Andrea Brillantes Recalls Burst Eardrum During Deep Dive With Whale Sharks for ‘Laya’
ANDREA BRILLANTES – Actress Andrea Brillantes revealed that she suffered a burst eardrum while shooting a deep-sea diving scene with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu, for her new movie Laya, as she shared the ordeal with entertainment reporters this week.
Andrea, an accomplished diver, said the film required long dives of several minutes. She did not expect what happened next, as a loud pop was followed by sharp pain in her ear.
“Medyo nakakatakot yung time na ‘yon kasi kailangan kong abutin ang mga butanding at minsan ‘yung malalaking butanding na, ang lalim… Basta ang dami ng complications pero pinush ko pa rin,” she said. In English: it was scary, because she had to reach the whale sharks, some of them huge and very deep, and there were many complications, but she pushed on anyway.
She said the scene involved hearing a gunshot in the background. The pain left her disoriented, so she instinctively swam up to the surface. She also had a nosebleed. Even so, she had to stay in character.
“Ang mahirap doon, kailangan naka-float lang ako, tapos kailangan wala akong goggles,” Andrea said, explaining that she had to float with no goggles while hurting. The moment made it into the official trailer of the film.
When the cameras stopped rolling, she said, everything she had been holding in came out. The first person she called was her mother, Belle, a competitive freediver who has won international medals for the country as a national athlete.
A revenge drama about grief and forgiveness
Laya is directed by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo and stars Andrea alongside JC Santos and Anthony Jennings. It is produced by Rein Entertainment. Andrea plays Sab, a woman plotting to avenge her father’s death. She tracks down Tuki, an ex-convict played by JC, on an island, only to find that he has become an outcast in the community.
“The movie is about grief, second chances. It’s about wanting to have peace of mind,” Bernardo said. “Dito natin makikita kung sino tayo bilang tao — kung magiging mapagpatawad ba tayo, at kung hindi, gaganti ba tayo? It’s really about second chances and forgiveness.”
The director also praised her lead star’s work ethic. “Nakakatuwa kasi she’s very professional and collaborative. Inaaral niya ‘yung linya niya and asks the right questions,” Bernardo said. She added that Andrea has the range to play Sab as “gentle, vulnerable but at the same time, there’s something behind her which is frightening.”