It’s 11 a.m. on a rainy Friday morning at Udine, Italy, and Maris Racal is worried that she’ll cry after the screening of her latest film, Sunshine. Director Antoinette Jadaone sits with her in her hotel room, recounting the crazy journey that they’ve been on since making Sunshine two years ago. Racal is worried because this will be the first time she’ll watch the film in full, despite it having premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 and the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Crystal Bear for Best Film.
In Toronto, Racal missed the world premiere because of her shooting schedule for Incognito. In Berlin, she attended the opening night, where she watched Tilda Swinton deliver an impassioned speech about acting when she received the festival’s Golden Bear for lifetime achievement. But Racal had to go after a day, again, to shoot her continuing action series. Finally, when this year’s Far East Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine selected the film for its Italian premiere, Racal pushed her manager to allow her to attend the actual screening with Jadaone. “My fight with my manager was worth it,” she jokes after the premiere night, telling the festival’s organizers how she badly wanted to see Sunshine on the big screen.
Known for its impressive lineup of Asian-only films, FEFF has developed a cult following throughout its 27-year history. FEFF was also Racal’s first film festival abroad, where the scammer story, Where is the Lie? (Marupok AF) by Quark Henares premiered in 2023. Racal feels at ease here, relaxed as she talks to her frequent collaborator, who has seen her from the sex comedy web series The Kangks Show (2021), where she played the feisty sex positive vlogger Cassandra, the Hintayan ng Langit spin-off series Simula sa Gitna (2023) on Amazon Prime, to the gritty women’s rights drama Sunshine.
As the lights went on after the successful screening of Sunshine at FEFF, a teary-eyed Racal faced a sold-out theater, all applauding her performance as an Olympic hopeful facing an unwanted pregnancy.
Here, Jadaone and Racal talk about the making of Sunshine, her evolution as an actress, and learning to deal with controversies. — Don Jaucian
Antoinette Jadaone: Naalala mo ba ang first interaction natin?
Maris Racal: First time kitang na-meet, audition ng Fangirl.
Jadaone: ‘Yon na ba? So, at that time, I was looking for a fresh face na puwedeng mayroon na ng konting experience pero hindi pa nakakapag-first movie.
Racal: Mga teleserye [pa lang ako noon]. Mga MMK [Maalaala Mo Kaya] episodes. ‘Yon pa ‘yong active experience ko talaga. If ever may nagawa man akong cameo roles, supporting roles.
Jadaone: Pero to be honest, hindi ko naalala ‘yong audition mo. [Laughs]
Racal: Wow! [Laughs] Ang sabi mo sa akin noon — in hindsight — hindi pa ako masyadong mature para maintindihan ‘yong hindi ka maniniwala sa‘kin kung malalasing ako. Parang tama naman. Tanggap ko naman. Parang fresh from PBB [Pinoy Big Brother] tapos mga teleserye. Kaka-uproot ko pa lang from my home base sa Tagum. Tapos sobrang culture shock pa ako sa show business. Sobrang timid ko lang noon. Masunurin, ganyan.
Jadaone: Siguro hinahanap ko noon ‘yong parang una pa lang may spark [na].
Racal: So, wala pala akong spark? [Laughs]
Jadaone: Hindi naman! Pero parang ganoon siguro. [Laughs] Tapos, after that, hindi na kita na-encounter until [the] pandemic.
Racal: Parang mas naging online friends muna tayo.
‘Pag nagsimula ka as a child [actor] — I was only 16 when I started — hindi pa buo ‘yong pagkatao mo e. And na-expose [ako] agad sa social media, sa mga comments. So feeling mo, ‘yon na ang definition of who you are. But then, sa mga early 20s ko, doon ko talaga nabuo ‘yong sino ako
Jadaone: Tapos The Kangks Show?
Racal: Una mong in-offer sa akin ‘yong Sunshine, hindi pa tayo nagkaka-work. And then, nagka-work tayo sa The Kangks Show. Then, Simula sa Gitna, Suntok sa Buwan, and then Sunshine.
