Dolly de Leon earns praise for Fil-Am portrayal in 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'

MANILA, Philippines, May 30 ------ Award-winning actress Dolly de Leon is gaining attention anew for her authentic portrayal of Filipino-Americans in the new Apple TV show "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed."

The series stars Tatiana Maslany as Paula, a newly divorced mother that works as a fact checker but ends up in a rabbit hole of black mail and dead bodies. In the premiere episode, Paula believes she witnessed a crime take place via a video call, captures it on her phone, and contacts the local authorities, in this case represented by de Leon's Detective Sofia Gonzalez.

The detective deduces that the incident might have been faked, to Paula's bewilderment, and Gonzalez lays out why in a straightforward manner. De Leon's approach to Gonzalez's characterization was praised by Filipinos online, commending the actress for using her real accent rather than the heavier accent used to depict Filipino-Americans in US shows.

A quick touching moment between Paula and Gonzalez is when the latter shares she is also divorced, adding, "Love isn't about getting yelled at all weekend" and "Good people, they're like magnets, sometimes they attract troublesome things." The exchange isn't repeated however later in the episode when Paula attempts to tell Gonzalez where the crime might have taken place, only for the detective to lay down the law.

De Leon further showcases her Filipino identity in the second episode when Gonzalez drops by Paula’s office bearing kasoy (cashew nuts), just before Paula reveals she may have stumbled onto another crime scene. Paula explains she did so without contacting the police out of fear of getting dragged into an already difficult custody battle with her ex-husband Karl, played by Jake Johnson. "Your ex sounds like a real jerk," Gonzalez commiserates as she continues munching on kasoy. "Marriage is a marathon, sometimes you puke."

The third episode shows de Leon's enjoyable banter with "Elementary" star Jon Michael Hill who plays Gonzalez's partner Detective Baxter, to whom the Filipina shares the most scenes with throughout the series. In that exchange is a glimpse at Gonzalez's mild gambling addiction and slight aversion to cats, both which Baxter jests about. The episode ends with Gonzalez speaking over the phone with Baxter, a mysterious character played by Murray Bartlett, and Paula — the detective revealing to the latter that she knows Paula had an encounter with a dead body in the past. "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed" will continue to release episodes weekly on Apple TV until the finale on July 15.

Source: philstar.com