No more good-girl roles for LJ

“A character actress.” That is what Lourna Jane “LJ” Reyes aspires to become. That’s why she sees to it that every film or TV project she accepts brings her one step closer to that goal.

The turning point of her career was playing her first villain role in 2007’s Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan. From there, she went on to play leading lady to JC de Vera in the daytime drama Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita, and bared even more of her acting chops in Una Kang Naging Akin, the series in which critics said she did her best work so far.

LJ says that when choosing projects, she always tries to pick ones that are either groundbreaking in terms of the roles offered, or ones with powerful stories. “I always strive to enhance my craft,” says LJ who won a Best Supporting Actress award in 2010 for the Cinemalaya entry The Leaving, which she made while pregnant with her and Paolo Avelino’s son Ethan Akio.

That initial experience made LJ want to broaden her horizons as an actress by taking on more indie film projects and exploring more diverse characters. While she continues to work actively on commercial television — the bread and butter of most actors — she also dreams of getting more creative with the assignments that come her way.

She’s willing to do anything necessary in the name of art. Indie films, especially, because, she says, you are able to create your own market unlike in commercial films where you have to adjust to the demands of your audience, from storylines to actors. In indies, she says, it’s the other way around. You begin with a storyline that will ultimately make you more aware, both as an actor and as a person. LJ is excited to discover what is out there for her in terms of roles.

“There are a lot of roles that I still dream of playing. I’ll actually play anything and take on any project as long as it tells a story of purpose. Each character is different. I never actually know what kind of people are out there. So maybe it’s better to put it this way: Challenge me!” says LJ.

But like they say, you have to be careful with what you wish for because you just might get it.

In her latest film, another Cinemalaya entry, Intoy Syokoy ng Kalye Marino, LJ made a big leap forward as an actor when she took on the female lead role, a prostitute named Doray who would accept fish as payment in exchange for sexual pleasure. Doray and Intoy’s love story (Intoy is played by JM de Guzman) unfolds against a backdrop of poverty, social desperation and sex, a combination that gave rise to the phrase “poverty porn.”

This does not bother LJ at all. In fact, she considers Intoy Syokoy one of the best things that ever happened to her acting career. “It’s one of the most challenging projects I’ve done,” says LJ.

It was her first time to play such a character, who had to entertain customers sexually. It was exactly what LJ had wished for — an acting challenge. But in the beginning, LJ was saddled with doubts. When she first read the script, she was iffy about the film because of the sensual scenes. However, she loved the story. When she met screenwriter Jerry Gracio and sat down to discuss the story with him (Intoy Syokoy is based on a Palanca-award winning story by Eros Atalia), she fell more in love with it as well as with characters Doray and Intoy.

“I was surprised with how the movie and the character taught me things about myself and about love,” she says.

LJ, of course, knows a lot about that subject. She’s been in a relationship with Paolo Avelino, who is doing brilliantly with his role as Nathan in ABS-CBN’s primetime drama Walang Hanggan.

Recently, Paolo stirred up a hornet’s nest on the Internet after a scene in Walang Hanggan in which he raped Julia Montes’s character Katerina was aired. People were raving about Paolo’s acting. However, LJ says that while she and Paolo are partners, when it comes to their work, they are separate entities. “I work on projects independently,” she says to our question on whether Paolo ever gives her advice on acting or on the projects she accepts.

LJ is looking forward to doing more work that will stretch her wings as an actress. After seeing what this girl can deliver onscreen, I’m looking forward to the same thing, too.