A magical chit-chat with Suddenly It's Magic writer Vanessa Valdez

I was one of the few who was given a chance to sit down, and chit-chat with the "box-office" writer Ms. Vanessa Valdez through a special blogger's conference in Star Cinema's office. She is the writer of the famed film, The Mistress. Yes, the John Lloyd Cruz- Bea Alonzo movie which blew us all away last month.

(credits to Kristhoff Cagape)

This time, we talked about the newest offering of Star Cinema, Suddenly It's Magic. The first Thai-Pinoy film directed by one of the greatest, Rory B. Quintos. The talk was really unique because it is in a writer's point-of-view and insights rooting back since the start of the movie project.

The Making:

Ms. Van revealed that she wrote the story for Suddenly It's Magic even before The Mistress. She said that Enrico Santos called her and said that she needs to finish the script in 10 days! She told us that the story itself originated from sir Enrico. The movie project started out that the main characters are already determined to be Mario Maurer and Erich Gonzales.

The time-frame is strict because Mario Maurer, as we all know, is an Asian Superstar, so with his busy schedule, they needed to accomplish everything on the dot. She said that the process was not that smooth due to language barriers, their script needs to be reviewed, translated and finalized. She said that when the project was offered to Mario, it was given to them with a competitor project from a different Asian country. But, Mario's mentor and manager picked the Filipino offer, "Mario's mentor asked him to do the movie because he said it was a good movie." She said that she had the chance to watch only one of Mario's movie, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and she totally didn't know what to expect of him as an actor. "When we started telling Mario the story, nasusundan na niya emotionally yung kwento. Nakita ko talaga na matalino si Mario. Magaling talaga siya." Ms. Van said that Mario understood what the character was feeling and his eyes showed deep emotions and that's when she said that Mario really can work this out. "Sobrang nakarelate si Mario sa character ni Marcus."

The Movie:

"This movie is about people who creates magic but in different ways." Ms. Van said that "sa movie na ito, nakita ko agad yung beginning and the end." She is a writer that does not aim to just entertain, she is a realist. She said that rom-coms are not her preferences. She is more of drama and depth but she said she can do rom-coms but she is making sure that it has a message to convey. A learning point. "I am a person who is very grounded in reality. I am very much a realist." She mentioned "Ang inspiration ko sa movie na ito are Filipino fans who are the most passionate fans in the world." She said that she wanted to showcase how the fans are hoping that their favorite love teams do end up together. But in the movie, what if you are Joey's character and you fell in love with a heartthrob actor and you love him so much, but as you enter his world, everybody also loves him. How would you take it? "Paano kung yung Prince Charming mo, Prince Charming ng lahat?" Marcus on the other hand is in pursuit of his dream, "Yung sa side ni Marcus, how do you choose between your dream and your dream girl?" 

Ms. Van promised that the movie goes beyond just kilig. It touches the reality in a sense that we will all be relating to Marcus and Joey's character. "Minsan yung buhay na gusto mo hindi iyon yung makakatulong sa iyo para maabot mo yung dream mo. I don't believe anyone would be attracted to someone who doesn't have a dream." 

The Magic:

So what is Ms. Van's magic technique in being one of the best film writer in the Philippines? "When you want to be a writer for film, you have to leave your ego at the door." She said that if you wanted to be recognized as a writer, you can write a novel. But for film, you have to let the director be the captain of the ship. She said that writers gives out the blueprint of any movies but that will not be entirely how it will come up on the actual film. Ms. Van believed that "the good films are the ones that feel like they happen in real life." which I strongly agreed to. She said that writing in a film is not just for the sake of writing it but she said "I am aware that when we make movies hindi para sa amin lang. Para sa maraming tao 'yan." She strongly hold on to a craft, "Hindi pwedeng mag-entertain ka lang pero walang laman." Ms. Van is truly someone I admire as being a backbone of our Philippine movie industry.

Ms. Van said her praises to their leads of this film. "Sa buong shooting sa Pilipinas, nasa Ilocos si Mario. He never complained. Napakabait talaga." and she even said that "When Mario arrived on the set, binabati niya ang lahat. Kahit na yung crew." On Erich, she said that her dedication is way above and beyond. "Napakasipag naman talaga ni Erich, in fairness..." She even truly admits that the two has an undeniable chemistry that surpasses her own expectations.

So let us put a twist of kilig this Halloween season! Watch Suddenly It's Magic in theaters nationwide starting this October 31!


Catch the Suddenly It's Magic promo tour these dates:
October 27 - SM Lucena
October 28 - SM Pampanga

Also watch out for guest appearances of Erich and Mario in promo of the movie for different Kapamilya shows in ABS-CBN.

Mario Maurer Ph's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/SuperMarionatics
Erich Gonzales FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/ILoveErichGonzales
Team MarRich FB page: http://www.facebook.com/MarioErichMarRichWorld

For more info check out their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/SuddenlyItsMagic2012Movie
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