Jadaone: ‘Yong The Kangks Show, how did you feel noong tinawagan ka to take on the role as Cassandra?
Racal: ‘Yon na ‘yong time na I was in between two versions of myself na, ready na ba akong i-break ‘yong wholesome roles? ‘Yong roles na nakasanayan ko, ‘yong parang perfect? But noong tinanggap ko si Cassandra, sabi ko, “Shucks, ito ako e.” Alam mo ‘yon? Parang, why not show a little more of myself? Kasi I was like that. That was my persona anyway.
But during the pandemic, doon din naman kasi ako nag-start na maging meme. I laughed at myself more because before I used to be so self-conscious na, “Oh my god! If I do this, if I say this, they’re going to judge me, so I have to keep this clean, good, perfect, nice image.” But then noong nagka-pandemic nawalan ako ng pake. Why not start shitposting online? So naging contributor ako ng mga memes, ganyan. Mas nakilala ako ng mga tao, na, “Ah, funny pala si Maris,” ganyan.
And then, when I got that Cassandra role, ‘yon ‘yong unang role na parang nag-fit ‘yong personality ko. She’s very audacious, sinasabi niya what’s in her mind na hindi siya natatakot ma-cancel, ganyan. Pero pinaalam ko talaga siya sa management ko, or sa handler ko at that time. Parang, “Ate, ito ‘yong mga roles na gusto kong gawin kasi masaya siya.” Idol na idol ko si Angelica Panganiban. Sobrang gusto ko ‘yong career niya at ‘yong pagkatao niya.
‘Yon ‘yong time na parang mayroon pa akong konting takot, pero pinush ko ang sarili ko na, “Okay, gagawin ko talaga ‘to with no hesitations and inhibitions.” Hindi ko inisip ang reaction ng tao, but I focused more on creating the character.
Jadaone: Ano tingin mo ang naging progress mo sa self and career from the first natin sa The Kangks Show to Sunshine?
Racal: I think we shot it at the perfect time because sa The Kangks Show, sa Simula sa Gitna, and Suntok sa Buwan, through my roles, ang dami kong na-discover sa sarili ko on- and off-cam. It’s also because of the people behind Project 8 Projects. Doon ako na-expose sa mga taong may pagmamahal sa sa pelikula. Ang dami nilang tinuturo sa akin na hindi ko alam before sa mga movies. Doon ako nag-fall in love sa filmmaking, sa acting. Biglang nag-widen ang perspective ko.
Noong dumating na tayo sa preparation ng Sunshine. Mas lumawak pa talaga ang understanding ko about filmmaking and Filipino cinema. Tapos, ang dami kong na- meet na mga interesting people like si Sir Jay Cruz (acting coach) na sobrang laking contribution sa akin kung sino ako. And I don’t know, parang sa mga projects before Sunshine, I learned to laugh at myself and to not be afraid to speak my mind. So noong ginawa na natin ang Sunshine, nabuo na ang pagkatao ko, kung sino ako.
Marami ring nangyari sa akin sa life during those years in the pandemic. Mas may sense of self na ako, hindi na siya naka- [depend] sa opinyon ng mga tao. Kasi ‘pag nagsimula ka as a child [actor] — I was only 16 when I started — hindi pa buo ‘yong pagkatao mo e. And na-expose [ako] agad sa social media, sa mga comments. So feeling mo, ‘yon na ang definition of who you are. But then, sa mga early 20s ko, doon ko talaga nabuo ‘yong sino ako, kung ano ‘yong gusto kong gawin at sino ako as an actress. Doon ko nalaman ‘yong sinasabi [nila] na ‘yong filmography mo alagaan mo. So, [I realized na] kailangan kong gumawa ng mga bagay na makabuluhan, na ma-appreciate mo talaga ‘yong art na nag-re- reflect sa reality.
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