Enrique Gil: Flying fancy free

Actor Enrique Gil may not have enough time to miss Hope Soberano (she has dropped “Liza” as her showbiz first name) these days. Soberano, according to her Philippine manager, singer-actor James Reid, is still based in Los Angeles, California, and has been busy auditioning for roles.

As for Gil, he stays put in the Philippines and has begun to be both actor and producer in the movies he appears in. He did it in I Am Not Big Bird, which he submitted in last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) but was not accepted, so he showed it in February this year in theaters, and then on Netflix in May.

The film’s theater release began on 14 February, Valentine’s Day, which this year also happened to be ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season among Catholics. And there was nothing religious in I Am Not Big Bird.

The movie actually opened alongside Soberano’s first Hollywood film, Lisa Frankenstein. Though the film had “Lisa” in the title, it wasn’t referring to Soberano’s character but to that of Kathryn Newton who portrayed a young woman who was fond of visiting old graveyards and fell in love with a dead guy who turned up at her residence as a zombie. Soberano’s character lives in that same house as she portrays a stepsister of the Lisa character.

At least one Philippine website reported that Gil’s movie did better at the local box office than that of Soberano. No one claimed that both movies became hits somewhere or another.

I Am Not Big Bird may have broken even, so Gil is doing another acting-producing project, and this time around he has better luck as the project has been accepted as an entry in this year’s MMFF. It was accepted based on submitted script. Four scripts from other companies have also been accepted in this year’s MMFF on the same basis.

Gil’s entry is titled Strange Frequencies. It seems to be a horror film though Gil prefers to describe it as “dealing with the supernatural.

Strange Frequencies is said to be breaking new ground since it will unreel in what Gil considers “ an innovative found footage style.” The film will be shot mainly as a livestream in a haunted hospital in Taiwan.

“When they pitched the concept, I was immediately sold by the whole thing,” Gil shared enthusiastically in a media interview.

The film is shot in the abandoned infamous Xinglin Hospital in Taiwan, built in 1975 but its administrators and staff were believed to have become neglectful, causing shamefully numerous deaths among its patients. The place reportedly became ghost-haunted and was thus abandoned, along with its equipment and paraphernalia of the patients who died.

In a bold move, Gil’s production eschewed a traditional film crew, relying instead on GoPros and CCTV cameras to be handheld and used by the actors themselves with instructions from the film’s director.

“We’re just gonna be shooting the whole film on our own with GoPros. And we’re gonna set up some CCTV cameras,” Gil explained. This hands-on approach required the actors, including Gil, to take on multiple roles.

“It’s a different experience. You’re not just acting, but you’re also taking footage of everything,” he added, highlighting the immersive and raw nature of the project. Well, Gil has actually named his film company Immerse Entertainment.

He bared that he really has a passion for the horror genre since his childhood.

“Growing up, Halloween was my favorite holiday. My dad would buy stuff from the US and he would decorate the whole house. It was the scariest house in our village,” he recalled.

The actor sees his turning producer as a way to contribute more broadly to the film industry.

“I think it’s part of growing up and a new chapter to my story. Something I can give back also to the industry as well,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Gil finds the experience of being a producer rewarding.

“I enjoy it a lot, but it’s also so stressful as well. Kasi, I’m just learning. But it’s not just me. I have a team as well. Ang mga partners ko sa Immerse,” he said, indicating his collaborative approach.

Gil is not stopping with Strange Frequencies. He and his team at Immerse are already pitching two new projects to streaming giant Netflix.

He wants to explore genres that excite him, such as horror, action, and comedy.

“I wanna focus on stuff that I’ve never really done before. Things that really excite me right now which are not too mainstream,” he stressed.

With Strange Frequencies, Gil actually hopes to open Pinoy viewers’ minds to the supernatural.

“Just to be open. I believe these things exist. We’re all energies here. Even God’s also spirit as well. I want people to be aware and be respectful about it. And they’re gonna learn a lot by watching our movie,” he intoned

Strange Frequencies also stars Jane de Leon, Alexa Miro, MJ Lastimosa, Rob Gomez, Raf Pineda and YouTuber Zarckaroo. It’s helmed by Kerwin Go.

So how can Gil wallow in missing Soberano who, since the day she left for Hollywood to try her luck for bigtime stardom, practically stopped saying a word about being Gil’s girlfriend. When she came over here in February to promote Lisa Frankinstein and a digital bank she was contracted to endorse, it was only Gil who insisted to media that they are still sweethearts.

Even Reid, as Soberano’s local agent, kept mum about a still aflamed romance between Soberano and Gil.

Meanwhile, there’s an acting couple who intend to become film producers, too: Jennylyn Mercado and husband Dennis Trillo.

They have actually put up a company they have named Brightburn Productions. Mercado confided in a media huddle that their goal is to apply what they’ve learned working as actors for over 20 years and come up with projects that they can be really proud of.

“We already know how a lot of things work in the industry because we’ve been part of it for so long, so we said, ‘Why don’t we produce our own?’ That is one of the passions I share with Dennis,” she explained.

“We want to make sure we’re working with good scriptwriters and production people, that a particular project’s release is well-executed and through a platform that we know we can rely on. While we can’t talk about its first project yet, it’s safe to say that GMA 7, our home network, is in full support (of it). We’re really excited about this,” Mercado said.

Speaking of GMA 7, Mercado also pointed out that Aguila Entertainment is still negotiating specific details in her network contract and so she is, therefore, a freelancer. The actress also denied rumors that she received an offer to transfer to rival company, ABS-CBN, or that her management company offered her services to them prior to renegotiating with GMA 7. “What I know is that the negotiation has always been with GMA 7 from the start. I’m loyal to my home network. There are just certain things in the contract that are still being discussed,” she pointed out.