Arzen Rose Dulzura

Vilma Santos and Aga Muhlach reunite onscreen after 30 years in ‘Uninvited’

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Rhea Manila Santos

<p>As one of the stars of Mentorque Productions’ 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Uninvited, actress Vilma Santos said she was really looking forward to seeing her former onscreen partner Aga Muhlach again on the set. The two were first paired in 1992 in Sinungaling Mong Puso followed up by another film two years later in Nag-Iisang Bituin.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s been a long time, maybe 30 years ago. Why did we reunite here? Because when we conceptualized this story, of course we knew that the story of Uninvited was not easy. Initially we even called it &#x27;Project Red.&#x27; But when they laid out the story, it wasn&#x27;t really easy and the characters in the movie were really important to be effective.</p><p>&quot;When it was built, they talked to the director (Dan Villegas), of the team, there was really no other choice to play Guilly but only one name was mentioned to me, Aga Muhlach. It&#x27;s true, huh. That&#x27;s why when I heard that I called the Aga&#x27;s mine and then he said to me, &#x27;What Vi? Are we really going to make a movie?&#x27; I said, &#x27;Yes Aga, accept it. Because if you don&#x27;t, you will replace the candle as your godmother at the wedding!&#x27; I said if he didn&#x27;t accept it, I would return the candle to them (laughs). That&#x27;s why you accept it because I want to fight you. And that&#x27;s it now, the movie is over, this is it,” Vilma explained during the Uninvited Grand Launch last November 22 in Quezon City. </p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCqo0YnvrXh/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A301415.90000009537%2C%22ls%22%3A283373%2C%22le%22%3A283725.40000009537%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="567" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCl8xJlPEDS/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A283776.8000000715%2C%22ls%22%3A283373%2C%22le%22%3A283725.40000009537%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>As the male protagonist of Uninvited, Aga said he always knew he would be working with the country’s Star for All Seasons again even after three decades. The 55-year-old actor said he never considered turning the project down at any point.</p><p>&quot;How can you say no? When it was offered to me, all I had to do was call her first. I called her up and asked her if you&#x27;re going to do this, what really, is this really going to happen? He said yes. He didn&#x27;t need to speak anymore. I was just waiting for this time. I&#x27;m just happy. And I&#x27;m proud of the two films we made. This is great, I&#x27;m proud of it. I&#x27;m just excited. Thanks for getting me in this movie,” he admitted.   </p><p>As the MMFF Best Actress awardee last year for the film When I Met You in Tokyo where she starred opposite Christopher de Leon, Vilma said she didn’t initially intend to join the MMFF again this year.</p><p>&quot;At this point in time of my career, it&#x27;s hard for me to find a role that suits my age and the role that will challenge me. Because in more than 62 years in the industry, I feel like I&#x27;ve done many different types of characters and others over and over again. So this is my status now, I said I don&#x27;t want to do a movie so they say I just made a movie.</p><p>&quot;If I have a movie to do, I will make sure at this point in time of my career and my age, I will make sure that I will do a movie that I think can still challenge me. And this Uninvited and my role, I think somehow I was challenged that&#x27;s why our movie is here. I don&#x27;t think about winning the Best Actress last year at MMFF, even when we were meeting about this movie, I just wanted us to make a good movie that could. We&#x27;re just proud of that we thought,&quot; she added. </p><p>Watch Aga Muhlach and Vilma Santos in Uninvited, an official entry to the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival. Directed by Dan Villegas and written by Dodo Dayao under Mentorque Productions. Opens in cinemas nationwide starting December 25</p>

<p><i>Aga Muhlach and Vilma Santos talk about working together again in the 2024 MMFF entry 'Uninvited.'</i></p>

Aga Muhlach and Vilma Santos talk about working together again in the 2024 MMFF entry 'Uninvited.'