January 4, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Hilda Koronel, dubbed as “Philippine cinema’s gold standard,” admitted that she doesn’t like people who are late. She recounted an incident from the past where she waited for six hours for a co-actor during a taping.
“I can work with anyone as long as they are on time,” she declared at a presscon for her comeback film “Sisa,” directed by Jun Robles Lana (“And The Breadwinner Is,” “Die Beautiful,” “Barber’s Tales” and “Bwakaw”).
She continued, “From my experience back in the day, hindi ako nagwawala pero talagang medyo pagdating ng six hours (of waiting), I will wait for six hours (but would leave after that). (After that person arrived) on set and said, ‘I’m sorry, Tita, I’m late.’ ‘Ah OK, six hours, I’m going.’ I would leave the set.’”
“So in that sense, mataray ako,” she added.
Hilda recalled what she learned from the late filmmaker Lino Brocka.
The veteran actress recalls past experiences and learnings on set from the late filmmaker Lino Brocka during the media gathering.
“Ang turo sa akin ni Lino (Brocka), mauna ka. So if the call time is 8 o’clock, (I would arrive) at 7,” she said. “Even with Star Cinema, my staff would say, ‘Ms. Hilda is here.’ I’m already sitting on my chair, with makeup on.”
“Ayoko ng mga late, OK?” she stressed.
The veteran actress on director Jun Lana’s Sisa: ‘You’ll love the ending.’
And as much as possible, when doing a heavy crying scene, she would like to do it in just one take. “Parang stale kasi if you do it again and again,” she explained.
She further shared an incident where her co-actor forgot her lines. “It was at 4 a.m. I told her, ‘You know what, you’re only 16 years old, you should have memorized your lines.’”
“May mga director din ako na nababato ko ng script,” she continued. “They deserve it. Meron talaga akong iniiwanan na director na I cannot mention (the name). Yung iba kasi they’re trying to get you in bed pero ‘pag ayaw mo pinaparusahan ka.”
She went on to share an experience with a director who was being rude toward her. “Nagsusungit na ganyan. ‘Ayan na yung script mo, I’m leaving.’ We didn’t talk for a week. After that, they apologized to me. Because I try my best, I really do my best.”
She reiterated that she could forgive anyone except those with late issues. “Because for me, your time is important to me. Kahit na sino, importante sa akin yun. So when you’re late, it’s like you’re not giving importance to my time. If I did that to you, it’s the same. (Being on time) is a sign of respect.”
It was also a lesson that she gleaned from direk Lino. “Lino Brocka taught me that back then. Pati mga crew ko, ganyan. Even if I’m sick, he would ask me to come to work because my crew and my staff would not get paid. We were taught all of these. Our work ethics are really, really important.”
The veteran actress was asked to look back on past experiences on set during a media gathering that announced her comeback in the showbiz industry via “Sisa.”
Her last movie was “The Mistress” with John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo in 2012.
“Sisa” is a historical thriller that tells the story of a woman who defies expectations in an era when women were meant to be silent. Set during the Philippine-American War, Hilda’s character wanders the land, scarred and seemingly broken, as a madwoman named Sisa. But her madness is a mask, concealing her true identity as a spy driven by a burning desire for vengeance against those who destroyed her life.
“Sisa” is an international co-production between The IdeaFirst Company, Octobertrain Films, Quantum Films, Cineko Productions, CMB Films and Myanmar-based Forever Group.
Some of Hilda’s notable films are the now-classics “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag” and “Insiang.”
“The setting of ‘Sisa’ is kinda different (from my previous films). You’ll love the ending. I told direk, ‘Direk, ‘pag hindi mo ako napaiyak ng script mo, I can’t do it.’ But he made me cry, especially the ending.”
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