We had been calling direk Rory Quintos on her mobile without getting an answer until we received a text telling us she was in Bhutan. Of course, she was taping Princess & I. Only Rory would thrive in any outdoor milieu, whether in the dead of winter or in the heat of the desert.
Star Cinema had announced the impending release on Oct. 31 of Suddenly It’s Magic as a Filipino-Thai romantic film about Marcus Hanson (Mario Maurer), Thai superstar, and Joey Hermosa (Erich Gonzales), a Filipino baker. It follows their love story when Marcus flies to the Philippines to escape from career problems.
We asked Rory how she ended up with the project. She was readying for another film when VP Enrico Santos called for a first film of Mario known all over Asia. Rory told Enrico, she wasn’t sure but Enrico said shooting would be in Bangkok. “Of course, right away I got excited because I had always wanted to go to Bangkok. More than anything else, it was that that got me excited.”
The germ of the movie project stemmed from the impact of Mario’s movie Crazy Little Thing Called Love shown over ABS-CBN in both English and Filipino. His popularity resulted in an endorsement for Penshoppe. During the visit, he signed a one-movie contract with Star Cinema for Suddenly It’s Magic with Erich which Rory liked since she had a good time with Erich in Maria la del Barrio.
For Rory, the first thing that attracts her to a project is the story, and next, if it’s a location shoot. She admitted that her best memories, where she had the most fun would be those shot on location. So far, those would be Suddenly It’s Magic (Ilocos Norte and Bangkok), Paano Ang Puso Ko (Laurel, Batangas), Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay (Vigan), Kailangan Kita (Bicol), Dubai (Dubai), and Love Me Again (Darwin, Australia and Malaybalay, Bukidnod).
Of those in the list, we recalled Love Me Again the most. The great outdoors here proved to us the existence in the country not only of beaches, but also acres upon acres of grazing land, and yes, cowboys and cowgirls. Our first exposure to Pinoy cowboys was in the highlands of Isabella, Cagayan Valley region, awaking at dawn to join the cowboys round up the herd. The next, vicariously, was in Darwin with its tropical climate and Bukidnon, location of the Piolo Pascual-Angel Locsin love story. We could feel the breeze on our cheeks, smell the freshness of the outdoors while watching the film.
“I super love on-location shoots. You get to see and discover so many things about the places you go to. You get to meet people of different cultures and your kababayan in the provinces. Your world expands because of the experience. Location shoots always re-affirm my personal belief that the world is such a beautiful place full of wonderful and good human beings,” said Rory.
She has done nine out of 12 television series out of Manila, among them Princess & I with Kathryn Bernardo, partly shot in the Kingdom of Yangdon in Bhutan and Only You with Sam Milby, Angel and Diether Ocampo in Korea. “Every chance I get, I’m out of Manila. I don’t like the city. I am an outdoor person. I like to see greens; I like to smell fresh air; I appreciate very much the slow-paced life in the province, the simplicity, the genuineness of the people. I love exploring the Philippines. This is to me, still the most beautiful country in the world.”
We asked Rory of the effect of being a director on her health. She admitted it is unhealthy. “What crazy person will go on for days without sleep? The thing is, while it is so unhealthy, it is also so much fun! I’ve been in the industry for 27 years and there has never been a dull day. The camaraderie on every set is wonderful. Our set is always filled with a lot of love and laughter. It makes up for the unhealthy lifestyle.”
What’s next for her, we asked. Wouldn’t she go into writing her own script? “I’m not a writer. I would love to be able to co-write a project someday,” she said wistfully. That, she could go to town with. Calling Ricky Lee!
(E-mail us at bibsymcar@yahoo.com.)