Nadine Lustre gets down and dirty in dream action project
NI’m stubborn like Stacey, but not to her level. I will do what I can for my family
adine Lustre didn’t take much convincing to accept the action thriller miniseries “Roadkillers.” “I have always wanted to do action. So as soon as our director, Rae Red, pitched the project to me, I said yes. It’s something I have been wanting to try for the longest time,” she told the Inquirer at a recent press preview and conference.
In “Roadkillers,” which starts streaming on March 1 on Viva One, Nadine plays Stacey, a headstrong woman whose father Renato (Bodjie Pascua) falls seriously ill during the pandemic. Desperate to give him medical care at a time when hospitals are at overcapacity, she unplugs another patient from life support hoping to make room for her father.
Still, Renato dies. Now, she must fulfill his wish of being buried next to his wife. And while she manages to smuggle out his body, things quickly go awry. She starts receiving threats from an unknown number. The body gets stolen. Before long, she finds herself in a precarious chase that leads her into the shady world her father used to inhabit.
“Dalawang beses lang ako nagpalit ng damit dito,” she said, laughing. “Unlike some of my past shows where I’m clean, my character here goes rolling in the dirt. Sobrang dumi ko! I really liked how gritty the whole series is. I love that Stacey is a bit boyish unlike the feminine roles I did before. I had to think of mannerisms for my character.”
Looking realistic
Nadine did her own stunts and especially enjoyed her fight scene with Jerome Ponce, who plays an important role (Marco) later in the series.
“As part of my preparation, I had training in firing guns and assembling them. I had to rehearse my stunts because the location was rocky, dusty and dirty. It was tricky. At the same time, we wanted the scenes to still look realistic. After all, Stacey isn’t a superhero. She’s just a normal person.
“Luckily, Jerome and I avoided hurting each other during the shoot. Yung mga bato ang mapanakit,” she said,
laughing. “But we really enjoyed ourselves.”
Most of the scenes were shot outdoors, and the weather conditions were brutal and unpredictable. The days were either so hot it made working unbearable or so rainy the production had to cancel the shoot. Still, Nadine and the rest of the cast soldiered on.
“I like working with people
who are passionate. We had to shoot under really harsh weather. The heat was draining, the kind that makes you feel weak. And it was especially tough during the car scenes. But you couldn’t hear anyone complain. Everyone was so focused on finishing the scenes with flying colors,” she said.
Francis Magundayao, who plays Stacey’s friend, Jairus, at one point had to wear prosthetics that obscured his vision. He did it, no questions asked, which Nadine deeply admired.
“Bilib ako sa kanya. One of my biggest fears is going blind. So for him not to be able to see for eight hours, wow. And he had to do it during his birthday, too. So when he could finally remove his prosthetic, we surprised him with a cake. That must have been so hard. I can’t even bear getting my lashes done for an hour,” she said.
Happy set
“We really had a happy set. Once someone cracked a joke, everyone ended up laughing and we had to wait for everyone to settle down so we could start shooting again,” she said.
One of the series’ intentions is to highlight the bond and love between a father and daughter. Thankfully, building rapport with Bodjie came naturally to Nadine, because his character and her real-life father bear some similarities.
“I’m a daddy’s girl... The character reminded me of my dad, from his jokes to the way he talks. My dad, like the character, is also a mechanic. I would see him fixing our PlayStation controllers. Because of him, I love tinkering with stuff. Astig ang dad ko,” the 30-yearold actress said. “Every time I have an interaction with Tito Bodjie, I remember my dad.”
Her character Stacey’s stubborn, no-BS attitude, Nadine said, was something she related to. “I’m that kind of person. Dedma lang ako kahit magmukhang madungis. Of course, at work, it’s different. Work mode talaga ako. But on a normal day, I’m just simple, relaxed,” she said.
“I’m stubborn like Stacey, but not to her level. I will do what I can for my family, but I won’t go as far as doing what she does. The series shows the lengths she’s willing to go to save her father. She throws her values out of the window for revenge or redemption,” she said.
But as an actress, it’s her job to put herself in her characters’ shoes. “Once I start acting, I’m no longer Nadine. My brain shifts to the character,” she said.
Offbeat themes, roles After “Deleter” and “Roadkillers,” Nadine will star in another horror thriller “Nokturno,” a clear indication that she really is set on exploring darker, more offbeat themes and roles. Maybe a psychopath role in the future?
“I’m at a point where I want to continue exploring and doing more challenging roles. I saw a headline that said, ‘Nadine,
ayaw nang mag-love team;
gusto maging psychopath.’ And it’s true, I always say that. I’m interested in doing more intricate stuff, roles where you have to figure out how the mind works,” she said.
“I love watching crime documentaries. I love horror and psychological thrillers. I want to dive more into those,” she said. “It’s the direction I’m headed for. I’m really excited for future project pitches.”