Kira Balinger —7K ENTERTAINMENT
A ctress Kira Balinger, who performs an abroad Filipino employee (OFW) in “Maple Leaf Desires,” mentioned the story is one thing she will be able to very properly relate to as a result of she has an enormous sister residing in Hong Kong.
“My sister and her household have been there since earlier than I used to be born. It’s actually robust for us. We’ve spent quite a lot of Christmases with out them. The final time I noticed her and her kids was when the youngsters had been nonetheless infants. I’m solely capable of see them develop up by video calls. Sure, Hong Kong is kind of close to to us, however they’ll’t simply come residence every time they need as a result of my sister has work,” she advised reporters over lunch just lately.
Kira is paired with LA Santos on this romantic drama by Benedict Mique. “My want is for my sister to have the ability to watch this and that it might contact her coronary heart. This film is known as a love story for all OFWs,” she added.
READ: Kelvin Miranda, Kira Balinger’s ‘Probabilities Are, You and I’ is well worth the wait
Within the story, they play couple Macky and Molly, who attempt their luck in Canada to hunt a greater life for his or her respective households. The couple’s journey is full of challenges that check their love and willingness to pursue their desires.
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Kira mentioned taking part in Molly was a humbling expertise. “The lives of our characters are very completely different from how LA and I stay, so the battle was find out how to present their experiences, and even the feelings they really feel, even when these have by no means occurred to us in actual life,” Kira mentioned.
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‘Huge duty’
“For us, this was an enormous duty. In an effort to obtain this, we did immersions. LA and I attempted to commute on our personal. We additionally attended a number of appearing workshops. All of those, we wanted to course of, bear in mind and produce to Canada to be able to painting our characters realistically. For me, the battle was principally emotional.
“Irrespective of the place you might be, you discover consolation from your loved ones. That’s what I wished to indicate the viewers as Molly. She left the nation not as a result of she wished to turn out to be wealthy. It’s as a result of she wished to provide her household a very good life. It hurts her to see them experiencing a tough life.”
The 24-year-old actress admitted that there have been instances when she thought of quitting present biz. “I really like this job. I take pleasure in portraying completely different roles, however there have been quite a lot of moments once I considered giving up on appearing. Individuals solely see the glamorous facet of our work.
“What they don’t know is that this business may be tough and really unfair to actors. However every time I think about quitting and ask myself, ‘What’s subsequent?,’ it seems like discovering one other job doesn’t sit proper with me. I really like being an actress. I can’t think about myself doing one thing else. Laban lang,” she mentioned.
On the media gathering, Kira was additionally requested to debate the chemistry she has shaped with LA, her main man. They met on the set of the defunct drama collection “Ang Sa’yo ay Akin,” the place Kira was paired with Grae Fernandez. She denied rumors that they’re already relationship.
“Would you like us to turn out to be a pair? Let’s do a survey first,” mentioned Kira, laughing. “We’ve identified one another for fairly some time now. I really feel that we had been capable of painting our characters extra successfully due to the friendship we’ve shaped by the years. We’ve developed belief in one another. It helped that Direk Bene was there. He’s the director we wanted for this film. Despite the fact that it was laborious, regardless that there have been challenges, he did it for us.”
Kira added: “There are scenes that additionally reveal what my relationship with LA in actual life is like, how we might tease one another, how we might throw our traces. There’s vulnerability. Add to all this what he simply advised us immediately—that he has a crush on me.”
When requested to share what she feels for LA, Kira mentioned: “Secret! Ano siya, sinuswerte?”
Eighty % of the movie was shot on location in Toronto, Canada. The forged contains Joey Marquez and Snooky Serna, who play Molly’s dad and mom; and Ricky Davao, who portrays Macky’s father.
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“Maple Leaf Desires” is an official entry to the 2024 Sinag Maynila Movie Competition, which can run from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8 in choose native cinemas. It can have its nationwide launch starting Sept. 25. It’s produced by 7K Leisure, Lonewolf Movies and ABS-CBN’s Star Magic and distributed by Quantum Movies. INQ
