Years after the massive success of their first movie, the creative minds behind the sleeper hit Kita Kita have once again come together to share a new story of love. Directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo and starring Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy Marquez, Walang KaParis follows the story of Paris-based Filipino artist Jojo (Empoy Marquez), who has had no shortage of lovers but always finds his heart captive by the mysterious muse of his paintings, a woman with no name and no history. In every girl he meets, he looks for his mysterious muse, hoping the new girl will be “the one.” One day, a woman from his past, Marie (Alessandra de Rossi), appears in his life, claiming to be the subject of his paintings.

We were able to sit down and have a quick and really fun (!!!) chat with Director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo and cast members Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy Marquez.

What was the inspiration behind the film? What is it about this story that made you think AlEmpoy is the perfect tandem?

Sigrid Andrea Bernardo: Well, after Kita Kita, obviously naging sikat yung movie at yung love team nila. I was really approached to do another film na sila yung tandem. But to be honest, it was really hard for me kasi you know, yung pressure of being a writer and director directing another film. And syempre yung “how can you top Kita Kita?” So it was very difficult for me.

And I said noon na I’ll think about it. So I think it was about two years bago ako nakaisip ng kwento for both of them. I can never top Kita Kita, but at the same time, I have to embrace the success of Kita Kita. So what’s the next story? That’s the challenge, you know, it’s not something like “you should top Kita Kita.” It’s something na “you should just tell a good story and what is the best love story for both of them as actors also.” So mas matured sila dito. Mas matured yung love story. And they should level up I think from Kita Kita, even the story.

In Kita Kita, the love team of AlEmpoy was unexpected. In this film, how are your dynamics?

Alessandra de Rossi: Kasi yung Kita Kita, it’s a two-week meet-cute love story. Di ba di ko pa siya nakita talaga. Dito sa Walang KaParis mahaba yung love story. Malalim yung love story. Tsaka sa Kita Kita, as ourselves kami dun. Yung kahit ano i-adlib ni Empoy, pwede. Ako din. Pero dito, may character kami na pinoportray na malayong-malayo sa pagkatao natin. So it was an acting piece… Lalo na yung tumitig kay Empoy kasi sa Kita Kita bulag ako noon e. (everyone laughs)

Empoy Marquez: Siguro sa Kita Kita, nagkakapaan pa kami nun. Ngayon kapang-kapa ko na siya. I mean, nakilala na namin yung isa’t isa at comfortable na kami sa isa’t isa na magwork.

de Rossi: May spark ba tayo?

Marquez: Sa tingin mo?

de Rossi: Wala.

Marquez: Yak.

(everyone laughs)

In Kita Kita, you chose Japan as the setting. Why Paris this time?

Bernardo: Kasi naisip ko yung pares-pares. (laughs)

de Rossi: Wag na natin palalimin. Sabihin na yung totoo.

Bernardo: Kasi yun yung totoo talaga. Kasi yung trabaho ni Mary doon ay magtindi ng pares-pares. Ano ba naman yung mangarap na makapunta ka ng Paris? (laughs) As simple as that. But then I’ve been to Paris, kasi nang siguro mga three times and sobrang na-in love ako sa place. And when you say Paris, laging sinasabi about romance. It’s a romantic city, so bakit namin hindi? (laughs)

Also hindi lang kami sa Paris nagshoot. Nagshoot din kami sa Baguio. … But ang challenge lang dun sa Paris kasi. Known ang Paris lagi sa mga touristy spots. Yung makikita niyo dito is yung hindi masyadong touristy spots. But syempre nandun na yung Eiffel.

de Rossi: Di kami lumapit. (laughs)

Bernardo: In terms of direction and execution, mas tiningnan namin yung mga nakatira sa Paris, because I have friends there. Yung struggle nila and kung san talaga sila nakatira, san sila nagma-market, san sila bumibili. Hindi yung eye as a tourist, but eye as a local in Paris.

What was your favorite scene to film?

de Rossi: Ang dami masyado. (laughs)

Marquez: Buong movie, nakakatawa yun. Panoorin niyo na lang.

Bernardo: Madaming memorable. Kasi sabi ko nga, very challenging for actors talaga yung film. Kasi nung Kita Kita, mas sila yun talaga. It was really written talaga with their characters as a person. So sila talaga yun, so ito[ng Walang KaParis] talaga different talaga yung character nila. Ang kinakabahan talaga ako, to be honest, is si Alex as mas comedy.

In person, sobra siyang komedyante. but of course, syempre hindi naman natin siya lagi nakikita na komedyante sa pelikula. Lagi na lang may sampung anak, lagi ganyan mga roles niya. (laughs) But she was able to pull it off, and yun yung lagi kong inaabangan. Behind the scene walang problema. Iba lang kasi, you know, pag nandun na sa eksena. And with Empoy, kahit 10,000 takes nakuha naman niya yung drama. (laughs)

This was shot during the lockdown. How was your setup during that time?

Marquez: Face mask. Face shield.

de Rossi: Vaccine. No vaccine, no travel.

Bernardo:Actually, kasi nagsimula tayo ng December, wala pang vaccine.

de Rossi: So nung kinailangan na namin gawin yung kalahati ng film, kailangan na pala magpa-vaccine.

Marquez: Unang may vaccine, best friend niya. (points to de Rossi) Vaccine Magalona. (everyone laughs)

Bernardo: [At that time,] nagsisimula palang yung lock in na shoot and we have quarantine muna. So aside from testing PCR pa, malaki yung sa production side, lalo na sa budget. Malaki talaga kumain ng budget. Because yung PCR mahal pa nun. So bago kami pumunta sa shoot, may PCR kami lahat.

