Star Cinema will release SQ Film Laboratories and Black Mamba Pictures’ indie film Silong, starring Kapamilya actor Piolo Pascual and Kapuso Actress Rhian Ramos, in mainstream cinemas.

This is Jeffrey Hidalgo’s first directing project with his co-director and script writer Roy Sevilla Ho. It is a romance-thriller that was featured as the closing film for Cinemalaya XI last August.

In a press conference for its premiere, Piolo was asked about how is it working for an independent film and with someone from another network.

“This is different from all the roles I’ve done,” Piolo said. The film is a dark story where he plays as a doctor mourning the death of his wife who finds a bloody and beaten woman (Rhian) on a deserted road and takes her home. And from here, all things become darker.

“We never had a hard time schedule-wise and limitation-wise. But of course you had to be careful because babae po ‘yung kasama natin, medyo delikado yung mga eksena but she was very game,” Piolo answered on his experience working with Rhian.

“She has all my respect kasi makikita mo talaga ‘yung commitment niya sa work. Na-challenge pa ako more and more kasi she was willing to give everything. I really enjoyed my time working with her,” he added.

The film was also said to contain a “delicate love scene” where Piolo showed a little bit more skin.

When Piolo was asked on how “exciting” was it, he answered, “Sabi ni Jeff n’ung kinukunan, ‘Bro, pwede ba ‘baba pa?’ tapos sabi ko, ‘Bro, mababa na eh.’ Sabi niya, Hindi bro, di naman makikita.’ Edi ‘yun, ‘di ko na nakita. Nakita ko na siya sa pelikula.”

Rhian Ramos, on the other hand, was asked on how did she feel upon doing this, she jokingly said, “Natuwa naman ako, napakaganda ng visuals.” On a more serious note she said, “It was necessary to show the level of how in love the characters are with each other,” she added.

Rhian also said that Piolo was always the one calming her down. ”Whenever Direk Jeff says ‘cut,’ he’s the one to cover me up. He’s really making his effort to make me comfortable with every scene we work with.”

When asked how was the experience working with a Kapamilya actor, Rhian said, “He was so intense. He never loses focus. For me kasi, it’s a different thing. It doesn’t take him long to warm up. He’s intense right away.”

People are also asking on whether Piolo is planning to enter the field of directing. “I don’t think it’s my calling. Producer lang talaga.’Mas madali din trabaho ng actor, producer kaysa sa Direktor. Tsaka mas malaki kita ng artista,” he answered laughing.

So is he tired of making mainstream movies that he wanted to just go with indies? “There are still more roles that I would do. Nakakatuwa lang tingnan na you got to work in two ‘different worlds.’” He also said that is not into necessarily true to life stories, but more of intriguing and mysterious ones.

Direk Jeff also said what the audience should expect from the movie. “When you’re expecting something, babasagin niya ‘yung expectations mo.”

Silong will be out in cinemas nationwide starting September 16.