In case you haven’t heard, there’s a certain Metro Manila Film Fest movie that’s been the talk of the town – one that’s been praised for its exceptional cast, fresh storytelling, and surprising twists. We’re talking, of course, about Antoinette Jadaone’s Fan Girl, starring Paulo Avelino and Charlie Dizon.

Fan Girl is a film about a teenage girl’s obsession with celebrity Paulo Avelino, and how she discovers who her idol truly is after hiding at the back of his pick-up truck, following him home. The film bagged several awards at the MMFF 2020 Awards Night: Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture. Incredible!

Our jocks Chico, Hazel, Markki, and Rica got the opportunity to see the movie in cinema (with safety protocols in place, of course!) before it was digitally released, and got to interview the stars on The Morning Rush! Paulo and Charlie joined TMR for a livestream interview last December 16 to talk about the film, their own fan moments, and more.

“Never meet your heroes.” The tagline for Fan Girl gives us a small hint as to what kind of story this is. One that’s on the darker side of the Filipino entertainment industry and fandom culture. And writer-director Antoinette Jadaone chose to show the story with all its darkness and sensitivities, not sacrificing scenes to adjust to what Filipinos might be used to. “I was hoping the people here in the Philippines would see the cut the direk actually wants, not the one that’s watered down or filtered down because of all the standards here,” Paulo said.

What was it like for Paulo Avelino to be playing “himself” in the movie? It was kind of difficult, he told TMR, as they took bits and pieces of his actual life and put them into the script. “The hardest part is really asking yourself, ‘Who am I? How do people perceive me?’” Paulo said. “I actually looked in front of the mirror and asked myself, ‘Who the f--- am I?’”

But although he was playing a version of himself, Paulo says he wasn’t worried that people would perceive him in real life the same way he was perceived in the film; he knows that the audience is smart enough to separate his character from his real self.  “Hindi natin mapipigilan yung ganon, especially since I’m playing myself on screen,” he admitted. But at the end of the day, he believes it’s a good film with a strong message, and that’s what’s most important.

In portraying his Fan Girl role, Paulo named fellow actor Jake Cuenca as one basis for the character. “He had this time when he was all over the place,” he said. “I saw him during this really dark time.” But that time is long gone, and Paulo knows that Jake has been doing much better these past few years.

Paulo did have a couple of revealing scenes in the movie – no spoilers, but let’s just say The Morning Rush is totally on board with director Jadaone’s decisions and they want to get #SalamatDirek trending! *wink wink*

As for Charlie Dizon, staying in the mindset of a fangirl was key to her topnotch performance (and it won her the Best Actress in a Leading Role award, too!). Charlie explained that Jadaone made sure she stayed in character through method acting: “Bawal ko kausapin sa Pau, kailangang nakalayo siya, and wala akong standby area, yung mga ganon. So feeling ko nakadagdag yung talaga sa pagiging fan ko noon.” In fact, the first time she met Paulo, she was already in her character’s school uniform – so she really did feel like she was a teenage fan!

Even while Charlie was shooting another project at the same time, she made sure to bring the Fan Girl character with her! “’Di ko pa rin pinakawalan yung character ko talaga sa Fan Girl kasi ang hirap balikan,” she said about her simultaneous taping. “Hindi ko nga tinanggal yung wallpaper na Paulo Avelino sa phone ko. So kahit nasa kabilang set ako, totoo, yun pa rin yung reminder ko na fangirl pa rin ako!” 

Before the show ended, Chico asked Paulo and Charlie about their own memorable fan experiences. For Paulo, it was about an interesting online encounter with a fan: “There was one, parang ino-online kulam ako! Via DM… it was funny!” 

Charlie’s best fan experience was meeting her favorite K-pop girl group, f(x), backstage at a variety show in Korea. Charlie gushed, “Napaupo ako sa floor sa sobrang kilig ko!” She got to talk to her idols from the group, a fangirl fantasy that she never thought would come true. TMR also got the two stars to join in on the Top 10 topic of the day: #ConfessionsOfAFangirl (you’ll have to watch the full interview to check out what they said!).

Given that Fan Girl is heavier and more mature than your typical family-friendly MMFF movie or an Antoinette Jadaone romcom, Paulo asked, “Do you think the Philippine audience is ready to watch a film like this?” to which The Morning Rush – and now, the whole country – responds with a resounding “YES!”

The Metro Manila Film Fest 2020 runs until January 7, Thursday. You can buy tickets and stream Fan Girl, and other MMFF movies, online via GMovies and upstream.ph

Watch the full interview with Paulo Avelino and Charlie Dizon on The Morning Rush here: