It’s refreshing to see actor Vic Sotto, fondly known by many Filipinos as “bossing,” expanding his horizons and stepping out of his comfort zone with The Kingdom, one of the entries in the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Despite having worked on more serious material for the Lenten specials of his noontime show Eat Bulaga, Sotto admitted that The Kingdom presented an entirely new and different challenge, marking the MMFF entry as his first attempt at straight drama in his decades-long entertainment career.

Sotto ventured into drama for his MMFF comeback with The Kingdom, stepping out of his comfort zone as the “king of comedy.” However, despite his decades-long reign with the title, he admitted that memorizing his lines for the script proved challenging.

He elaborated that, aside from filming a movie entirely in the drama genre, he found it particularly challenging to memorize the script due to the complexity and nature of the movie’s narrative.

“Mahirap, nahirapan ako. And to think na ‘yung mga dialogue namin is bawal ang Spanish. Matalinhaga, malalim na Tagalog. For example, you don’t say ‘gusto,’ which is Spanish. Instead, you say, ‘nais’ (It was difficult. I struggled. And to think that our dialogues don’t include Spanish. They had to be in poetic, deep Tagalog. For example, instead of saying ‘,’ which is Spanish, you say ‘nais’).”

“And it’s hard to memorize something that’s out of the comfort zone. These are not ordinary conversations. ‘Pag yung matalinhaga na, mahirap i-digest.” (When it becomes poetic, it’s difficult to digest.)

Despite his extensive experience in fantasy-comedy roles like Enteng Kabisote, the veteran actor and TV host, known for his comedic charm, agreed to take on a drama project for the first time, drawn by the engaging storyline that explores what would have happened if the Philippines had never been colonized and had instead become a monarchy.

“What if we’re a monarchy and not a democracy? And to just give you a hint kung ano yung bansa natin, maunlad siya (in the film). So lumalaban siya, pwede siyang first world.” (And just to give you a hint about our country in the film, it’s prosperous. It’s fighting, and it could be considered a first-world nation.)

Sotto also shared that he instantly liked the concept as soon as it was introduced to him by the film’s director, Mike Tuviera.

“Direk Mike called me up, asking me if I was interested in going back and making a film for the MMFF. He told me about this concept and right there and then, nagustuhan ko siya.”

Tuviera emphasized to Sotto that it was a serious movie with no trace of comedy, which made Sotto even more eager to participate in the film.

The Kingdom is an upcoming Philippine action-adventure film set in the fictional Kingdom of Kalayaan, a contemporary version of the Philippines where the islands were never colonized, exploring the complex hierarchy of the Kaharian ng Kalayaan and the Malayas while offering a unique perspective on Philippine history and society.

It will be part of the first entries for the 50th MMFF. Alongside Sotto, the film features a talented cast, including Piolo Pascual, Cristine Reyes, Sue Ramirez, Sid Lucero, Zion Cruz and Nico Antonio.

A joint production of MQuest Ventures Inc., M-ZET TV Productions, and APT Entertainment Inc., The Kingdom is set to open in theaters on 25 December.

The MMFF 2024 will run from 25 December to 7 January 2025 in cinemas nationwide.