Maris Racal shared a behind-the-scenes look at her early gymnastics training at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) training center when she was preparing for her role in the award-winning movie Sunshine.
In a video uploaded to Instagram, the actress gave fans a glimpse of her warm-up routine.
"This is the warm-up part. Ito 'yung time na nire-ready ko lahat ng muscles ko for all the movements that I am gonna do for the day kasi sobrang dami talaga. And akala niyo puro lang siya flexibility, punong-puno rin siya ng cardio exercises and a lot of pointing the toes and stretching the legs. It 'yung time na hindi pa talaga ako flexible," she explained.
The Kapamilya star also talked about how essential warm-ups were in preparing her body for the demands of gymnastics.
"Ito 'yung time na pini-prep ko na 'yung katawan ko for all the bendings na gagawin ng character ko. Na-observe ko sa warm-up namin, I feel like pini-prep ng coach ko 'yung katawan ko para sa mga talon, para sa mga splits, so a lot of spine movement and nire-ready ko rin 'yung lower back ko," she said.
Maris also shared a clip of the first time she successfully caught the ribbon wand during her rhythmic gymnastics training. "This was the first time na nahawakan ko 'yung ribbon... This was the first time that I caught the stick, right? Sobrang saya ng lahat para sa akin kasi this was my tenth try," she shared.
In a previous post, Maris also shared her process for studying her script for Sunshine.
In the video she shared on Instagram, Maris showed how she labeled every scene in her script with pieces of masking tape. "I like doing that kasi I get to really memorize or know the script by heart," she relayed.
Maris also revealed some of her initial notes for building her character. "Ito 'yung mga first few notes ko dito kay Sunshine. Nakalagay dito nung nalaman na ni Sunshine 'yung situation niya. Nung nalaman na niya na buntis siya, ever since nung clinic time, naka-autopilot mode na siya para bang may isang goal na siya," she shared as she showed the notes for a scene.
"She really did not want to be pregnant or to have a baby. From the scene na nalaman niyang buntis siya onwards, tumatakbo sa isipan niya na meron siyang goal and that's really important in the film. Hindi mo talaga siya makikitang really present. She seems to be always so distracted. She's there in the scene but she's actualy not there; she's thinking about something else. 'Pag nakakausap niya 'yung bata dun lang siya nagiging present," she relayed.
Directed by Antoinette Jadaone, Sunshine started streaming on Netflix on November 26.
Back in February, the movie won the Crystal Bear for Best Film at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.
The movie premiered in Philippine cinemas in July.
Maris shared that she trained for a year for her role in the film.
"I really pushed my limits and trained for it. Even though it was hard, I pushed," she shared in a 2024 interview. "It was made through blood, sweat, and tears. We really worked hard. The script is from 2020. It made me very emotional because I trained for a year. I saw the movie, the trailer, and other things that were familiar to me. It's a great story."
In an Instagram post in January 2024, Maris shared how the movie further molded her as an actress saying: "Sa film na 'to, I've grown so much as an actress."
Maris said that she immediately said yes when the movie was pitched to her way back in 2020. "Um-oo kaagad ako. Iyak ako nang iyak after ko mabasa ang script (at kahit na ilang ulit ko siyang basahin, iyak parin ako haha)," she said.
The actress remarked that the film imparts a beautiful message to audiences.
"Ito 'yung project na magiging proud ako na nagawa ko dahil sa sobrang ganda ng mensahe," she stated. "Forever kong babaunin ang natutunan ko dito."