NADINE Lustre says her fans used to seeing her in sweet romcoms with James Reid will be surprised at her transformation in her role as Kitchie in Yam Laranas’ drama-thriller that ends in blood and violence, “Greed”.

“Talagang magugulat sila as this is something I’ve never done before,” she says. “As an actor, I want to try something, explore out of the box. I want to try new things, so I don’t want to be stuck in the kilig or pa-cute films I used to do. The ending of this film, when i read it, sobrang juicy niya, sobrang ganda. I got so excited to do this kasi it’s something gruesome na hindi ko pa nagawa before. The viewers will be shocked, what the hell happened? Mapapaisip ka talaga.”

The story is about a young couple, she and Diego Loyzaga, who won a big prize in the lotto and they try to keep it a secret so the people in their village won’t ask them for a share in their winnnings.

But someone else, Epi Quizon as their neighbor Dadong, somehow finds out that they won and it erupts in violence. Has she ever tried betting in the lotto and was there a point that she felt she became greedy?

“No, I’ve never tried lotto or any form of gambling,” Nadine replies. “I’m the breadwinner in our family and there was a time na naging greedy ako, spending only for myself, buying things like designer’s stuff. Hindi pa ako marunong mag-save nung time na ‘yun. Hindi ko pa naa-appreciate ang value ng money. But right now, I can say that I’m not like that anymore. I’m older at mas masinop na ako sa pera, mas maingat. Hindi na ako basta gastos ng gastos. I’ve learned how to save money for the future.”

Has she ever been a victim of someone greedy? “Yes, once, there was an influencer na dumidikit sa amin. I was warned she was just using us para sa footage sa vlog niya. But she got worse, nagnanakaw na siya ng pera. She got money from my room and we found out that she’s also been stealing from our other friends. That’s greed, so be careful with the people you surround yourself with. May mga taong hindi mo talaga mapagkakagtiwalaan and it’s really so heartbreaking.”

It’s her first time to work with Direk Yam, how is it? “He is very collaborative. You can suggest, direk, baka mas bagay na ganito ang gawin ko. We even exchange stories and music. Doing this movie is very challenging for me kasi ang tagal kong hindi umarte, so nakakapanibago.”

She always asks affirmation from Direk Yam. “I was always asking direk kung okay ba ang ginawa ko, kasi I wasn’t sure kung tama nga ba ang ginagawa ko. But direk always pushes you to give your best, to put yourself in your character’s shoes, so sobrang na-enjoy ko ang buong shoot namin with him and also with Diego and Kuya Epi. Sa set, pag off cam, we get together making kwentuhan. Nakaka-connect talaga ako sa kanila, parang hindi kami nagtrabaho at all, parang nagha-hangout lang kami sa set. I was taking footage of us together sa set para content for my vlog, but when I went to Siargao, may dumating na malaking alon at nahulog yung kamera ko sa tubig. Kaya wala tuloy akong content for our movie.”

If ever she’d win in the lotto in real life, what would she do?

“If ever that would happen, I would donate the money to charity, 100%, and give it to whoever needs it most. Greed is all about the contentment you feel in your life and right now, I’m okay, I don’t need more, even for my family. We’re all contented, so if I’d win, I’d just want to share my blessings with the less fortunate.”

What is her most difficult scene in “Greed”? “Definitely, it’s the bloody and violent finale. As Kitchie, you have to sustain all your emotions all throughout and pag nag cut si direk, galit na galit ka pa rin with the anger you feel so parang aatakihin ako sa puso. Yung character ko dito really transforms. Sa ending, ibang iba siya from what she started sa umpisa ng movie. Totally, nag-iba ang ugali niya. It’s good I have strong rapport with everyone sa production. No matter how intense the scene is, nagtatawanan lang kami pagkatapos.”

What kind of films would she like to do next? “Definitely, I want to do films na malayo sa pa-cute kind of branding I did before. Kasi I know there’s so much else I can offer, that I can do. And I don’t want to be redundant. If it’s something I’ve done before, ayoko na.”

Direk Yam presents a cautionary tale about money

YAM Laranas directs his third film for Vivamax, “Greed”, which comes after “Death of a Girlfriend” and “Paraluman”. “Greed” is about a young couple, Nadine Lustre and Diego Loyzaga, whose lives change after winning the lotto. This was filmed at the height of the pandemic.

“Malaki ang effect ng pandemic sa pagdidirek ko, kasi laging nasa isip ko kung ano nangyayari sa mga kababayan nating walang trabaho, their economic situation,” he says. “My dad passed last year. Regular siyang tumataya sa lotto and when he wins, pinamimigay niya kahit malaki o man maliit. He showed me that there’s nothing wrong with sharing but just keep some for yourself. He’s not greedy.”

Was the movie tailor-made as the comeback movie of Nadine? “I wrote the story during the wake ng dad ko last year kasi nga he likes to play lotto and I wrote it in just one sitting. I don’t know yet kung sino ang gaganap sa lead role, but naisip ko si Nadine, so I called her. I haven’t pitched it yet to Viva, kasi I want to talk with her muna. I felt she’s perfect for the role and I really want to work with her. Now that we’ve finished the movie, I cannot even think of anyone else who can play the lead role. This movie is really meant for her.”

Since it’s his first time with Nadine, how would he assess her performance? “Yes, sa kanilang tatlo, siya lang ang hindi ko pa naka-work. Si Epi, I’ve done several films with him and I know he can be a good dramatic actor. Si Diego naman, in ‘Death of a Girlfriend’, he proved he is more than just a heartthrob. With Nadine, I felt she will deliver in her role as Kitchie and she did, 2,000 percent. Ang maganda, the three of them have a good working chemistry. The whole cast is very good and I will give them 5,000 %.”

In the end, he says the film is a cautionary tale. “It serves as some kind of a warning: what will you do kapag nanalo ka sa lotto? Will you share it? Makikihati ka ba, tutulong ka ba sa mahihirap? O itatago mo lang sa sarili mo sa takot na baka manakawan ka? It shows how money can change people.”

What is Greed for him? “When you want something na meron ka na, pero gusto mo pa rin to have more, that’s greed. Dapat din, you’re willing to share, although sa panahon ngayon, mahirap din kasi basta mag-share sa di mo kilala, kasi may mga umuutang na kapag pinagbigyan mo, hindi ka naman babayaran. So we all have to be careful.”