Amy Austria still feels ‘blessed’ after winning Best Actress over Vilma Santos, Nora Aunor in 1980

More than 20 years have passed since Amy Austria bagged the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Best Actress award over fellow screen veterans Vilma Santos and Nora Aunor, but she remained grateful over this momentous acting milestone.

Austria spoke about her MMFF Best Actress win during the April 5 episode of “Fast Talk With Boy Abunda,” where host Boy Abunda asked her thoughts about winning over the “two biggest stars” at that time. The seasoned actress was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Monica Real in “Brutal,” alongside Santos (“Langis at Tubig”) and Aunor (“Bona”).

“Ang nanalong Best Actress para sa ‘Brutal’ ay si Ms. Amy Austria. Ano ‘yung pakiramdam na ‘yun, [besting] two of the biggest stars, two of the best stars in the country,” Abunda asked Austria. (Amy Austria won as Best Actress for her performance in the film “Brutal.” How did it feel to win over two of the biggest and best stars in the country?)

“I was so blessed na pinagpala ako ng magandang role. Nagkaroon ako ng opportunity na maipakita or magawa, ‘yung pagkagawa kasi ng mga eksena eh. Ang ganda eh,” the actress said in response.

(I was so blessed to be given the opportunity to take a beautiful role. I had the opportunity to show my skills in well-crafted and beautiful scenes.)

The “Halik” star also noted that being nominated for an accolade at prestigious award-giving bodies revolves around the actor’s ability to take on a role in a certain film instead of their filmography as a whole.

“Sa totoo lang, ‘yung pagiging Best Actress, hindi naman ibig sabihin na mas magaling ka sa mga natalo mo eh. Nagkataon lang na mas maganda ‘yung role mo eh. Mas marami kang [ma]dramang eksena. Mas naipakita mo ‘yung kaya mong gawin,” she said.

(As a matter of fact, winning Best Actress doesn’t mean that you’re better than your fellow nominees. It just so happens that your role was better. You had the chance to take on more challenging, dramatic scenes. You were able to show what you were capable of.)

“Brutal” tells the story of Monica Cruz (Amy Austria) who was accused of killing her husband and two other men in her apartment. She soon crosses paths with a journalist named Clara Valdez (Charo Santos) who’s determined to find the roots of her case.

The MMFF film is said to be the first Filipino film to portray rape as a feminist issue, according to the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) official website. It also received several nominations for Gawad Urian, as well as a Best Supporting Actress win for Gina Alajar.

During the interview with Abunda, Austria also clarified that she wasn’t battling drug addiction while filming for “Brutal” at that time. The actress previously opened up about her battle with drug use in the past in a YouTube vlog in April 2022.

The screen veteran also recounted that she was initially nervous about her acting comeback in the GMA series “Hearts on Ice,” which marks her first teleserye after three years. The drama stars Xian Lim and Ashley Ortega as the leads.

“After reading the script, medyo complicated eh. Ako ‘yung tao na ayokong magalit. Sa lahat ng emosyon, ayokong nagagalit or pino-portray ‘yan. And then ‘yung character [kong si Libay Bravo-Martinez], may pinanggagalingan na hugot simula noong bata siya,” she said.

(After reading the script, it was complicated for me. I’m the type of person who doesn’t want to get mad. I don’t like getting angry or portraying anger. And then my character Libay Martinez is that type of person, with a lot of inner demons even when she was still young.) EDV

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