Sanya Lopez finds ‘real’ sisterhood with ‘Midnight Girls’ co-stars

MANILA, Philippines, May 4 ------ Despite being the “new one” in the group while filming Irene Villamor’s “Midnight Girls” in Japan, Sanya Lopez found a sense of belonging with her co-stars.

The only Kapuso in the lead cast made up mostly of Kapamilya stars, namely Jodi Sta. Maria, Jane Oineza, and Loisa Andalio admitted that they could have easily felt like outsiders. Instead, she told The STAR in an exclusive chat that her co-stars made her feel like family from the start. “Yung feeling na kahit na bago ako, never nilang pinaramdam sa akin ’yon. They made me feel, ‘Uy welcome ka dito samin.’ Hindi ko na-feel na ‘uy, iba ‘to,’ or yung parang ‘belong ka ba sa amin or hindi.’ Na-feel ko agad yung, ‘We’re a family here.’ We’re one,” she told this writer.

The only Kapuso in the lead cast made up mostly of Kapamilya stars, namely Jodi Sta. Maria, Jane Oineza and Loisa Andalio admitted that she could have easily felt like an outsider. Instead, she told The STAR in an exclusive chat that her co-stars made her feel like family from the start. “Yung feeling na kahit na bago ako, never nilang pinaramdam sakin yun. They made me feel, ‘Uy welcome ka dito samin.’ Hindi ko na-feel na ‘uy iba ‘to,’ or yung parang ‘belong ka ba sa amin or hindi.’ Na-feel ko agad yung, ‘We’re a family here.’ We’re one,” she told this writer. That off-camera bond helped Sanya connect more with the heart of the film.

Opening on May 13, “Midnight Girls” follows Filipina women working as entertainers in Japan and the friendships they form while experiencing sacrifice, loneliness, and survival abroad. In preparation for their characters, the stars immersed themselves in the lives and jobs of these women in Japan prior to the shoot. According to Sanya, they saw for themselves one of the film’s central messages — women lifting each other up — at work. “When they’re together, you will really see their support for each other. As a team sila. Yun ang nakita namin sa kanila,” she said, referring to the women whose stories helped inspire the film.

The experience also made her appreciate and understand more the emotional reality of many Filipinas working overseas, especially how they endure their own loneliness while trying to stay strong for their families. “Yung pagiging resilient nila dun sa ibang bansa, yung pagiging matatag na pinanghahawakan nila na malayo sila sa pamilya nila,” Sanya said. “May mga kanya-kanya silang pinagdaraanan na problema sa buhay nila… But their being strong, yun ang kapalit sa bawat sacrifice na binibigay natin sa pamilya natin. Kailangan mong maging matatag.”

Sanya said another major takeaway from the film was empathy, particularly toward people whose struggles are not immediately visible. “Sometimes, we are quick to judge people, not knowing them talaga… Like, ‘pag nakita natin sila, ang bilis nating pagtsismisan or pag-usapan, pero hindi natin alam kung ano yung mga pinagdaraanan nila. May mga kanya-kanyang battle sa buhay, yung mga taong yun at bawat isa sa atin.”

Take, for example, her character Paris, whom she described as a woman who may appear fun, bubbly, and happy-go-lucky on the surface, but who deep inside is also carrying her own pain. “We don’t know if she’s also going through something. Sometimes, she finds comfort in the lives of other people. She finds her happiness in other people, but you know, deep down, that it (happiness) should start within you.” That’s why Sanya believes Paris will resonate with viewers who have tried to look for happiness, comfort, or a sense of belonging in other people.

Meanwhile, one of the “Encantadia” stars’ most challenging moments during the shoot was an emotional monologue delivered entirely in Nihonggo while dealing with the freezing weather. The original dialogue had to be revised to make it more colloquial or less formal in tone. Sanya had to memorize her script all over again. “We were on location with Kenji,” she recalled her scene with a love interest played by a Japanese theater actor.

“Tapos sobrang lamig doon. Ang mahirap pa doon, emotional yung scene plus Nihongo lahat ng sasabihin ko so monologue na drama.” It was also her last day on set, and the other cast members already went sightseeing. “I was the only left on set…. tas kailangan maramdaman ko yung sinasabi ko kahit na hindi ko naiintindihan yung sinasabi ko. Pero bago ko naman siya sabihin, naka-translate naman ’yon,” she shared.

To make the scene work, Sanya said she had to repeatedly practice the lines until she could deliver the emotion truthfully despite the language barrier. Seeing the reaction of Filipinas and Japanese women who watched the scene gave her reassurance that she pulled it off, and the emotion landed. “Yung umiiyak sila doon…. so tama yung sinasabi ko,” she said.

As for her happiest memories from the Japan shoot, it was spending time with the cast under the country’s famous cherry blossoms. “The happiest time was whenever we were together… We would stay under the cherry blossoms and eat together like having a picnic. It was super fun! That was our bonding moment where we were complete,” she said.

Source: philstar.com