Alessandra de Rossi inspired by Piolo-Joyce friendship
27 Jul – Alessandra de Rossi recently admitted that her directorial debut, "My Amanda" was partly inspired by Piolo Pascual and Joyce Bernal's friendship.
The film is Alessandra's first as a director, starring herself and Piolo Pascual as two best friends and how they navigate different shades of their relationship. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
The actress-turned-director, who sat down with her co-star for an interview with Rappler recently, stated that she really enjoyed seeing the camaraderie between Piolo and Joyce Bernal.
Said Alessandra, "[Piolo and I] really bonded while shooting [Lav Diaz's] Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis and then we went to Amsterdam. That's where the movie was born because I was just watching Piolo and Joyce and I said, 'Aha! This is the kind of friendship I have too'. I wanna talk about it. It's fun to watch."
"I just wanted a different kind of romance. A different take on romance and friendship, too. I'm such a fan of friendship films. It's such a joy to watch. So I was seeing Piolo and Joyce, the kind of friendship that they have and then...why?" she said, adding that she also has that kind of friendship with her guy best friend. "I think it's very fun to watch a guy and a girl banter and tease each other when they don't like each other but they truly love each other. That's where I got the idea."
Alessandra stated that she started writing the movie in September 2017, and completed the story in February the next year.
"I offered it to Piolo and Joyce. Joyce Bernal was supposed to direct. The movie was really for Spring Films. [But] she said she didn't know how to handle it," she said.
The actress stated that she even tried looking for other directors, but after realising that they all wanted to add something to it, she decided to do it herself.
"One day, I watched The Mirror Has Two Faces on Netflix. I told myself, this is a beautiful story, it's so simple. And then, BAM, it was produced and directed by Barbara Streisand. Seeing that made me think," she added.
(Photo Source: Alessandra de Rossi Instagram)
