Direk Mac Alejandre tackles ‘most difficult assignment’ for Vivamax

MANILA, Philippines — Multi-awarded director Mac Alejandre is known for his dramatic films and TV series that undoubtedly became memorable to viewers. His latest directorial job — the eight-part series, ‘Wag Mong Agawin ang Akin — is Mac’s “most difficult assignment” for the streaming platform, Vivamax.

He cannot be any happier that he is reunited with his Silip sa Apoy star, Angeli Khang, who plays the lead as a young escort in ‘Wag Mong Agawin ang Akin. He only has nice words to say about Angeli after directing her in Silip sa Apoy shown early this year. The sexy drama is included in the Top 5 most-viewed Vivamax originals.

“I will always be biased for Angeli,” admitted Mac. “Hindi ‘yan sa laki ng na-improve niya kasi hindi ako ganun sumukat. Ang mas sasabihin ko is mas aware na si Angeli sa kakayahan niya ngayon at mas aware siya sa craft niya. (What I can say is that Angeli is more aware of her abilities and she is more aware of her craft.)

“It’s a big deal that I’m able to work with Angeli again after Silip sa Apoy. I alway say this, the trust that she gave me, I won’t ever forget it. Sensitive siya sa mga tao sa paligid niya, sa ginagawa niya. Ang pagganap niya, patuloy na lumalawig. (She is sensitive to the people around her, to what he does. Her acting continues to expand).

Felix Roco.

“I will not say malaki ang improvement o maliit ang improvement. What’s important, she takes to heart what he does. She’s more thorough in the study of the character she portrays. I really feel Angeli’s hard work and love for her craft.”

Mac worked at the helm of the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Tagpuan, with Iza Calzado, Alfred Vargas and Shaina Magdayao, as well as Kaputol (2019), with Cherie Gil and Alfred Vargas.

Then, last year, Mac started his streaming projects with the Vivamax original film, My Husband, My Lover, starring Kylie Verzosa, Cyndi Miranda and Marco Gumabao. With ‘Wag Mong Agawin ang Akin, Mac is now doing post-production work on the series that starts streaming July 31 on Vivamax.

Angeli is joined by a cast that includes Jamilla Obispo, Yayo Aguila, Lara Morena, Felix Roco, Josef Elizalde, Arron Villaflor, Angelica Cervantes and Hershey de Leon.

“I never had problems working with actors because I could make them understand what the requirement of each scene is,” said Mac. “I don’t find that difficult. The lock-in condition is difficult, the pandemic. It’s the usual challenges that every production faces.

“Those are challenges that are not difficult to overcome. It comes with the territory. It’s a matter of embracing everything. Tuwing mayroon tayong gagawin at gaano man kahirap ‘yan o gaano man nakakapagod o ano man ang situation, lagi nating yakapin ‘yan. (Whenever we do something, no matter how difficult it is or how tiring it is, or whatever the situation is, we always embrace it.)

Jamilla Obispo.

“Kasi ‘pag niyakap natin, nawawala ang mga hadlang sa utak at damdamin. Everything becomes a little bit easier. The flow becomes more fluid.”

Mac acknowledged his supporting cast who play important roles in the series. “Malaki ang roles ng supporting players. Other than the leads, the people around them form the tension in their lives. They either make or break the imagination of the people around them.

“Arron is the stepson and scorned lover. Yayo is the former wife and leads a major conflict in one of the major stories of the series. She was the former head of Prima and the former wife of the owner.

“Josef is one of the guys who works at Prima and a good friend of Felix. Josef is in search of a real meaning of what a relationship is. Hershey is the true love of Josef. Angelica is not only a best friend, but a witness to the very tragic past of the character of Jasmine.

“Ang mga taong ito ay mahalaga dahil sila ang nag-form ng tension at humihila sa lead character kung saan ito pupunta. They shape the personality of the lead characters.”

Although Mac is still doing post-production on ‘Wag Mong Agawin ang Akin, he pointed out that it is still a lot of hard work. “The work begins with the pre-production, continues with production and ends when you see the product online,” he explained.

“Malinaw ang equity ng Vivamax as a platform. So, the expectations of the audience are clear when it comes to Vivamax movies and series, especially given the stars who are included in this series.

“The other part which is more important is paano mailalabas ang puso ng story in a way na maging affecting sa audience. If there’s truth and sincerity in the stories, that leads to the heart of the story. That’s the most important thing to me.”