Kathryn Bernardo to star in new film with Dolly de Leon
Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon are set to play the lead roles in the upcoming Star Cinema film A Very Good Girl, which is slated for release this year.
With the tagline "Payback's a b*tch," the movie has been described by director Petersen Vargas—whom Kathryn personally requested—as a dark comedy with plenty of "sass and class."
In a recently concluded press conference, Kathryn said that she first worked with Dolly when she was little.
"What an honor. For sure marami akong matututunan sa kanya. I can't wait to meet her again. Now, I'm looking forward na mas makatrabaho siya ng mas matagal at mas makilala siya," she said.
The team behind 'A Very Good Girl'
— Star Cinema (@StarCinema) March 27, 2023
Director: Petersen Vargas
Writer: Marionne Dominique Mancol
Creative Manager: Carmi Raymundo
Creative Supervisor: Daniel Saniana#NewMovieAlertKathryn #NMAKathryn pic.twitter.com/2JCRej4YxN
Creative director Carmi Raymundo, meanwhile, recalled how they were able to convince Dolly to say yes with the magic word "Kathryn," whom the actress recognized from her earlier work.
“Noong pini-pitch namin sa kanya, she asked, ‘Sino 'yung makakasama doon sa pelikula?’ When we said Kathryn Bernardo, immediately nag-light up si Ms. Dolly. Kasi sabi niya, ‘I don’t know if she remembers but we worked together when she was very little. Noon pa lang, nakitaan ko na she's very professional, she's very humble,'" Carmi relayed Dolly's words.
Dominique Mancol said she wrote the film's screenplay with Kathryn in mind, with ABS-CBN Films head Kriz Gazmen adding that the ABS-CBN actress wanted to challenge herself by accepting roles and storylines she's never attempted before.
“She's so young... she's so talented. I feel like she can pull off the eat-the-rich concept,” Dominique said.
Aside from A Very Good Girl, Kathryn is working on Elena 1944, a historical drama film directed by Olivia M. Lamasan whose last directing credit was Barcelona: A Love Untold—also starring the actress in 2016.
Kathryn is the Philippine box office record-holder with her film Hello, Love, Goodbye being the highest-grossing movie locally, while Dolly gained international recognition along with Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for her performance in Triangle of Sadness.