Former Miss International Kylie Verzosa revealed that she gave her all in her first major movie called "The Housemaid" produced by Viva Films.
"Still in awe to be playing my first title role, not to mention the most challenging role I played to date. I poured my blood, tears, and sweat to give life to Daisy and I can’t wait for everyone to meet her," Kylie said.
For her first lead role, Kylie said she came prepared for her scenes with award-winning stars Jaclyn Jose and Albert Martinez.
"Siguro ang mga pinakamahirap na eksena ko would be the scenes with Ms Jaclyn (Jose) and Tito Albert (Martinez). Kay Ms Jaclyn dapat lagi akong handa, hindi puwede mag take 2," said Kylie when asked about the difficult scenes in the movie.
She added: "Yung kay Tito Albert naman napapag-usapan naman namin yun. Very choreographed lahat ng sexy scenes to make it appear real and sensual."
Direk Roman Perez said that Kylie and Albert did not give him problems during the shoot of the sexy scenes.
"Wala naman kami naging problema sa kanila kasi well-prepared kami. Nagwo-workshop talaga kami. Naging process ko na yun sa paggawa ng movies na dapat mag wo-workshop kami ng mga artsta bago namin gawin. Gabi-gabi nag-u-usap kami nila Kylie and Albert at nag-pe-prepare kami. Dapat one take lang dahil nasa gitna tayo ng pandemic so dapat precise yung mga galaw. So pagsalang namin, dapat ready siya," said Roman.
Kylie said that it was her boyfriend Jake Cuenca who encouraged her to accept the project. "Sabi niya (Jake) ang ganda ng project. Kung ako, kukunin ko yan, sabi niya."
Kylie plays Daisy, a woman in her 20s who is offered a huge salary mainly to take care of Nami, daughter of William (Albert Martinez), a billionaire, and Roxanne (Louise Delos Reyes), who is pregnant with twins.
Daisy succeeds in building rapport with the young child, but that’s not all. She gets the attention of her boss as well. William begins to secretly flirt with Daisy, enticing her with glasses of wine and his piano playing, and they eventually begin a sexual relationship.
Since Daisy has become somewhat chummy with Roxanne, the latter finds nothing suspicious about her. But there is someone in the mansion that Daisy cannot fool.
Martha (Jaclyn Jose) is the Mayordoma who knows everything that is happening inside the house. Nothing escapes her keen eyes. Though she harbors resentment towards her employers, she continues to do her job well. She’s been with Roxanne since she was a child.
Will Martha’s loyalty to William’s wife be detrimental to Daisy? Apart from Ms. Martha, Daisy also has to be mindful of the presence of Roxanne’s mother, Madam Ester (Alma Moreno). Although Ester has no power over her very domineering son-in-law, she is still a mother who must protect her daughter.
What does Daisy expect to get out of her stolen moments with William? What is the price to pay for sleeping with this powerful married man?
Perez said “The Housemaid” is an adaptation of a South Korean film that was first shown in 1960, then had a remake in 2010, originally entitled “Hanyo”. The latter won awards in different international film festivals, including Fantasporto in Portugal, Oslo Film from the South Festival, and even our very own Cinemanila International Festival. It received a nomination for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the prestigious Cannes Film
Festival.
The director added that he watched both Korean versions, carefully noting what’s similar and different about them. He guarantees that he was able to incorporate the Filipino context and adapt it to the treatment of this film.
“The Housemaid” is the first movie for Kylie to play the leading role. Feeling both curious and challenged when it was pitched to her, Kylie opened up to director Perez about her limitations. She had complete trust in the style and process of this director, who was praised for directing the erotic thriller film “Adan”.
“The Housemaid” also stars child actress Elia Ilano who played the young Maya in “Ulan”, and Jobelyn Manuel, the original “Jowable” woman ranting on Vincentiments Facebook page before it became a blockbuster movie.
Perez also shared, “We got all the actors we wanted for the role. We chose the actors for this project. This is a very timely film. And yes, this can also join film festivals abroad eventually.”
Since the pandemic started, "The Housemaid" is the first Filipino film to be shown in the theaters of the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaima, Umm Al Quwain and Al Ain). Starting Sept. 17, it will be streamed over the entire Middle East and Europe.
Starting Sept. 10, “The Housemaid” is available on Vivamax Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan.