DIEGO LOYZAGA is the busiest Vivamax stud.
Last year, he did five films and this year, it’s only April and he has already done three films: “The Wife”, “Adarna Gang” and now, “Greed”, which pairs him for the first time with Nadine Lustre, directed by Yam Laranas. So how is it working with Nadine?
“She’s just amazing!” he says. “When she steps on the set, she’s already her character, Kitchie. But she’s also busy with other things.
"She’s always doing something even during breaks. She’s always thinking of concepts and things to do for her vlog. Sabi ko nga sa kanya, nagpapahinga ka pa ba? But she really gives her 2,000 percent the whole time and she takes her job very, very seriously.”
He’s also happy to be reunited with Direk Yam Laranas.
“The first time we worked together in ‘Death of a Girlfriend’, nabasa ko pa lang yung script, sabi ko, ang ganda ng concept, ng structure. And when it came, it proved he’s great, he’s brilliant.
"The movie came out better than what i expected and this time, in ‘Greed’, he confirms it, this is a movie we can all be proud and says something valid about human nature.”
Has he experienced being greedy?
"I don’t think I’m greedy, because I share what i have with my friends. More than money, I want more the company of people I love.
"I think it’s when you lack contentment in your life, doon pumapasok ang greed. You want to acquire more because you don’t acknowledge the things you are already enjoying in life.”
Diego says he won a big amount before, without specifying where he got it.
“I was supposed to give it to somebody who needs it. But what happened was I invested the money thinking it would grow after a period of time. E, ang nangyari. Na-scam ako. They ran away with my money.
"I guess doon umiral ang greed because I lost big time. Buti pa kung ipinamigay ko na lang yung money to someone who really needs it. A lesson learned. Kasi, binigyan ka na ng Diyos ng biyaya, tapos hindi ka pa nakontento, you want more and because of greed, you lost even more.”
He says you value money much more when it’s the fruit of your hard work.
“Easy come, easy go kasi yan kapag hindi mo pinaghirapan. I know people who’d gamble and win, then they say, isusugal ko ulit everything, thinking mas lalaki ang panalo nila, but what happens is they lose everything.
"It also happens sa work. When a racket is offered to you, you say mababa ang bigay and you ask for more. Then they find your budget too big so they drop you and you lose the whole thing because of greed. This is shown in our movie, the consequences of being greedy.”
He says ‘Greed’ is not an easy film to make.
“We shot it during the pandemic na sobrang init ng panahon. But sa climax, the tense situation between us nina Nadine and Tito Epy Quizon explodes in a very bloody confrontation. Si Tito Epy ang pinakanahirapan dito.
"May prosthetics na nakalagay sa mukha niya. Bloodshot yung isang mata niya, so hirap siyang makakita kasi rain effect tapos ang putik-putik sa buong paligid namin.”
Things got even worse when they had to apply blood effects on Epy.
“Full of blood effects siya and they are using syrup as fake blood, so he had all the insects around him, dumadapo sa kanya for the syrup.
"Tapos kinagat pa siya ng putakti but he had to go on acting on cam. During a take, natamaan niya talaga ko sa mukha but sige pa rin kami. It was really hard but it was also fun kasi everyone is just so professional.”
He adds that viewers would surely be surprised by the ending of “Greed”.
“It doesn’t have the usual cliche happy ending. Iba ang naging journey ng characters namin dito ni Nadine from any film we’ve done before. This one is so different. It’s bloody, it’s gritty and so unique.”
Don’t miss this memorable journey into the dark side of human nature in “Greed”, that's now streaming on Vivamax since April 8.
Diego is happy that he has reconciled with his dad, Cesar Montano. He called Cesar when his dad got the Covid virus and they’ve been keeping in touch since then.
“We even played basketball together and it’s a nice feeling na we’re connected again,” he says.
About his lovelife, there are speculations that he and Barbie Imperial have reconciled since they’re seecon communicating now, but both he and Barbie they are just friends.
“Even if we broke up, we saved our friendship and friends pa rin kaming nagkukulitan every now and then,” they say.
