Returning behind the camera this year as he takes on the role of director in the Regal Films rom-com Project Baby, Eric Quizon said he had a lot of time to prepare and choose the right cast for his latest film, which was written by Jose Javier Reyes.
“It took a long time (to prepare). It took like probably a year bago naisagawa. Kinausap namin si Sue last year pa. Nung una talaga, may script na talaga. That’s why I called direk Joey (Jose Javier Reyes). I said, ‘Do you have a project that’s there somewhere?’ He said, ‘I have this. But gusto ko itong pelikula na ito so you better take care of it just like your baby. So parang kailangan maging baby mo,’ Eric shared during the Project Baby media conference held last May 16 at the Eastwood mall in Quezon City.
READ: Eric Quizon on returning to directing after nine years: ‘I am my own worst critic’
Eric explained that a big part of why Sue was handpicked for the role was because of her past performances, including her thought-provoking role in the movie Flower Girl last year which also dealt with the issue of women empowerment. In Project Baby, Sue takes on the role of Meg, a career woman in her 30s who seeks out the perfect man to lend his body so she can have a baby.
“Before we considered Rico (Blanco), it was Sue talaga muna. So based on the movies that she has done, at saka alam naman natin kung gaano kagaling si Sue. Totoo, magaling na artista si Sue Ramirez. So when we spoke to Sue, inisip talaga namin na parang one, alam namin na kaya niya yung pelikula.Two, nandudun siya sa age bracket na yun. So nung kinausap namin siya, of course tinatanong pa namin siya kung sinong gusto niya ka-partner. Sabi niya kahit sino, ganun.
"So we looked at names and all that. Until nga the name of Rico came. Actually si Keith (Monteverde, Regal Films executive producer) ang nag-suggest. Sabi namin, ‘Ooh it seems like an odd couple but puwede!’ So yun, that’s how we came about it. So they knew about this, siguro nauna lang si Sue ng three months before si Rico yung naging choice namin para dun sa guy. When we asked Rico and showed the script, nagustuhan naman nila and sabi ko perfect. That’s when we started working on the script, we asked them what else did they want to see in the movie as far as their characters are concerned,” he explained.
The Project Baby director also shared some insight into his process of working on set with his lead stars and how he always wants them to be open about their input on the story.
“Me as a director, I want my actors to be collaborative. Gusto ko meron silang input kasi ako, as an actor, ganun ako. Nagtatanong ako, puwede ba sa ganito? Sa ganyan? So I want them to be like that also. Kasi hindi naman ako ang gaganap sa role, sila. So I want them to be as comfortable as possible. That’s all,” he said.
Watch Project Baby under Regal Film and directed by Eric Quizon. Starring Sue Ramirez, Rico Blanco, Matt Lozano, Arra San Agustin, Yasser Marta, Alex Calleja, Kimson Tan, Christian Ty, Charuth, Drei Arias, Jonathan Perez, Jazzil Sarinas, and Alice Dixson. The film opens in cinemas nationwide on June 10, Wednesday.