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Alessandra de Rossi reveals real-life inspiration for her movie ‘My Amanda’

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Rhea Manila Santos

While preparing for her role in the newest romantic drama My Amanda which she also wrote and directed, Alessandra de Rossi revealed she had to deglamorize herself a little bit while playing the role of Piolo Pascual’s best friend in the romantic drama.“Sabi ko dapat hindi ako maganda dito sa film. Hirap na hirap ako. Sabi ko dapat hindi ako maganda or else baka magkagusto sa akin, ganun. Baka maging attractive nga sa opposite sex, dapat barkada lang talaga. Hindi siya mag-bo-blower, mag-me-makeup kasi baka isipin ng best friend nagpapaganda ito? Dapat hindi. Chill lang siya, ganun,” she shared during Netflix’s My Amanda media con. <div><a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2021/7/16/fresh-scoops/alessandra-de-rossi-makes-her-directorial-debut-in-194645" target="_blank">READ: Alessandra de Rossi makes her directorial debut in ‘My Amanda’: ‘Tatlong beses ako na-ospital’</a></div>Alessandra came up with the story of My Amanda in 2019 and said she got inspiration for the characters from her own friendships and Piolo’s real-life friendship with director Joyce Bernal.“This film was also inspired by me watching him and Joyce Bernal treat each other. I said, ‘This is so entertaining. My best friend and I are the same. I think I should make a movie.’“This is story is very personal to me because it’s about my friendships literally. My guy best friend’s name is TJ so I just used the real name and even how we call each other Fuffy and Fream, but of course the story has nothing to do with real life.“I just used the dynamics of the friendship because I just wanted to share a different kind of love story. It’s a friendship that’s intimate and not superficial and rare and sincere and that’s what I wanted to talk about because all Pinoys are fans of rom-coms and this one’s quite hard. It’s a different take on love.“TJ is an actual person. A mixture of all my guy friends. Their love language is different. They tease me, they let me down, they put me down (laughs). That’s how it is. But I like it. that’s how they show me they love me. If you can do that to me you’re really my best friend (laughs),” she explained.<div><a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2021/6/17/fresh-scoops/piolo-pascual-and-alessandra-de-rossi-star-in-netf-194069" target="_self">READ: Piolo Pascual and Alessandra de Rossi star in Netflix’s ‘My Amanda’</a></div>After directing her good friend Piolo for the first time, Alessandra said casting him was an easy choice.“I chose to direct this film because I knew with Piolo I wouldn’t have to direct anything. I thought it was going to be that easy but being an actor, a director, a writer, and also a producer, the producers are all my best friends and my sister (Assunta de Rossi) and my brother-in-law (Jules Ledesma). So parang I have to take care of their money (laughs). So I’m also thinking as a sister and as a friend.“Sometimes when I was directing I did not have the luxury and the privilege to see myself on screen and acting because that’s impossible. It was fun,” she said.<div><a href="https://push.abs-cbn.com/2021/7/16/fresh-scoops/piolo-pascual-on-being-directed-by-alessandra-de-r-194644" target="_blank">READ: Piolo Pascual on being directed by Alessandra de Rossi in ‘My Amanda’: ‘It was so easy’</a></div>With the film now available for streaming online, Alessandra hoped viewers can appreciate the story of the closest kind of bond between friends.“Don’t be afraid to love. Don’t be afraid to make friends. Don’t be afraid of the journey. You’ll never know what you’ll find and how far are you willing to go for friendship, for a friend. Hanggang hatid sundo lang ba sa road trip or buong buhay na ito? Kasi ako when I make friends talagang nakataga sa bato yan eh whether guy or girl. So kapag may nawawala nasasaktan talaga ako, pag nag-aaway nasasaktan ako, yung ganun. But mas konti yung expectations sa friends di ba more than lovers? Lalo na pag platonic,” she added.My Amanda is now available for streaming on Netflix.

‘My Amanda’ director and actor Alessandra de Rossi talks about the story behind Piolo Pascual’s character in the romantic drama.