For fans who’ve always wondered what it would be like to see Nadine Lustre in a pageant setting, her new Metro Manila Film Festival film "Call Me Mother" offers a glimpse, as she steps into the role of beauty queen Mara de Jesus.
In true queen behavior, Nadine made sure to prepare thoroughly for the character by signing up for legit ‘pasarela’ (runway) session under international coach Ian Mendajar. Behind-the-scenes photos from their training even went viral, with netizens speculating whether she was planning to join a real-life pageant. "Parang na-pressure yata ako doon," says Nadine in an episode of Kapamilya Chat.
"Alam mo naman tayong mga Pilipino, sobrang invested tayo when it comes to pageantry, ‘di ba?" she adds. "So, malaking responsibility 'yan. Malaking pressure siya for me to do it really well. Kasi, siyempre 'di ba, 'pag pageant, dapat perfect ka, eh." That meant making sure her portrayal was not just convincing but respectful of how Filipinos revere beauty queens.
"Alam mo, sakit nga ng likod ko dito sa pelikula na ‘to. Kasi lagi akong naka-postura, 'yong posture," she says, pointing out how much physical discipline the role required since Mara, her character, had been groomed for pageantry from such a young age.
Beyond ‘pasarela’ training, Nadine also studied the mannerisms of beauty queens by watching pageant videos, and while part of it was only to help build her performance, she actually had fun immersing herself in that world, "Although, nakakakaba siya. Pero na-enjoy ko siya. Kasi gusto ko ‘yung nakakakita ng mga naglalakad."
"'Yung mga beauty queens natin sobrang confident nila. In some way, nahahawa ka din doon sa pagiging poised nila and sa energy nila na parang, nakaka-inspire sila," shares Nadine, who was amazed to have experienced even just a glimpse of what it’s like to be in a beauty competition through the pageant scenes in the film.
But beyond the gowns and tiaras and the pageant glam, "Call Me Mother" dives into second chances and the layered meaning of motherhood. "Kasi ngayon, ‘pag inisip mo, marami ng meaning ‘yung 'mother,' 'di ba? You can call anyone mother for as long as itong tao na to is someone you look up to or someone that inspires you or someone that really takes care of you. It's not necessarily biological," explains Nadine.
It was, in fact, the mothering aspect of the role that made her hesitant at first. "Nothing bad naman about it. It's just that, natakot lang siguro na baka ma-typecast," she opens up. "'Pag mga celebrities, as much as possible gusto natin pabata nang pabata 'yung mga roles para at least, parang, hindi tayo tumatanda. Siyempre shelf life din kasi is very important for us."
But Nadine leaned into the risk, believing in the value of the story and its social relevance, as she puts it, "It opens up a conversation. Maganda talaga 'yung kwento niya. Sabi ko, it's very inspiring. So, okay ako. I don't think naman na mata-typecast ako. If anything, I think it would be a challenge for me to play a role, a mother, in a film."
One thing was certain, though—the thrill when the producers told her she’d be working with Vice Ganda and director Jun Lana for the project.
"Gusto ko talagang maka-work si Ate Vice ulit," she smiles. In a Kapamilya Chat episode in December 2024, she had admitted to being scared of Vice the first time they worked together, just because she was still introverted and unsure of how to react to Vice’s brand of 'puksaan' humor. "Hindi pa kasi ako sanay noon na ma-okray," laughs Nadine. "So, I didn't know how to take in or react ‘pag gano'n yung klase ng conversations."
With time and experience, Nadine eventually got used to that kind of banter, "I learned how to laugh at myself as well. So, okay na."
"And ngayon, more than anything, sobrang na-enjoy ko lang 'yung time na magkasama kami ni Ate Vice," she adds, sharing how much she appreciated the in-between moments on set when they would talk about life, "And, I really love those kinds of conversations kasi that's how you really connect with people on a deeper level."
"Talagang kabog na kabog siya. Ang saya talaga," she gushes, talking about working with Vice in "Call Me Mother." And through this film, she felt how caring Vice really is, how human she is behind the ‘superstar’ status.
"Minsan magtatanong siya, 'Nads, kumain ka na?' 'Yung mga gano'n, doon ako parang, 'Okay, may concern talaga and genuine talaga.' Kasi 'yung mga gano'ng maliliit na bagay, normally, hindi na natin napapansin 'yun. And imagine for someone who's as busy as Ate Vice, parang 'yung mga gano'ng klase ng interactions, wala na dapat 'yun eh," says Nadine, the internet's 'President.'
As for the rest of the cast, she describes them as energizers, especially the ex-"PBB Collab" housemates Brent Manalo, Mika Salamanca, Esnyr, Shuvee Etrata, Klarisse De Guzman, and River Joseph. "Sila-sila mismo nagkukulitan sila 'pag naka-standby," Nadine spills. "And I love that! Kasi for this environment that we move in, na parang lagi tayong pagod, 'yung mga gano'ng moments ang kailangan mo. Kailangan natin ng kaunting life. Kailangan natin ang mag-alis ng stress, o ng puyat, or ng pagod."
The "Call Me Mother" set felt light the whole time, especially with child actor Lucas Andalio around, whom Nadine fondly calls the ‘baby boy’ of the group.
Nadine is thankful, though seemingly a little shy about it, when people say she’s now a staple of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. But the best thing about her consistent MMFF projects is that she gets to show a different side of her. If last year had her in a suspense-thriller, this time she’s stepping into a dramedy, which, to her surprise, turned out to be the most difficult genre of all.
Her first taping day was especially challenging. Imagine doing a tension-filled scene with Vice Ganda on day one, while trying not to laugh the whole time. As someone who breaks easily into laughter, Nadine admits it was difficult to keep a straight face. In the end, though, she truly enjoyed the entire filming experience with Vice and the rest of the "Call Me Mother" cast.
Catch "Call Me Mother" in cinemas starting December 25, as part of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.