Direk Giselle Andres on her own

MANILA, Philippines — In this evening presscon, director Giselle Andres can be mistaken for one of the stars of her latest movie, I Love You, Hater.

She looks very young and spritely at 35, still a bit shy on the side, especially when asked to talk about herself.

After 10 years in showbiz starting as a production designer, wardrobe caretaker and on to assistant director, she is on the right track thanks to her mentors from directors Marilou Diaz-Abaya to Rory Quintos and Olivia Lamasan, the latter she fondly calls Inang.

After getting the hang of it on her own, she defines her role as director. “I enjoy the fact that I can put my hand into many things in the production. I like that part where we discuss the character and how he or she can push the story. In this regard, I collaborate a lot with my writer and most important of all, with my actors. I like hearing what they have to say about their role and how they feel about it. You’ll never know that their output maybe the key to bringing the best from that role. I want that character to be relatable to everyone and I like discussing it to see it from a different perspective. I am always determined to bring out something new from a character. But in the end, my goal is to bring out the best in everyone in the cast.”

Working with Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia for the first time, she likes to think that things were made easy as she happens to be a millennial directing another set of millennials.

Like in her first film Loving in Tandem, it was certainly easier to make them feel comfortable with her because they could relate to a lot of things. “But they are younger than me so there are experiences that some of them still haven’t gone through. Those took more effort to explain. But they were very much open to learning new things so eventually I was able to direct them into doing the scenes.”

How did she react when it was imperative that they have to get the services of a product endorser as a big foil to the young stars?

Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia star in the film. It feels good to have a millennial direct talented millennials.

They knew they have to find someone big to match the presence of Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto. “We realized we need a character like her to set the arena for the two young stars. I have doubts though if she’d accept the part. She has worked with the likes of Chito Roño and at this phase of my career now, I am still a nobody. So, I thought getting her for the part would not be easy.”

To her surprise, the movie star said yes to the role of digital empress.

The star who brought her own cheering squad in the presscon elaborates: “I didn’t have second thought when I learned she has worked with direk Rory (Quintos) and direk Olive (Lamasan). They are directors I want to work with. I love all the movies she has done with Inang (Lamasan) and I like the cast I’d be working with.”

Looking super slim in black outfit capped by a Balmain blazer and a set of jewelry that she said could buy one condominium unit with three bedrooms, she points out her role in I Love You, Hater felt very much like what she does now. “I think I am the embodiment of that character the way I treat my staff. They will know that I can appreciate hard work and will not hesitate to say thank you in my own way.”

With variations on love and hate highlighting the presscon Q and A, one brings up the subject to one and all.

Direk Giselle says love and hate make for nice contrast and she likes reliving both. In her mind, living the two emotions makes for a total person.

On her own, direk Giselle admits she became passionate about filmmaking after working with the late Diaz-Abaya.

She recalls that studying under her made her more passionate about filmmaking. “My outlook has changed radically after working with her. I knew in my heart that I just wanted to tell stories. I’m very lucky to have had the chance to meet and learn from her.”

One anecdote she clearly remembers while working with Diaz-Abaya was her sense of priority. “When we pack up because of bad weather, she’d say, ‘buhay muna bago equipment.’ She noticed the crew was worried more about the equipment than the people involved in the production. I like her very human touch while introducing you to the intricacies of filmmaking.”

From her side, direk Giselle is happy with her latest output. “I think I got the full cooperation from everyone, from writers to cameramen and actors. Hoping all these hard work will translate into good audience acceptance.”

I Love You, Hater opens in cinemas on July 11.