Alessandra de Rossi reveals there were other offers for an AlEmpoy follow-up
After almost six years, Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy Marquez are pairing up again for another movie, titled “Walang KaParis.”
The film, which currently streams on Prime Video, tells the story of Jojo (Marquez), a Filipino artist in Paris whose heart is held captive by a woman with no name and no history—only in his paintings. One day, a woman named Marie (de Rossi) goes to him and claims to be the girl in his paintings.
In a roundtable interview with FreebieMNL and select media outlets last March, de Rossi, Marquez, and director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo talked about the movie and how it is different from “Kita Kita.”
According to de Rossi, viewers will see a different side of her tandem with Marquez, called AlEmpoy.
She first quips, “Sana last na ito. Hahaha! Hindi hindi hindi!”
She then expounds, “Ano ito, ibang AlEmpoy na kasi ito, e. Higher level na siya. Hindi na siya cutesy cutesy na short-lived romance then tragedy, hindi ganun. Deep love. Parang, how the hell!
“So, yun, yung AlEmpoy naman feeling ko, nagustuhan siya ng mga tao kasi pareho lang kaming simpleng tao, simpleng nilalang. I think magugustuhan naman siya.”
READ: Alessandra De Rossi Reunites With Empoy Marquez In New Film
“Walang KaParis” is the perfect follow-up for AlEmpoy
According to Bernardo, finding the perfect material for AlEmpoy after the success of “Kita Kita” had been a “difficult process” for her as the writer and director of both movies.
She admits, “To be honest, it’s really really a big pressure on me that’s why it’s very difficult for me if I’m gonna do another AlEmpoy film because for me talaga, I can never top ‘Kita Kita.’ So, it’s an awakening sa akin, I have to reflect on it if I’m gonna do an AlEmpoy film.”
But then, Bernardo learned to embrace the first film’s success so she’d be able to easily move forward to the next movie.
She explains, “If I’m gonna do another AlEmpoy film, I have to embrace the success of ‘Kita Kita’ and not be pressured of topping this film [but] just to tell a good story, kaya it took me two years bago maka-isip ng magandang kwento for them, and I wanted to show their talents as actors din. Dito, mas level up yung acting nila.”
De Rossi and Bernardo also acknowledge that “Walang KaParis” will always be compared to “Kita Kita.”
To address this, Bernardo says, “There are homage scenes to ‘Kita Kita’ dito sa film. There’s still a feel of ‘Kita Kita’ but it’s different because I just have to embrace it, e. I just want to focus on telling a story about love and taking risks.”
De Rossi, on her part, knows that “Walang KaParis” is a perfect follow-up despite past offers to do another AlEmpoy film. She says, “Wala, si Sigrid, written and directed by Sigrid. May mga ibang nag-offer kasi after ‘Kita Kita,’ parang hindi ko na-feel na yun yun.”
Even then, De Rossi does not pressure herself for “Walang KaParis” to topple “Kita Kita.”
“Tama naman si Sigrid, e, you cannot beat ‘Kita Kita.’ Ako nga, sabi ko, ‘Kita Kita,’ magic yun, e. E, wala namang papantay sa magic. And napaka-ungrateful mo naman kung gusto mo ng mas bongga pa doon. Pero kung maging mas bongga ito doon, aba’y congratulations din naman! Di ba, ganun lang dapat mag-isip lagi.”
“Kita Kita” to “Walang KaParis”: from big screen to streaming
De Rossi and Marquez are also happy that instead of being shown in the cinemas, “Walang KaParis” is available for streaming.
De Rossi reasons out, “We’re happy! For me; one, pandemic. Two, sabay-sabay makakapanood worldwide. Hindi katulad dati ng mga abang na abang na gusto nilang maging part din sila ng gang. Ngayon, anytime, anywhere, mapapanood na siya.”
Marquez adds, “Nakakatuwa. Sa Prime kasi, magbabayad ka ng ganung monthly, buong family mo, makakapanuod na, sabay-sabay kayo.”
Prime Video subscription costs P149 per month. Aside from “Walang KaParis,” AlEmpoy fans can also relive the kilig in “Kita Kita” as it is also available on the platform.
Banner Art Paulo Correa
