MANILA, Philippines — Actress Angelica Panganiban is no stranger to the screen, having worked in the showbiz industry for most of her life.
But the Kapamilya star had to admit that voice acting for the Netflix adult animated film “Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story” presented quite a new challenge.
“Mahirap nga siya kasi parang kulang ka sa tools. Parang wala kang facial expression. Hindi tumutulo ‘yung luha mo. So parang very challenging kung paano mo mapaparating sa audience kung ano talaga ‘yung nararamdaman nung character,” Angelica told Philstar.com and other media during a Monday virtual conference.
The 33-year-old gave her kudos to voice actors, humbly recalling her struggles in the recording booth.
“Minsan mas doon ako nahihirapan ‘yung paano ko ipe-placing ‘yung boses ko, dapat ba hinaan ko, landian ko pa, o baka sobra,” she said.
Angelica avoided taking breaks while recording her lines since her energy level drops and she finds it difficult to recover.
“Pero minsan talagang nauubusan ka ng boses. ‘Yung, ah wala na siya. Hanggang dito na lang po, cut off na po ng boses ko.' Mas ‘yun yung mga mahihirap,” she shared.
“At saka 'pag umuuwi ako ng bahay, talagang pagod ako. Akala mo nag-taping ako ng 16 hours. ‘Yung talagang hilik. ‘Yung pagod. Nakakapagod siya. Siguro kasi hindi ko mundo. Siguro ‘yung mga voice actors sasabihin nila, ‘Sus, ang dali dali.’ Pero mahirap. Ako nahirapan.”
Angelica, however, was likened by her peers to diesel: “Sa umpisa parang lagi akong nangangapa then habang tumatagal t’saka pa lang umiinit, gan'on.”
She took her first animated film as a challenge and ran with it, saying she was able to relate to and naturally immerse herself in the role of Nimfa.
“Siguro doon sa personality ni Nimfa kasi lahat tayo di ‘ba may mga pangarap along the way na parang gusto ko rin naman ng ganito, gusto ko rin ng ganyan. ‘Yun siguro naiintindihan ko ‘yung character niya and ‘yung proseso para matuto siya. Gan'on naman talaga sa life, ‘di ba? You learn the hard way. I’m sure gano'n ako nu'ng kabataan ko. I’m sure ang dami ko ring ginawang mga kalokohan para maabot ko kung na saan ako ngayon. And I’m sure marami pa kong kailangan ding matutunan sa life. Hindi naman ako perpekto.”
Angelica credited director Avid Liongoren for helping her navigate her first time voice acting.
“Of course meron siyang sariling vision for the film and kailangan masakyan ko ‘yun para matawid ko ‘yung pelikula. And hindi naman ako napabayaan. Hinayaan din naman niya ako mag-take time para magawa ko ‘yung character ni Nimfa.”
The actress was also able to channel her inner kitten due to her experience as a pet mom.
“Mas kaya ko maging pusa kaysa maging tao," she quipped.
"Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story" starring Angelica, Sam Milby and Robin Padilla is set to premiere on October 29.
The synopsis reads: “Nimfa Dimaano (Angelica Panganiban), the pretty pussycat is a perfume sales kitty at a department store. Her boyfriend, Roger (Robin Padilla), the macho mongrel is a janitor. Nimfa meets Iñigo Villanueva (Sam Milby) the bourgeoisie business dog and their chemistry ignites. Will Nimfa and Roger’s love for DVDs and cheap street food keep them together or will Iñigo’s high society charms tear them apart?”