'Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas' marks Laurice Guillen’s first teleserye directorial job

Seasoned actress and director Laurice Guillen will be calling the shots in the upcoming GMA Telebabad series, Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas, headlined by Cesar Montano, Lovi Poe and Rocco Nacino. Find out what inspired this movie icon to take a break from acting to direct her first teleserye.

At the Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas press conference last August 29, members of the press asked the Lino Brocka protégé the big question: What made her go back to directing?

“Ano nalang ang buhay ko ngayong biyuda na ako?,” Direk Laurice asked back.

Prior to directing Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas, Direk Laurice has worked on other projects to get her creative juices flowing.

“Nagdirect ako ng Magpakailanman, pero paisa-isa. Gusto kong magdirect pero takot akong magdirect sa teleserye,” she shared.

What was it about Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas that made Direk Laurice say “yes” to directing her first teleserye?

The industry veteran answered, “They will do it in such a way where I will just direct kung ano ang abot ng aking makakaya. In fact, I made it for myself na parang sabi ko, sige, iraos ko lang muna ‘yung pilot tapos tignan natin,”

A lot of press members have noticed that the teleserye has a film-like feel because of the rich texture and treatment of material, as seen in the AVP. It must be the Laurice Guillen touch that makes Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas unique.

For her part, Direk Laurice gave credit to the teleserye’s creative team, especially the writers.

“’Yung script na pang ilang linggo, alam na kung ano ang itatakbo. They have like three writers na alam na lahat ‘yan. In fairness, maganda ang pagkakasulat. I’m happy with the writers. Tapos pag may mga suggestions ako, open sila,” she stated.

Direk Laurice mentioned that they tape for the series thrice a week. As much as possible, the production team tries to finish early.

“Ako, ang suggested cut-off ko, 2 [am]. Paano masususnod ang cut-off ko kung ako ang direktor? (Laughs). So kailangan kong tapusin. Pero alam mo, alas dose, tapos na kami. Kung minsan, mga 1:30 [am], ganyan,” she said.

What could she say about the show’s lead actress, Lovi Poe?

“Okay naman siya. Alam mo sa set…siyempre, inaalagaan ko. Kapag hinarap ‘yung nakikita ko sa TV (video assist), ma-ano ako diyan, ‘pag hindi tama ang make-up, ‘yung damit,” shared the actress-director.

Don’t miss the much-awaited GMA Telebabad series, Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas as it premieres on September 9, after Anna KareNina. -Text by Samantha Portillo, Photo by Bochic Estrada, GMANetwork.com