What Paolo learned about love from A Faraway Land character

Paolo Contis is at it again, proving all and sundry that he is a true acting trooper. The comedian can “hold his own” in tearjerkers, such as the movie Through Night and Day and the drama anthology I Can See You: The Promise.

Another proof of it is Paolo’s subtle and moving portrayal of investigative reporter Nico, who documents the life and love of a Pinay named Majhoy, portrayed by Yen Santos, in A Faraway Land. Directed by Veronica Velasco, the film is now streaming on Netflix.

“Actually, hindi naman siya nalalayo (He is not far different from who I am),” granted Paolo when asked about the “personality proximity” between him, the actor and Nico, the character and his preparations for the role in a recent media call via Zoom.

“I’m from the media. I like talking to people, of course. It wasn’t really hard (for me) to prepare for the character. I had to practice more on the nuances lang because siyempre hindi naman ako komedyante dito sa pelikulang ito.” Yes, Paolo and Nico are both in the limelight and share the responsibility to entertain and inform their audiences. At the end of the day, the real and reel personas help the public make sense of the world.

“Sabi nga ni direk sa akin, ‘You have to be charming.’” said Paolo, “That’s (another) challenge for me. More or less, (the challenges in playing the role are) character-based lang. It was easy to adapt. When I read the script, it was very easy.”

During the group interview, there the press was requested not to ask personal and political questions, Paolo reiterated that “hindi naman ako masyadong nalalayo kay Nico. More or less, I often say what I want, I often do what I have to do when it comes to work, when it comes to love.”

Perhaps, what makes the actor different from the character is, added Paolo, “Nico is a more emotional kind of person… I normally keep things to myself. I normally keep things hidden kapag may mga dinadala ako (if I go through something). I’m just really, really quiet. Sabi ko nga, that’s one more thing na natutunan ko from Nico, baka nga dapat I would be more vulnerable and be more open to my emotions when it comes to everything.”

Watching A Faraway Land, on the other hand, proves that Paolo can treat viewers to familiar, perhaps forgotten emotions, when one meets someone new and wants the latter to be part of one’s life. This is true since the actor, as he put it, does his “best to act from the heart. I do my best to put myself into the character… I really feel (my character’s emotions) that’s why people feel what I feel.”

“Kapag nagmahal ka, itodo mo na. (When you love, you have to give your all),” said Paolo about more personal learnings from playing Nico. “You don’t know kung kailan ka mawawala sa mundo (when your time is up in this world). You don’t know when you’re gonna get a second opportunity in life.”

“Pero sabi ko nga, di mo alam kung kailan ka tatamaan ng love (You don’t know when true love will hit you),” added he. “Kapag tinamaan ka, it’s your decision, whether to do (or make) the right decision or the wrong decision, kung talagang makikinig ka sa puso mo (it’s up to you whether you will listen to your heart or not)… at yun ang natutunan ko kay Nico. Hindi lang sa love, dapat sa lahat ng bagay, dapat itodo mo (You have to give your all, not only in love, but also in everything that you do).”

Asked about his working relationship and onscreen chemistry with Yen, Paolo said: “It was very easy. Yen was very professional. The chemistry was very easy because during the first day pa lang, we were able to talk about what we want to happen in the movie. Yen was very open to suggestions. I was also very open to suggestions. Direk was very open to what we (Yen and I) wanted to do together in the scenes. It was easy, considering that we didn’t have time for reading, we didn’t have time for any workshops. Kumbaga, I met Yen for the first time during the look test and then shooting followed.”

Following Paolo’s train of thought, it makes a big difference when actors are professional and committed to their characters. “We both wanted the same thing for the film,” said he. “It worked well.”

Aside from the universal theme of falling in love, the film also explores interracial marriage. Paolo shared his thoughts about it.

“I always believe that marriage is not about race,” said he. “It has to be about love, understanding and a lot of sacrifice. I believe that if may kulang dun, matutulad kayo kay Majhoy… matutulad kayo kay Majhoy na makikita kung ano yung kulang, kung ano yung mali.” At this point, it’s up to the viewers to discover for themselves what the character finds lacking in her family life.

“Sigmund is a good person, pero may kulang,” Paolo said of the Faroese husband of Majhoy. “Sobrang dali kapag ginawa natin na si Sigmund na masamang tao, na nanakit, ang typical na niya.” The actor also hinted at the possible reasons behind Majhoy’s conflict by saying that “you have the age, you have the culture… kung hindi magkakasama ang love, trust, friendship, of course, lahat tayo ay matutulad kay Majhoy.”

During these trying times when work is far and few between, Paolo belongs to that group of actors who remain visible and continue to enjoy their craft. Given the reach of Netflix, more and more audiences can appreciate his movies.

“To be honest, (my previous movies) Through Night and Day and Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap didn’t really do well in the cinemas,” said he. “I’m very thankful to Netflix that they got the films… The people actually had the opportunity to watch (them). After (filming) A Faraway Land, (it) went straight to Netflix. It’s a very different opportunity. It’s a very different feeling. Lalo ngayon, during the pandemic, masasabi ko na sobrang laking blessing na may Netflix na kumukuha ng mga pelikula para ma-enjoy ng mga tao… We get to work, even if there is pandemic. We know if the film is good enough, it has the chance to get streamed on Netflix. I’m very thankful for it.”

Viewers are also thankful for Paolo, Yen and direk Veronica for presenting an engaging drama about a Pinoy reporter and a Pinay Overseas Filipino worker.