Controversial director Darryl Yap had an unexpected change of heart about Sarah Lahbati after working with the actress for the first time in VHS: Viva Horror Stories.
Darryl admitted that he initially doubted Sarah’s acting skills, but her performance in their first project together proved him wrong.
“I was very honest with [Sarah Lahbati]. Akala ko hindi siya marunong [umarte]. Parang feeling ko, pretty-pretty lang, asawa ni Richard,” he said.
The director recalled approaching Sarah Lahbati after their first crying scene to apologize for his initial impression of her.
“So… no’ng first scene namin na crying, nilapitan ko talaga siya. Sabi ko, ‘Sarah, I’m very sorry.’ Sabi niya, ‘Why?’ ‘Akala ko, tae-tae ka,’ sabi ko. ‘Marunong ka pala,’ sabi ko,” Darryl shared.
“Sabi niyang gano’n, ‘Hindi ko alam, Direk, kung mao-offend ako sa sinabi mo.’
Alam mo naman kasi kapag pretty-pretty yung artista, ‘di ba? …Honestly, akala ko talaga hindi siya marunong pero magaling,” he continued.
Darryl explained that he grew up watching ABS-CBN, so he was not familiar with Sarah, who won a reality talent competition on GMA Network. He only learned about her when she started dating Richard Gutierrez.
After seeing Sarah act, the director said he was impressed by how quickly she could deliver an emotional scene. He also recalled jokingly asking Sarah if her ability to cry quickly was related to her personal life.
“So ngayon nung pinanood ko siya, sabi ko, ‘Parang ang galing pala nito. Ang bilis umiyak,’” Darryl recalled.
“Sabi ko, ‘Kaya ka ba mabilis umiyak dahil magdi-divorce kayo?’ Niloloko ko. Sabi niya, ‘Hindi,’ he added.
In ‘VHS’, Sarah plays the role of a celebrity couple opposite Kit Thompson’s character who find “horror on standards.”
Beyond her emotional performance, Darryl Yap praised Sarah Lahbati for being thoughtful about her role. He said she was careful about certain lines, particularly those involving violence, because she has children.
As the film’s scriptwriter, Darryl said he tried to adjust the material to address her concerns.
“Tapos ang galing niya. Kino-correct niya ako. Ayaw niya sabihin yung patayin. Ayaw niya sabihin yung mga ganon kasi may anak siya. So ako naman as the script writer… I try to improvise,” the director shared.
“So, she’s a thinking actress. She’s very smart and she’s very good… It was a surprise na marunong pala siya,” he continued.
‘VHS: Viva Horror Stories’ marks Darryl Yap’s 18th film, following several of his notable projects, including #Jowable, Maid in Malacañang, Martyr or Murderer, and recent box-office hit Love, Ngo.
Also starring in the movie are McCoy de Leon, Ella Cruz, and Sachzna Laparan. From Viva Films and Vincentiments, ‘VHS: Viva Horror Stories’ opens in cinemas on October 28 as part of Sine Sindak film festival with tickets at P100 only.
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