DEREK RAMSAY was last seen in the GMA series “The Better Woman” in 2019.
Now, after four years and after he got married to Ellen Adarna, he’s officially back on the big screen with an entry in the coming Metro-Manila filmfest, “Kampon”, a horror movie.
Derek is fortunate with the MMFF as he has won his two best actor awards from his entries in the MMFF 2O14 for “English Only Please”, and in 2017 for “All of You”.
Both movies were produced by Atty. Joji V. Alonso of Quantum Films, who is also the producer of this year’s “Kampon”.
So if good luck comes in three’s, he might just be lucky to get his third award at the MMFF for “Kampon”.
And in all fairness to “Kampon”, he plays a very demanding role as the psychologically complicated leading man in the scary movie written by Dodo Dayao and directed by King Palisoc.
In the story, he is Clark, a former police officer who is married to Beauty Gonzalez in the role of Eileen.
“We’ve been married for sometime but we cannot have a child,” he says.
“All the while, I thought it’s I who has a problem, which is hard to accept for any man.
"Yung character ko rito, maraming personal issues. He was just forced to retire from his job as a cop. Yung family ni Beauty, ayaw rin sa akin.”
Their problems became more complicated when someone left a child, Jade, played by child actress Erin Espiritu, on their front door one rainy night.
Beauty pitied the little girl and welcomes her at their home. Derek is initially to resistant to the idea of adopting a child as he is suspicious that she might just be fielded by some bad people to scam them.
But more problems ensue when they find out the girl is actually his child out of wedlock with Zeinab Harake as Loretta, the influencer who is being introduced here in her first movie. How did he like playing his character?
“The truth is he’s very challenging, but I enjoyed portraying him as he is so different from any of the characters I did in the past,” he says.
“He feels guilty as he knows he had many flings with other women in the past, so he isn’t really sure if the child is really his or not.
"And then his problems get worse in the course of the story as many more strange things start to happen to their family.”
It’s said that the project was originally meant to be a comeback flick also for Kris Aquino and when she was not available, they took Beauty in as a second choice.
“Well, it’s unfortunate that Kris couldn’t do it, but Beauty really did so well in the role,” he says.
“Wala namang masama in being the second choice.
"In two of my films, ‘No Other Woman’ and ‘All of You’, I was also just the second choice but both movies did good, so there’s nothing bad in being the second choice and proving eventually that you are the right choice.
"Beauty is so brilliant that she really gave justice to her character.”
He does admit he felt quite awkward when she did love scenes with Beauty in the film since Beauty is the real life best friend of his wife Ellen Adarna.
“Very close sila and Beauty visits us sa bahay or we hang out together, so doing a love scene with her on cam is kind of nakakailang.
"I talked to Ellen about it but she just laughed it off. So at first, it’s difficult, uncomfortable, but Beauty is very professional about so we are able to deal with it very quickly.
"Naitawid naman namin at itinodo na namin in one take para hindi na ipaulit ng director namin.
"But si Ellen, she’s actually happy na my ka-love scene in my comeback movie is somebody she know.
"I also have a love scene with Zeinab Harake which is wild and lustful, and again, difficult for me, kasi nga matagal akong nabakante when it comes to acting.”
But both producer Joji V. Alonzo and director King Palisoc assure Derek that he did a good job in “Kampon” and they are confident that he will be nominated for best actor, or even might actually win the award, come the Metro Manila Filmfest Awards Night.
