Newbie actress Daniela Stranner initially expressed fear about being directed by romcom maestro Cathy Garcia-Molina, but in the end, she only has praises for her director who guided her through her first venture into acting.

Stranner plays Vilma, a vlogger and streamer who dreams big in “Love At First Stream,” one of the official entries in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

“Takot ako kay direk,” Stranner disclosed during the online press conference for the movie, Dec. 13. (I fear director Cathy.)

“Tapos, noong nabasa ko ‘yung script, sabi ko, ‘oh my gosh, ako ‘yung pag-iinitan ni direk dito,” she recalled. “Siyempre, baguhan po kami. Hindi kami ganoon kagaling or artistang-artista,” she said.

(When I read the script, I said, “Oh my gosh, director Cathy will pick on me in this. Of course, we’re new here. We’re not that good and not established actors.)

But when she reported to the set, the opposite happened. She found her director helpful and caring from start to finish. As a result, Stranner became confident.

“Naging confident ako sa pag-arte, naging confident ako sa mga eksena kasi nandiyan po si direk Cathy. Nandiyan siya to guide us, to tell us if it’s wrong or not. Hindi niya tinatapos ang eksena hanggang satisfied na siya o alam niyang okay na ‘yung eksena,” she said.

(I became confident with my acting, I became confident in my scenes because director Cathy was there. She was there to guide us, to tell us if [something] is wrong or not. She does not wrap up a scene until she is satisfied or until she knows it’s already OK.)

daniela stranner ig — Daniela Stranner. Image: Instagram/@danielastrannerrrr

“Love At First Stream” is Stranner’s first movie, and it’s an MMFF entry at that. This makes her initial foray into acting even more exciting. When the movie’s lock-in shooting culminated, she marveled at how the movie came out.

“Alam naming maganda ang ikalalabas ng movie. It’s MMFF and nakaka-nervous. First time namin ‘yun pero exciting,” she said. (We know that the outcome of the movie is good. It’s MMFF and it really had us nervous. It’s our first time but it is exciting.)

Also starring Anthony Jennings, Kaori Oinuma and Rhys Miguel, “Love At First Stream” is a collaboration between Star Cinema and the streaming platform Kumu. JB

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