Starring Azi Acosta and Benz Sangalang, “Hugot” will premiere on Vivamax on June 30, 2023. The sexy crime drama film was written and directed by Daniel Palacio.
“Hugot” is about a basketball player (Sangalang) who finds himself in danger when he becomes involved with a brutal crime boss who intends to corrupt and manipulate him. In real life, Sangalang has been regularly playing basketball since high school.
Sangalang is just perfect for the role, according to Palacio. The actor is equally good at acting and basketball, according to the director, who himself also plays basketball.
Acosta plays the love interest of Sangalang’s character. Both actors have not worked with Palacio prior to “Hugot”.
“Azi Acosta and Benz Sangalang will bring Vivamax to another level,” Palacio told CONAN Daily exclusively. “Their stimulating scenes combined with their great acting will no doubt make a mark on the platform. The whole cast did a phenomenal job kaya magaan ang trabaho namin sa ‘Hugot’ (so our job in ‘Hugot’ was easy).”
The actors enjoyed the creative freedom Palacio gave them when it comes to giving life to their “Hugot” characters. In particular, Acosta had fun with her ad lib dialogues, considering that she got used to memorizing lines in her previous acting jobs.
While many actors use their own life experiences to interpret their film and television roles, Acosta gives each role its own life and personality. For her, using her personal story as a background would make her different roles appear the same.
It appears that Acosta is serious about her craft as an actor and based on Palacio’s feedback after filming “Hugot”, she is so much more than the skin she shows in Vivamax movies. As an artist, she has earned the seal of approval of the director who won the Fedeora Award at the 2017 San Sebastián International Film Festival in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
In one particular “Hugot” scene, Palacio told Acosta to simply give her instinctive reaction. She complied and cried in that scene, which surprised the director pleasantly and satisfactorily.
Among Acosta and Sangalang’s “Hugot” co-actors are Jiad Arroyo, Stephanie Raz, Apple Castro, Mickey Ferriols, Mark Anthony Fernandez and Joko Diaz. Also in the cast are Peter Georgo, Julio Diaz and Raion Sandoval.
CONAN Daily 