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‘I definitely have films or projects that probably made more money or had better critical success, but I value the life of one person more than numbers,’ says Padilla, who wrote the 2017 film’s story and screenplay
Trigger warning: suicide
MANILA, Philippines – In her career spanning over a decade, Bela Padilla has made a name for herself as a mainstay on the big screen.
She breathed life into the films and series 100 Tula Para Kay Stella, Meet Me in St. Gallen, Camp Sawi, On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets, Magdalena: Anghel sa Putikan, and Ang Probinsyano, among others — all these tugging at the heartstrings of Filipinos in one way or another.
But over the years, Bela would come to realize that she’s got a knack for matters behind the scenes, too, as a writer and director. She would go on to write and direct films like Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko, 366, and Luck at First Sight.
But there’s one film in Bela’s extensive catalogue that stands out: Last Night, the 2017 film starring Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga. The film sees a suicidal man and woman forge a deal to help each other end their lives.
Bela had worked on the film’s story and screenplay, with Joyce Bernal at the helm as director.
During a press conference after her contract signing with ABS-CBN, Bela recalled the time a social media user tagged her in a post on X celebrating the full movie being uploaded on YouTube.
The 34-year-old actress thought to click on the link to the film, scrolled through the comments, and came across one that stuck with her. It was a months-old message from a commenter who shared that watching the movie prevented them from taking their own life.
“She spoke about how she was supposed to end her life that night, and she decided she felt like, ‘Maybe I should watch a movie first to calm myself down.’ She typed ‘Filipino full movies’ [in the search bar]. The first one that came out was Last Night and she watched it. And she wrote that it saved her life and she decided that God spoke to her through the film,” Bela recounted.
The multi-hyphenate added that it’s not the numbers she’s after. What matters more to her is the kind of impact her body of work can make on others.
“I definitely have films or projects that probably made more money or had better critical success, but I value the life of one person more than numbers,” she said.
Bela inked a network and management contract with ABS-CBN, making her return as a Kapamilya after several years.
Her latest upcoming project is the film 100 Awit Para Kay Stella, where she stars alongside JC Santos. The film comes out in local cinemas on September 10. – Rappler.com
