On July 26, Kapuso star Ashley Ortega admitted she felt burned out with her recent projects.
At the media conference for his film ‘As If It’s True,’ which LionhearTV covered, Ortega clarified that while she felt burned out, she considered her recent projects ‘Hearts on Ice’ and the Cinemalaya 2023 entry fulfilling.
“And yes, sobrang na-burn out po ako, na-burn out po talaga ako when I was doing those projects but at the same time it was really fulfilling for me. Pero, hindi mo maiiwasan ‘yung mapagod ka sa set. Especially when I was doing ‘Hearts On Ice.'”
She then detailed her busy filming schedule on the set of ‘Hearts on Ice.’
“Yung time talaga naman is graveyard shift, we would shoot sa skating rink from 9 PM to 11 AM the Next Day. Tapos ‘yung energy mo pagdating ng 5PM wala na talaga. Even though, at 9 AM in the morning, the last few minutes of work, I have to perform figure skating, I have to program.
“Dumating na rin ako sa time na umiyak na ako sa set. And I think a lot of people heard that, and said a lot of negative things about me na nagco-complain daw ako na binigyan naman daw ng project, ganito ganyan, but at the same time, hindi ko rin maiwasan though I never said na–never ako nagpa-pack up ng taping or anything, napagod lang talaga ako kasi it was very exhausting.”
She also discussed how she moved in between the set of the Kapuso series and filming ‘As If It’s True.’
“But at the same time, I always made sure na kahit di pa nagpa-pack up, I always finish what I need to do. And then se-segway ako sa shoot ng ‘As If It’s True’ ng walang pang tulog.
“Pack up ako sa ‘Hearts On Ice’ I would just go home to shower, and go straight to the set of ‘As If It’s True.’ And then buong araw nanaman ang taping, and then pack up na naman namin mga 12. Mas maaga 12 AM pero alam mo yung more than 24 hours ng dilat ‘yung mata ko. So ‘yun ‘yung mga pinagdaanan ko.”
Despite the tight schedule, Ortega highlighted how having a positive work environment helped her with her projects.
“But at the same time, looking back, I’m so proud of myself, no regrets. Sobrang big deal ng environment mo, ng mga nakakatrabaho mo, masasayang tao, positive people, nakakatulong sila. Pero hindi pa rin natin maiwasan ‘yung pagod, especially when you put so much effort in your work. Talagang at the end of the day, ubos ka but it’s really fulfilling.”
As of the moment, she’s currently taking time for herself and well-deserved rest.
“Actually ngayon, honestly, sobrang chill lang ako. I wasn’t as busy compared to the past few months. From November to May– I was doing ‘Hearts On Ice,’ and from May to June, I was doing ‘As If It’s True.’ So mga July parang nakahinga-hinga na ako. Parang, it’s more of I’m on my vacation mode ’cause I feel like I also deserved it.”
‘As If It’s True’ stars Khalil Ramos and Ashley Ortega. Directed by the young filmmaker John Rogers, the full-length movie is part of the 19th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which opens at the Philippine International Convention Center from August 4 to 13, 2023.
