RITA DANIELA gets one of the most demanding roles in her career playing a dedicated teacher in a remote village in Joel Lamangan’s “Madawag ang Landas Patungong Pag-asa”, an advocacy film that pays homage to teachers in far-flung areas who are overworked but underpaid.
“They made me read the script, tapos, sabi ko, ano po role ko, and they said ikaw yung teacher,” she says at the presscon-preview of the movie.
“Kinilig ako sa tuwa, ako pala yung lead, pero kinabahan din. Kasi they gave me the script two days lang, tapos, shooting na.
"I didn’t even have time to prepare. So I watched docus about teachers and I thought of my favorite teacher in grade school, si Mrs. Ventura, my teacher in Pilipino na magaling talaga and so inspiring. Sana buhay pa siya and she can watch this movie.”
In the story, she faces a lot of opposition from parents who don’t want their kids to go back to school. She visits their houses one by one to personally talk to them.
“Iba-iba ang dahilan nila and it’s hard to explain the importance of education to them.
"In one instance, may isang nanay na hahabulin pa ako ng taga kaya nagtatakbo ako, natapilok pa ako at nadapa.
"Walang ibang teachers na gustong magturo sa bayan nila kasi yung previous teacher and principal, napatay sa enkwentro ng mga rebelde at militar.”
She has two leading men in the movie: Jak Roberto as the leader of the soldiers assigned to protect the town and Albie Casino as a rebel who used to be her boyfriend.
“Si Jak, nakatrabaho ko na on TV but this is our first film together. Si Albie, ngayon ko lang nakatrabaho. I had fun with both of them. Locked in shooting kami sa Pampanga for ten days at masarap silang katrabaho.”
How does it feel being paired with other actors now that her regular RitKen ka-love team, Ken Chan, is also paired with another leading lady, Bianca Umali, in “Mano Po Legacy 2: Her Big Boss”?
“Akala nung iba, nagtatampo ako but, the truth is I’m very happy for him. Bago pa man kami nag-click sa ‘My Special Tatay’, dati na naman siyang ipinapareha sa iba.
"And sinabi naman yun ng GMA management sa amin, don’t expect na kami na lang lagi ang magkasama, kasi we have to grow as actors with separate careers.”
Lately, she’s been playing nothing but lead roles when she used to be a very good contravida. Would she still be willing to play villain roles in the future?
“Ay, opo naman. I’m an actress, so okay lang sa’kin na magkontrabida uli, lalo na kung bonggang-bongga yung bidang kakawain ko, let’s do this.”
Rita delivers a very engaging performance as the devoted educator in “Madawag ang Landas Patungong Pag-asa” but Director Joel Lamangan is not sure yet as to when and where it will be shown. They will enter it first in film festivals abroad to help generate public interest in it.
