All that she wants is a sperm donor to fertilize her ripe egg cell — no messy, mushy romance, no long-term commitment, no emotional complications and definitely no “here comes the bride in white” scenario. Sandy Montecillo, played by Sue Ramirez, subscribes to all these points of view in Eric Quizon’s Project Baby, written by Jose Javier Reyes and produced by Regal Entertainment.
All the thirtysomething, self-made advertising head wants is a father and his semen packed with the healthiest sperm cells. Montecillo dreams of conceiving the natural way and becoming a “mommy dearest,” fully aware that her biological clock is in full frenzy mode.
After a series of meet-ups, Migo Andrade — played by rocker Rico Blanco — becomes Montecillo’s chosen sperm donor. With this irreverent premise, what happens to the characters will surely bring cheers, surprises, tears and resolutions that audiences will discover when the movie hits cinemas this 10 June.
Take a chance
This whole “I want to be pregnant without the emotional complications and hassles” premise reminds me of the many intriguing twists and turns in David E. Kelley’s Ally McBeal. The revolutionary show broke tropes about office romances and legal cases, pushing the envelope on how successful career women deal with what matters most to them in life — lust, relationships, marriage, children, and of course, finding their true north without saying goodbye to love.
At the core, Ally was a true-blue romantic, which is also what Sandy is.
Ramirez said: “I am deeply connected with her unconventional decisions. Becoming a mother has always been one of my biggest, lifelong dreams. That part of the character, I can relate to on a truly personal level.”
“There was even a time in my life when I believed that I could handle and raise a child on my own, in case my partner and I separated,” Ramirez added.
“Project Baby is a love letter to all the women who paved the way for women to have more open choices today,” Ramirez said of the Quizon-directed film. “I hope it opens progressive conversations about female choices and the independent decisions of modern women with regard to their bodies and paths,” she continued.
On working with Rico as her leading man, Ramirez said: “It was one of those ‘never in my wildest dreams’ moments that actually became real. At first, I was intimidated by the fact that I was working with a rock icon whose music and artistry I truly admire. I feel extremely privileged, and I felt a lot of kilig knowing that one of the reasons he said yes to the project was when he learned I was his co-star.”
Refreshing
“It’s a refreshing, out-of-the-box role that allows me to show a lighter and softer side,” Blanco said when asked about playing Migo.
“Being Migo, at first I found it hard to believe that I was cast in this movie as the romantic male lead,” said the rock icon. “This was never in my bucket list — to be the man chosen as the baby’s daddy of Sue’s Sandy.”
There was no reluctance, however, when he learned that Ramirez was his co-star. “Having Sue as my leading lady was a major deciding factor for me to say yes to this movie. I know she is an incredible actress and super cool, and I instinctively knew that chemistry could happen between us. My gut feeling was definitely right.”
Also in the movie are Alice Dixson, Matt Lozano, Arra San Agustin, Yasser Marta, Kimson Tan, Charuth and Alexa Calleja.
Curious and intrigued — these are the words that make me want to watch Project Baby. Sue Ramirez and her bold role choices, Rico as the leading man, plus a script by Reyes and direction by Quizon — this film has no reason to go wrong.