And then hiwa-hiwalay yung rooms, sobrang hindi kami pwede lumabas kung ano lang yung sa set. And sinulat ko kasi siya nung 2019 and wala pang pandemic nun. So in-adjust ko yung script nung pandemic na hindi masyadong maraming tao. Then August kami nag-Paris, that time dapat may vaccine ka.

What are your dynamics on set in between takes?

Marquez: So congratulations guys, nandito kayo. (everyone laughs) It’s the same. Ganito [masaya, maraming katuwaan, at may kulitan].

de Rossi: Yes, ganito. Alam mo yun, syempre pag set, kailangan seryoso ka na. Pag cut, balik ulit sa ganito. Tapos pag take, seryoso uli.

Bernardo: From Kita Kita, kahit papano nagkaroon ng friendship sa aming tatlo. Ngayon lalo na kasi yung nangyari sa Kita Kita, yung pressures, and even sa personal life. Nagbago din naman, yung career namin, sila sa pagiging artista at ako sa pagiging direktor. Dun kami nakakuha din ng common denominator sa isa’t isa after ng Kita Kita kaya naging close kami. And hindi mahirap nung nagshoot kami, kasi parang “Hey we’re back again.” So parang ganito lang, normal lang. Ibang level lang yung Walang KaParis, kasi tulad ng sabi ni Alex kanina, mas matured yung roles nila. So very challenging. It’s an acting piece.

Alex, in the trailer, hinahabol-habol mo si Empoy, di ba? Ano pa ang pwede mong habul-habulin kay Empoy?

de Rossi: This is a joke, charot! (laughs) Pangako. Isang pangako.

Marquez: By Regine? (laughs)

Empoy, bina-balik-balikan mo siya kahit ayaw na niya sayo, so ano yung babalik-balikan mo sa kanya?

Marquez: Nakuha ko na yung jacket e. Okay na ko.

de Rossi: Ewan ko dyan.

Marquez: Marami naman siyempre. Like yung mga niluluto niya lagi.

How has filming Walang KaParis changed you?

Bernardo: As a filmmaker, ang dami kong learnings dito. Very important yung to focus on what you want, to focus on the story pa rin despite the pressures na ibigay sa iyo. So yun yung matinding learnings ko, to fight for what you want.

de Rossi: Ako naman as a person to focus on myself. Hindi yung parang always out to please others.

Marquez: My duty is to focus my characterization.

Bernardo: Hanggang ngayon? (laughs)

Why do you think romance films are still important?

de Rossi: Sino may sabi nun? More than zombie films? Charot. (everyone laughs) Hindi ko alam kung bakit may nagsasabi niyan. Siguro, it’s really about the story minsan. Sa romance kasi, gasgas na siya, so minsan paulit-ulit, paulit-ulit paulit-ulit na lang talaga siya. Hindi natin kailangan ng romance, naniniwala ako dyan. Hindi mabubuhay ang mundo ng walang romance films. Kailangan niya AlEmpoy. (everyone laughs) That’s your “we are…

de Rossi and Marquez: AlEmpoy!”

Marquez: Para sa akin, yung mga tao, matatalino na ngayon pag dating sa movie at sa pagibig. Gusto nila yung makabagong teknolohiya na madidiscover nila na meron pa palang ganong istorya na maibubuga yung mga direktor at yung mga writers ngayon.

Bernardo: Hindi ako naniniwala na hindi natin kailangan ng romance in life. I think dapat lahat may romance, may love, may landi. Kasi you’ll be such a boring person kung wala kang ganun. So dapat laging meron. Maraming matatalino na nakakagusto rin ng romance films, at marami ring romance films na matatalino. Depende nalang siguro yun sa pagkakagawa.

Pero I think, siguro yung mas appropriate na answer sa survey na yan: what will make this romance film different from other romance films? Yun naman yung laging tinatanong. Kasi ang dami ng romance films. Kaya siguro nauumay yung mga tao. Kaya yun yung challenge. So dito sa film namin: kaya mo bang magmahal ng walang kapalit? Because mas mahirap magmahal. Madali magmahal, pero lagi kang may expectations. Papano kung hindi nameet yung expectations mo? Kaya mo pa rin bang mahalin yung taong yun? So yun yung challenge and yun yung nakikita sa film namin.

Direk, this is the second film, so we have high hopes that there will be a third. Other than romcom, what other genre do you want AlEmpoy to star in?

Bernardo: Thriller. Magpapatayan sila. (everyone laughs)

Empoy, who made the decision to remove your mustache?

de Rossi and Marquez: (simultaneously points to Bernardo while laughing)

de Rossi: For me, Dingdong Avanzado kamukha niya [kapag walang bigote].

Finally, kung ulam kayo, what meal would you be, Alex and Empoy? For Direk, what dessert would you be?

de Rossi: Ako, feeling ko bulalo kami. Ako yung utak, siya yung sabaw.

Marquez: Ang lalim nun ha! (laughs)

de Rossi: I mean, c’mon, pag-iisipan pa ba natin yun?

Marquez: Pakbet.

de Rossi: Bakit pakbet?

Marquez: Ang pait-pait mo magsalita! (everyone laughs)

de Rossi: Ang pait magsalita pero healthy! (laughs)

Marquez: Si Direk, kung dessert, leche flan. Kasi ang sweet-sweet niya magdirect. (laughs)

Bernardo: Kung ako yung dessert, dark chocolate.

de Rossi: Tama! (laughs)

Walang KaParis

Walang KaParis premieres this March 23, 2022 only on Prime Video. Watch the trailer below:

This interview was condensed and edited for clarity and brevity.

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