The outcome of Manny Pacquiao’s latest movie is a clear indication that the Filipinos would rather cheer and support the iconic boxing champ in the ring rather than shell out hard-earned money just to watch him act on the silver screen. Director Topel Lee made this assumption following the poor showing of Wapakman in the recently concluded 35th Metro Manila Film Festival. Wapakman—topbilled by Pacquiao and directed by Lee—finished at the bottom of the race, with some cinemas reportedly refusing to exhibit the film further due to low box-office sales. Topel confessed that they were all hoping at the time to capitalize on Manny’s still rising popularity following his impressive victory over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto late last year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The feat earned Pacquiao an unprecedented seven-division world titles, making him the most celebrated boxer of his generation.
Majority of the entertainment press, along with other observers, felt that the setback would hurt Topel’s career more than that of Manny’s. After all, Manny’s tryst with acting is nothing but a pastime while waiting for his next lucrative ring date as scheduled by his promoter.
LESSON LEARNED. Topel looked at Wapakman from a director’s point of view. It was not an easy film to make, let alone finish, due to the many problems encountered during production. First and foremost, they had to adjust to their lead star’s erratic schedule while scampering at the same time to follow their timetable.
“Ako personally, parang happy naman ako sa ginawa ko. Kasi coming from 37 days of shooting, sometimes two sequences lang a day si Manny. Tapos umalis pa siya, nagpunta siya sa U.S. tapos meron pa kami once a week, sa Baguio pumupunta kami. Talagang nabubugbog ako,” Topel told PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) at the press conference of Dear Friend’s latest offering, “Almost A Love Story,” held yesterday, January 26, at Aresi’s restaurant on Tomas Morato, Quezon City. He added, “Sa gitna gusto ko na mag-quit, pero kasi si Wilson Tieng [Solar Entertainment’s big boss] was really nice. Hindi ko lang maiwan si Wilson kasi ang bait niya, tapos very generous din siya kaya parang sige, bahala na. Nung natapos ‘yong film, parang okay na rin ako kahit flop siya.”
Topel had a problem, too, with the script prompting him to edit some of the lines in a desperate attempt to sharpen the humor.
“I don’t wanna say anything bad naman sa writers kasi kulang din ako ng humor. Hindi naman ako magaling magsulat talaga, so baka puwedeng dagdagan na lang ng humor. Kasi ‘yong ibang humor, akin lang ha, kasi at first may mga lines dun [sa script] na ako mismo hindi natatawa. Pero hindi pa rin nakakatawa kahit pinalitan ko na!” laughed Topel, whose previous film projects include Dilim (2005), Imahe Nasyon (2006), Ouija (2007), My Kuya’s Wedding (2007), Sundo (2009), and segments for the Shake, Rattle and Roll installments.
The negative publicity generated by Pacquiao’s alleged illicit affair with co-star Krista Ranillo might have also doomed the movie’s chances of attracting viewers. Topel refused to acknowledge the rumor though he believes that the Manny-Krista rumor perhaps drove the conservative Pinoy audience away.
“Now the lesson to learn is to get somebody [leading lady] na may asawa na. Hindi na ‘yong single para walang kaguluhan!” Lee chuckled.
