Dolly de Leon shares ‘Filipino-ness’ working in series with Nicole Kidman

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ first British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and Golden Globe nominee Dolly de Leon just wrapped up shooting “Nine Perfect Strangers" in Germany together with co-stars Nicole Kidman and Henry Golding.

In a talk recently in Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Circuit Makati for their upcoming play “Request sa Radyo,” De Leon shared some of her experience working in the series.

“I just recently finished the series and I worked with Americans and Canadians and ako lang ‘yung Pinoy,” Dolly said. 

“Sila, wala silang ginawa kundi mag-complain,” Dolly said of the other stars in the show. “Wala silang ginawa kundi mag-complain about this and that, ‘We’ve been doing this on set and we’ve been waiting for two hours,’ and I’m like, ‘Sa Pilipinas nga, 18 hours ako naghihintay bago ako i-call.’ Anong nirereklamo nila? So ako parang, ‘Okay lang!’,” she narrated, drawing laughs from the audience, including De Leon’s “Request sa Radyo” alternate Lea Salonga.

The series’ staff, she said, had been apologizing to the actors, including Dolly and said, “’Oh Dolly, we’re so sorry to keep you waiting,’ and I’m like, ‘It’s part of the job! It’s an actor’s job. The waiting is not a problem.’ All my Filipino-ness comes out.”

According to her, Filipinos’ work ethics make them standout.

“I just realized it in retrospect: I’m matiyaga, I’m hardworking, I don’t complain. I’m a ‘yes’ man. May pagka-people pleaser, which I hate about myself… But that’s very Pinoy, ‘di ba, ‘yung may pagka-people pleaser natin? So it’s that, and we're very friendly and accommodating. We can't say ‘no,’ we're always saying sorry,” she said.

“The Filipino-ness in me, it always come out when I’m working somewhere else.”

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An American drama series based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, “Nine Perfect Strangers” streams exclusively in streaming platform Hulu. It stars Kidman as Masha Dmitrichenko, Russian founder of the wellness resort called Tranquillum House, where nine strangers from the city gather for a 10-day retreat, where they discover more about themselves,