A career-defining turn as a murdered prostitute in the movie “Kinatay (The Execution of P)" has given actress and beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez another taste of the limelight after the movie was screened as a Philippine entry to the recently concluded 62nd Cannes Film Festival main derby.

The movie, which was equally panned and praised by critics, earned for its director Brillante Mendoza the Palm d’Or Best Director award.

According to Lopez, the role of Madonna, a Manila prostitute who was abducted and later dismembered by a syndicate conniving with unscrupulous policemen, was originally offered to actress Rosanna Roces. The actress, however, turned down the part because she was reportedly not keen on doing sexy roles anymore.

Since his deadline for his French producer was already due, Mendoza approached Lopez -  a former Binibining Pilipinas-Universe beauty - and asked if she wanted to do the movie. He also gave her a 48-hour deadline to decide if she was in or not.

Maribel said she had misgivings when she first read the script penned by awarded screenwriter Armando Lao.

“I mean, I didn’t want to go sexy anymore. There was a rape scene and I had to go nude. My God! My two kids are already grownups and I was worried about how their peers would take it especially in a society like the Philippines,” said Maribel.

“I had to talk to Mara and Ken (Yokohama, Maribel’s teen-age kids by Japanese businessman and artist Hiroshi Yokohama) and consulted them about the offer. We agreed on certain conditions. So I told Brillante to just take care of me when we should shoot the scene,” she said.

Gruelling shoot

During filming, actors John Regala, Jhong Hilario and Lauren Novero had to rip off Lopez's shirt in the controversial rape scene.

She said the gruelling shoot also caused a misunderstanding between her and Mendoza after she yelled "Cut!" during one scene.

“We had a scene shot inside a van. At the toll gate, I had to lie down inside the van and Lauren would put his foot on top of my head. I felt that there was blood on my head soI yelled 'Cut!' Brillante told me: 'Nobody cuts in my shoot!' What could I do? My head was already bleeding because Lauren was practically standing on my head. I had to explan what was happening," she recounted.

She said the physically challenging production was well worth it after she saw the final product at the gala premiere of the movie at Palais du Festival in the French Riviera.

"The rape scene was very dark and frontal shots of the breast exposure were quick. Brillante really convinced me that I should take the role. He told me that he saw in me the Madonna character. It was me daw,” she chuckled.

Revulsion, then applause

Maribel said her experience at Cannes was simply unforgettable. “I felt like a star in Cannes. It was my first time to experience that,” she said.

She said she walked the red carpet numerous times in presscons, photo shoots, parties and even television guestings.

“During the gala premiere, nang sunduin kami sa hotel namin, I was advised to ride in the sixth car. I insisted to take the first car. Ayaw nilang pumayag. ‘Yon pala, ang nasa unang car, si Tony del Rosario, then kay Mercedes Cabral, then kay Coco Martin, kay Ferdinand Lapuz, kay Didier Costet, me and then, kay Dante. Gano’n pala ang protocol. Kaya pagdating sa entrance, kami ni Dante ang central figures, sa amin naka-focus ang mga camera,” she said.

At the film's showing, Maribel said she was apprehensive about the audience's reaction to the movie. "There was somebody not too far from where I was seated who stood up during the part when I was being mangled. He murmured in French. I asked Didier what the man said and he told me: ‘It’s disgusting,'” he said.

But the most spine-tingling moment Maribel felt was when the screening of the film was over and everyone stood up to give a standing ovation.

“For ten solid minutes, they were clapping. First, it was really loud. Malakas na malakas, alam mo ‘yon. Then hihina tapos palakas na naman nang palakas. I was stunned. Kaya ang ginawa ko, niyakap ko si Dante at si Didier and I told them they made it,” she said.

It was quite unlike the Miss Universe beauty pageant where Lopez represented the Philippines in Lima, Peru in 1982. Although it was a battle of beautiful women from all over the world, there wasn’t a presence of Hollywood celebrities that lent glamour to an otherwise avalanche of beauties.

Being in Cannes added confidence and a sense of renewed faith in Maribel for the rebirth of the Filipino movie business.

“Sabi nila, sunud-sunod na raw ang magiging international movies ko. I hope that happens so that a lot of people would benefit from it,” she ended.