Philippine cinema legends Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach, and Nadine Lustre — all award-winners and sought-after — bared their truths about their decision to join Uninvited, an official entry in the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). The film, directed by Dan Villegas, offers a gripping narrative brought to life by an exceptional cast.
During a grand press conference held on November 20 at Solaire North in Quezon City, the stars revealed their motivations, challenges, and excitement for the project, heightening anticipation for its December 25 premiere.
Vilma shared, “This point in time of my career… hirap na akong humanap ng isang role na babagay sa edad ko at yung role that will challenge me. Kasi sa more than 62 years in the industry, parang ang pakiramdam ko ang dami ko na ring nagawang iba’t ibang klaseng character and yung iba paulit-ulit na.
“So, itong status ko ngayon parang sabi ko, I don’t want to do a movie para sabihin nila na meron lang akong ginawang pelikula. Kung meron man akong gagawing pelikula, at this point in time of my career and my age, I will make sure that I will do a movie that I think can still challenge me.
She continued, “And itong Uninvited at yung role ko palagay ko kahit paano na-challenge ako. Kaya nandito yung movie naming Uninvited. I don’t think about winning the best actress last year sa MMFF. Maski when we we’re meeting about this movie, ang gusto ko lang, makagawa kami ng isang magandang movie na kaya naming ipagmalaki lahat. Yun ang nasa isip namin.”
On another hand, Nadine Lustre revealed that she immediately accepted the project. She expressed her excitement and gratitude for the chance to work with iconic actors like Aga Muhlach and Vilma Santos in one film, describing it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nadine mused, “Kailan ko ba masasabi na nakatrabaho ko silang lahat in one film? So siyempre this is an opportunity of a lifetime. So agad-agad tinanggap ko siya.
“I think, in the beginning, siguro yung first shooting day namin siyempre…dumating ako ng set, medyo kabado ako kasi nga bigatin nga yung mga kasama ko. But then everyone was so welcoming. Everyone was so nice – Kuya Aga [Muhlach] and si Ate V [Vilma Santos]. So mawawala talaga yung kaba mo.
“And I think yung pressure at yung kaba na yun just return to parang mas more on…parang wanted to have a good time. And wanted to do my best. And of course, to enjoy working on the film,” she added.
Meanwhile,Aga Muhlach shared his experience and expressed his genuine enjoyment and gratitude for working on the film, especially alongside such talented colleagues. With a touch of humor, he said, “With all honesty and all humility, hindi po siya mahirap gawin pag ang kasama mo puro magagaling.
“It was really an experience para sa akin. I was just having fun on set. Masaya ko siyang ginawa. Masaya maging masama sa pelikula.”
Uninvited boasts a stellar cast that includes RK Bagatsing, Mylene Dizon, Lotlot de Leon, Gabby Padilla, Elijah Canlas, Ketchup Eusebio, Gio Alvarez, Cholo Barretto, Ron Angeles, and Tirso Cruz III. The film is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dan Villegas, and written by Dodo Dayao.
Produced through a collaboration between Mentorque Productions of executive producer Bryan Diamante—renowned for creating Mallari, the most-awarded Filipino horror movie of all time starring Piolo Pascual—and Project 8 Projects, the movie is set to make waves in Philippine cinema starting December 25. It is an official entry to the 50th edition of the long-running annual Metro Manila Film Festival.
TATAK MNL 