Mike de Leon on Atom Araullo’s statement: ‘I may have demons to deal with but you have yours too, my friend’

A few hours after Atom Araullo broke his silence on Mike de Leon’s ‘hurtful remarks’ from the past week, the reclusive director shot back on the official Facebook page of “Citizen Jake.”

“Thank you for breaking your silence, Atom. Many of the things you said are true – that I am a deeply troubled person, I accept that. I come from a crazy rich family anyway,” de Leon began.

And then he let out a narration of something that happened during shooting, when according to the director, he scolded Atom by saying: “Bakit ka ganyan, bakit ba ang yabang mo? Bakit ba ang tingin mo sa sarili mo you’re better than everyone else?”

According to de Leon, Atom replied: “No one has ever told me that before.”

De Leon went on with more details — on their shoots, on how editing ‘fixed’ Atom’s acting, about a statement de Leon asked from Atom to be posted on the film’s page but was instead posted on Atom’s own.

“You said you had to endure a lot throughout the making of the film. Well, guess what. I had to do that, too. I had to endure your superciliousness, your overweening ego, your disparaging remarks about movie people and actors, even your lack of manners.”

It's all very intense. Read the complete statement below:

A Reply to Atom Araullo from Mike De Leon, the creator of Citizen Jake (Enhanced Version).

Thank you for breaking your silence, Atom. Many of the things you said are true - that i am a deeply troubled person, I accept that. I come from a crazy rich family anyway.

But let me just add that you forgot to mention a few important events. I will mention just one.

When we were shooting the last sequence with Teroy, you unexpectedly ignored my direction and did something that was not rehearsed nor agreed upon. Many people were witness to this.

The following day, I told you that never in my career as a director has any actor disrespected me as much as you did. Then I told you that if you wanted to direct yourself, then by all means do it. you can overact all you want. i will just shoot whatever you wish to do and direct the other actors in the scene.

Then you went into a meandering explanation about why you did it without really saying anything, not even apologizing.

Then i said "Bakit ganyan ka, bakit ba ang yabang mo? Bakit ba ang tingin mo sa sarili mo you're better than everyone else.”

And you said: "No one has ever told me that before."

So I concluded by saying "Well, it's about time somebody did. As an actor, you're ok pero marami ka pang kakaining bigas." I also told you in one my earlier "tirades" that I find that you have no empathy, so how can you be a journalist if you lack this basic ability to understand people's problems (not mine). Isn't journalism about the story, not the journalist?

But in your case, nobody is more important to Atom Araullo than Atom Araullo. And you say you cringe at being called a celebrity, a star. How hypocritical. 

Don't bother to cringe anymore because you revel in it. You make commercials now and you exploited the Marawi bakwit by making that offensive commercial featuring yourself, monologuing like Citizen Jake, all under the sponsorship of McDo. You consented to a magazine article whose title was “ AA (abbreviation) promises to be the greatest storyteller of this generation” e wala ka pa namang real accomplishments except being the famous boy in the rain who braved the wrath of Yolanda, an unrelatable documentary on climate change shot in Scandinavia, and of course, Umagang Kay Ganda.

I may have my demons to deal with but you have yours too, my friend. So accept that you are a celebrity and don't use the noble profession of journalism to hide your inadequacies as a human being.

You know how your performance in Citizen Jake was enhanced and 'fixed' in the editing. That I had to use 2 cameras all the time in anticipation of this. That it was how the film was put together that made you look good. You won't want me to upload your most horribly acted scenes, and the one that had my team rolling in laughter everytime they saw it. I tried to keep that scene by modifying the editing flow but i was overruled by my team who told me in no uncertain terms that that scene had to go.

And in the last instance before I made a post, I asked you for a statement (something that we had agreed upon) about the film to be posted on our page, not on yours, of course because it would have been lost in all the photos of you climbing mountains, swimming the oceans, commiserating with the downtrodden, or enjoying a meal in Hong Kong. It would be your statement about Citizen Jake, not as an actor but as a co-writer because your contribution was substantial. Something I could post and say that this is a statement by Atom Araullo, not by Mike De Leon, but Atom Araullo himself on our official page.

Perhaps it would entice your millions of social media followers to watch their idol on the big screen but wonder of wonders, they never came to watch the film and still they scream “I love you, Atom. I want to marry you, Atom.”

But I digress, about that statement, you hemmed and hawed (as is your wont) and replied that you are not used to making statements unless you’re interviewed and so I cut it short by saying. Fine. That’s it, thanks anyway.

That was the last straw. You said you had to endure a lot throughout the making of the film. Well, guess what, I had to do that, too.

I had to endure your superciliousness, your overweening ego, your disparaging remarks about movie people and actors, even your lack of manners. I had to remind you to at least say thank you to the staff and crew before you left Baguio.

Is that what you learned from your parents? Or did they fill your head with hot air as you were growing up, telling you were the best in everything you did.

You know how it feels to be working with a 34 or 35 year old man (I forget now) who still admitted to telling his parents EVERYTHING. Everything. It felt like I was dealing with the entire Araullo clan and needed their approval for everything that happened to their son in this film.

In closing (and like you, I won’t say anything anymore) let me add this - Having admitted that I'm a deeply troubled person, i will make no excuses for it - not even the usual "artists are temperamental and accountable to no one but their art." but please be kind to your soul and accept the reality – stop pretending to want to embrace the universe, when all the time, you only want to embrace yourself. This is called narcissism. - Mike De Leon.

— LA, GMA News