Giselle Sanchez took to Facebook on Monday, August 1, and explained the reason why she accepted to play the role of former President Cory Aquino in the controversial film Maid in Malacañang.
Sanchez did not mention any name for “legal purposes” but it was clear that the character given to her was none other than the former Philippine President.
Previously, the actress explained that she “blindly” accepted the role given to her by content maker Darryl Yap.
“Finally doing a project with Direk #darrylyap. I must admit that this role is going to be very controversial and I may be bashed for this but please bear in mind that I am an actress. Artists just play a role given to them. When I accepted this film, I accepted it blindly, not knowing my role, the length of my participation in the film nor the contents of the script,” she wrote on her Instagram, dated July 4.
However, in her most recent post, Sanchez revealed that Yap wanted an “intelligent and educated lady” to play Aquino’s role. It was the “selling piece” she said.
After receiving the script, the actress admitted she felt nervous.
“My heart started pounding when I saw the line, ‘Get them out of the Philippines.’ In my mind, this was something I did not know, I haven’t read, this was something new,” she wrote. “And anything new will receive only two reactions, positive reactions and negative reactions.”
This was the moment she realized that she will be heavily criticized for what she was about to do. Sanchez explained that she has to verify from the source if the line she was about to say was legit.
Her source, Sen. Imee Marcos, responded via text with the words, “‘Yun daw ang sabi ng mga Kano.”
Sanchez then realized, “What I have been reading in historical books and print media and watching and listening on television and radio during the eighties and nineties was the other camp’s side of the story because they were the ones sitting in the administration.
“Now that the coin has flipped, let’s give a chance for the Marcoses to tell their side of the story, the way they know it. Isn’t it just fair for us to look at both sides of the coin before we cast our judgments? Lastly, Direk Daryl Yap would like to remind everybody that, Maid in Malacañang is NOT a biopic. This is a story of a family.”
Quoting Sen. Marcos, she ended her post with, “Art should disturb, it should confuse, it should provoke, it should should seduce and it should agitate. Ang sinasabi lagi kapag nagtutunggali, Mag-usap kayo. Balikan ninyo at pag-usapan natin ang pinag simulan. Hindi lamang ito isang pelikula, it is a beginning of a national conversation that hopefully will bring us to genuine unity.”
Meanwhile, a controversial scene in the movie had nuns reacting violently. During the new trailer of Maid in Malacañang, Aquino repeatedly inquired about Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s imminent death while playing mahjong with a group of nuns.
This particular scene caused an uproar as an anonymous order wrote to the news outlet SunStar Cebu, “God forgive them. That’s totally fake news.”
According to the official who approached SunStar, she sheltered the late President during the first day of the Edsa People Power Revolution.
Aquino was brought to the monastery after assassins tried to take her life along with other opposition members.
“She came here only to sleep. Pagod na pagod siya dahil simula noon ay dumadalo na siya sa mga rally namin,” said the official in English and Cebuano.
Maid in Malacañang tells the story of the last three days of the Marcoses in the Malacañang Palace. It stars Cesar Montano, Christine Reyes, Diego Loyzaga, and Ella Cruz.
The movie will be released on August 3.
