Darryl Yap on KimJe: Real good actors deserve the breaks

MANILA, Philippines — Darryl Yap takes up the cudgels for his favorite muse, actress Kim Molina. The trending and controversial director believes that his "Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam" star deserves all the breaks and much more.

"As a director, this is something personal because Kim is a friend and I want always people to see how great she is. Lagi ko sinasabi na wag kang pumayag na napaka-underrated mo," Yap shared at the movie's recent virtual mediacon.

He and Kim are reunited in one of VivaMax's latest streaming movie offering. They first worked together in the 2019 movie "Jowable".

"Siyempre gusto niya mabait siya, hindi siya mayabang. Ako yung nagyayabang para sa kanya. Lagi ko sinasabi na you always have to show how great you are even kay Jerald. Masyadong mabait yang dalawang iyan eh. Gusto nila marangal 'yung kita nila. This film is for Kim and casting Kim is the best decision I have made," he explained.

Apart from Kim, the movie also stars her real-life boyfriend Jerald Napoles who plays a nameless character who has cleft palate.

Yap added that the movie had been tailor-made for her, and its storytelling is only secondary.

As the movie's title suggests, Kim plays Tasya, a woman diagnosed with the rare disorder called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP).

According the United States National Institutes of Health, the condition is "present from birth, that inhibits the ability to perceive physical pain. Affected individuals are unable to feel pain in any part of their body. Over time, this lack of pain awareness can lead to an accumulation of injuries and health issues that may affect life expectancy."

More praises for KimJe

"Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam" is a vehicle for Kim to showcase what she still can do as an actor.

Yap disclosed that when he was told by Viva that he would be working with the theater star-turned-TV-and-movie actress, he thought of ways to challenge her.

He came up with the idea of Kim being restricted in movements and reactions because the actress is animated and loves to laugh in real life. She tends to easily react. In his words, Kim is "bungisngis."

With their latest collaboration, Yap hopes to highlight Kim's edge as an actress. She's not another "flashy" actor that commonly plagues TV screens.

"Mas malalim si Kim. Doon sa alagad ng sining siya ay kumakanta, sumasayaw. Inihuhulog niya ang sarili niya sa bangin sa ngalan ng pelikula. Walang pag-iimbot kaya naniniwala ako na Kim really is an important actress in her era. Kim is not a discovery but a late realization of the industry. Matagal na siya nandiyan but they just don’t realize because they are being blinded by commercial luster," he shared.

The director added that the film industry's predictability is shown at how reluctant it is to accept something that it has not seen. All it takes, he said, are good actors.

To him, Kim and Jerald or KimJe, are these good actors.

"These two is what we need in the industry. We need films and content that are not popularity-driven though these two are very big in popularity. We should always get and cast artists who are intelligent, who are brave and, above all, who are real people. I always believe in order for you to be a good actor, you have to be a real person. Kim and Jerald, sila yung dalawang 'yun," Yap said.