this historic place I never knew existed back when the island was a leprosarium. At lalong nadagdagan ang knowledge ko when we did immersion on the island.”
"I just feel so lucky to be part of this epic project that I know will stand the test of time," she added.
Meanwhile, Fanglayan said moviegoers, most especially the young generation, must not pass up the chance to experience “Culion,” which is a story of “hope, love and faith amid despair.”
“In every character is a moving story every audience can relate to,” she pointed out. “This is a must-see because this is not just a story of three people, this is a story of an entire community that suffered the social stigma of its past as a leper colony.”
“Kung gaano ako namangha sa ganda ng isla, ganun din ako namangha sa mga kuwento ng mga tagarito,” she added. “I was very lucky to have met some of these people and I can say that they’re all kind-hearted, very accommodating and humble people.”
“Culion,” one of the eight official entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and produced by iOptions Ventures Corp. and Team MSB, will hit cinemas nationwide starting December 25, 2019.