DOLLY DE LEON From bit roles to international acclaim
SHE’S the talk of the town, pride of the nation, and rightfully so. She is Dolly de Leon, the 53-year-old veteran actress who stunned all and sundry as the first Filipina to be nominated in acting categories of some of the world’s most prestigious award-giving bodies, even snagging a win in the week that was.
Thanks to her breakout performance in Ruben Östlund’s satirical black comedy “Triangle of Sadness” [where she portrays a diligent Filipina cleaner on a luxury cruise ship who, in the second half, turns the tables on the affluent passengers], de Leon was nominated for best actress in the US Golden Globes, the UK’s British Academy Film Awards and the 58th Guldbagge Awards (Sweden’s Oscars equivalent), which she won.
She may have missed an Oscar nomination, as many predicted, but with her name and acting caliber already out there, there’s always next year. For now, join The Sunday Times Magazine in this look back at Dolly de Leon’s storied career and learn from this spitfire why it pays to keep striving.
Rewind
Before landing the most life-changing role in her career, de Leon had already clocked in over three decades of experience as an actress. She mainly appeared in smaller parts in teleseryes and movies, supporting the more prominent names in local showbiz. In fact, in an interview with Vanity Fair back in October 2022, de Leon recalled how she took on all sorts of roles, which she called “devices.”
“In the Philippines, my characters are usually devices – a device to get the story moving or a sounding board for the lead. I play nameless characters—the doctor, the judge, the lawyer,” she shared. “But since [Triangle of Sadness] came out, I’ve been getting different offers. Now the roles are human, with names, but still not the kind of characters that would excite you as an actor or leave a huge dent in how a film transpires. “I’m not going to lie—Triangle was the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s such a blessing in my career as an actor,” she said of the 2022 Palm D’or winner at the last Cannes Film Festival.
Born to act
De Leon has been fascinated with acting since she was a young girl performing in school productions back in elementary and high school. The intrinsic actress in her inspired de Leon to study at the University of the Philippines, where the late National Artist for Theater Tony Mabesa mentored her. She graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1995.
Much like most theater actors who needed to make ends meet, however, de Leon was forced to find work in soap operas and then in commercial films. Her first movie credit is 1991’s “Shake, Rattle, and Roll 3” from Regal Films. From then on, bit roles were the order of the day for the thespian, who happily jumped at every chance to return to stage plays.
Never losing her passion for acting, even if she longed for meatier roles, patience eventually rewarded her with the opportunity to work with the likes of revered Filipino directors like Lav Diaz for “Ang Hupa” (2021) and “Historya ni Ha” (2021) where she was nominated for a Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actress; Erik Matti for “Folklore” (2021) and “On The Job” (2021); and the Brillante Mendoza-produced “Verdict” (2019), directed by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez, which won her a FAMAS Best Supporting Actress trophy.
It was in 2018 when fate led her to audition sans an agent for an international film titled “Triangle of Sadness.” She tried out for the role of Abigail, the cleaner who becomes the leader of a group of ultra-rich passengers stranded on an island after their luxury ship sinks.
Recalling her audition to Variety, de Leon said, “They were specifically looking for actors in the Philippines.
The casting director came to the Philippines and was there for a long time, looking for actresses to play Abigail. She would film us and then send the footage to Ruben, and he would choose.
“Then he asked to meet all of us, and we met on Skype and talked individually to see if we could understand each other. “I auditioned for three scenes in the film: giving the octopus out, the scene with Carl and Abigail in the boat, and the scene where they left the fire to die.”
She furthered that the production was explicitly looking for Filipino actors because they knew there were a lot of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) all over the world.
“We’re the biggest domestic helpers in other countries, and Ruben is well aware of that. In yachts, ships and cruises, there are a lot of Filipino workers there... working in the kitchen, toilets, dining halls.” De Leon admitted she never expected to be shortlisted or chosen for the role since she wasn’t generally good at auditions. In another published interview with Neon — the American independent film production and distribution company that acquired Triangle of Sadness’ North American distribution rights — she said, “I was in that headspace, ‘Oh, I’m not going to get this.’ I went there just to have fun and be as loyal as possible to Abigail. I think that kind of worked because
I was shortlisted after that audition.
It wasn’t until two years after landing the part that de Leon and the rest of the cast started filming. “As an actor, it’s very important for the role that we play to have an arch or a journey, and Abigail has that very special arch. What really drew me to Abigail is the fact that she is an OFW or Overseas Filipino Worker. She’s living with strangers to find better opportunities abroad. She’s not very well educated but has her own special level of intelligence, and she’s also a migrant.
So all those elements, if you put them together, is like a recipe for someone who is just hungry for love, attention, power and respect. That’s what really drew me to Abigail.” “Triangle of Sadness” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022 and won the festival’s highest prize, the Palme d’Or.
Her role, which Variety described as “scenestealing,” is now widely considered her breakout role, locally and internationally, described by Deadline as “long-overdue.” Besides winning Best Supporting Actress at Sweden’s Guldbagge Awards, she also triumphed in the same category for the Middleburg Film Festival, the North Dakota Film Society and Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Best Supporting Performer tied with Ke Huy Quan of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”).
And besides making history as the first Filipino to be nominated at the prestigious Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA, she also made it to the radar of 17 other award-giving bodies, including the Satellite Awards, DiscussingFilm Critic Awards, Vancouver Film Critics Circle, London Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics, among others.
Understandably, many were shocked by the Oscars snub with the Gold Derby — a website that tracks Hollywood’s hottest races with predictions, analysis and news — noting de Leon just narrowly missed the nomination.
Apparently, the Filipina actress ranked sixth in the extraordinarily competitive Supporting Actress category, just a spot outside the final shortlist comprised of Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), Hong Chau (“The Whale”), Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), and Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).
Others weren’t surprised by the turnout, however, because, unlike the five Oscar nominees, de Leon also missed out on Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.Nevertheless, de Leon can’t be happier that Triangle of Sadness is nominated for the Oscars Best Picture with a Best Director nod for Östlund as well. Moving forward
All in all, 2023 will always be a huge turning point for Dolly de Leon, for it is the season when she powerfully made a mark among the directors and producers of the international stage and the world’s eager cineastes. At this crossroads, the nation isn’t just proud of her achievements on the international scene but is solidly behind her in the hopes that this signals the start of a Hollywood career for our Dolly.
The good news is, it is all happening for de Leon already, who quickly landed a spot in an upcoming Hollywood title, a Jewish coming-of-age comedy where she plays Jason Schwartzman’s stepmother. Locally, the internationally recognized actress is booked on overdrive too, with the Cinemalaya entries “Iti Mapukpukaw” and “Duyan ng Magiting” and “Keys to the Heart.” And so, as Dolly de Leon deservingly prospers in her career, an entire industry – and the nation – will forever be grateful to her for spotlighting the Filipino actor in the most compelling way.
May she continue to thrive internationally, and may there be more Dolly de Leons to emerge from this treasure trove of artists that is the Philippines.