Boy Abunda shows how an interview with Anne Hathaway is done

With all the hullabaloo over The Philippine Star entertainment columnist and editor Ricky Lo's painfully awkward interview with Golden Globe winner Anne Hathaway, another veteran in the person of TV host Boy Abunda* tries his hand at interviewing the rather catty actress (She's Catwoman after all!). In my mind at least.

anne hathaway

Boy Abunda: Hello, Anne! My name is Boy Abunda.

Anne Hathaway: Boy? Your name's Boy?

Boy: Yes, my name is Boy (fighting the urge to roll his eyes).

Anne: Really? Oh, hi there! (smiles)

B: Hi! You're so beautiful.

A: Why thank you! You look good yourself.

B: Thank you.

A: Wait, are you sure you're a boy?

B: No, I'm not. (boisterous laughter) Ahahaha!

(Joint laughter)

B: Okay, first of all, Anne, congratulations on your wonderful performance in Les Misèrables. You were brilliant.

A: Thank you. Thank you.

B: At the Golden Globes, how come no one thanked Victor Hugo, who wrote the novel on which the play, and now the movie, was based?

A: Can I say that line I did in "The Dark Knight Rises?"

B: Sure. What is it?

A: Oops!

B: Ahahaha...

A: I guess we'll just have to thank him come Oscar night.

B: Anyway, we were talking about how brilliant you were in the film. Where did you get all that emotion, that vulnerability in portraying Fantine?

A: I did a lot of research from what it was like to live in the early 1800's, what it was like to live then with practically nothing, to what it was like to be a prostitute during that period. I really tried to be in Fantine's shoes, so I guess losing a lot of weight for the role wasn't such a far-fetched decision. I just thought I had to do it to give justice to the role. I mean, I had to really look the part. No one would believe me as a dirt-poor whore if I wasn't gaunt or anything. I had to, I had to.

B: Anne, I admire your dedication to your craft. And you did justice to the role of Fantine.

A: Thank you. And of course I also looked up to my mom who also played Fantine onstage. She was really great. So I guess she was also an inspiration to me.

B: Are you close to your mom?

A: Very.

B: That's good. I'm also very close to my mom. She's my life. (chokes up, looks up, blinks fast, holding back tears)

A: Are you okay?

B: Yes, I'm okay, thank you. I just missed her all of a sudden. I'm sorry.

A: Aww... that's so sweet. You must really love your mom so much.

B: I do. I'm sorry. Okay, let's move on.

A: Okay then.

(Boy now angling for an intrigue)

B: Let's talk about Hugh Jackman.

A: Oh, he was absolutely amazing. I admire him so much.

B: Do you find him attractive? Sexy?

A: Oh, he's very attractive. And very sexy.

B: I know both you and Hugh are happily married to your respective partners but assuming that you're not, do you think there's any chance that you would... date, fall in love perhaps?

A: (beams) That's a very naughty question. Haha! I don't know. Maybe.

B: Okay, let's put it this way: if you were to do another movie with Hugh Jackman, one that involves kissing scenes, maybe even bed scenes, would you do it?

A: Why n--

B: (Interrupts Anne) Mga Kapamilya, Ms Anne Hathaway will answer that question sa pagbabalik ng... The Buzz! (when The Buzz returns)

A: Oh, okay (looking rather bewildered).

B: Welcome back, mga kapamilya! I'm with Ms Anne Hathaway, soon-to-be Oscar winner. Ahahaha...

A: Oh, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

B: Earlier, I asked you if you're willing to do kissing scenes or bed scenes with Hugh Jackman in a new movie. Would you?

A: Why not? I mean, I'm an actress and as long as it's a good role, then I'm on.

B: Who's hotter, Hugh Jackman or Christian Bale, your co-star in "The Dark Knight Rises?"

A: Hmn... well, both of them are... you can say, hot. Sorry, I can't compare.

B: But who would you rather be with if you had to choose?

A: I don't know! Please! (blushing) You're making me uncomfortable already. (laughs)

(Joint laughter)

boy abunda copy

B: Let's talk about "I Dreamed a Dream," which you wonderfully sang in the film, by the way. It's one of my most favorite songs of all time.

A: Wow, thank you!

B: You made me cry there. It was so heartfelt.

A: (smiles)

B: The lyrics, "There was a time when men were kind..." Do you think that in this day, men are still as unkind as during the time the film was set?

A: (Purses lips) Well, not all men of course. There are still a few good men out there in this world, I believe, my husband being one.

B: And Hugh Jackman?

A: And Hugh Jackman, to name a few.

B: "There was no ransom to be paid." It's quite fascinating to know that kidnapping was already rampant in the 1800's.

A: (Bewildered look) I... suppose so.

B: "But the tigers come at night." Why do you think the tigers come at night?

A: (Mouth agape) I... I'm not quite sure why. But I bet that was meant to be figurative in speech.

B: Figurative. Very beautiful.

A: (Nods)

B: Anne, I'm bringing out my magic mirror.

A: Your what?

B: My mahiwagang salamin, my magic mirror.

A: Oh! Okay?

B: Look into the mirror... (eyebrows narrowing) you see yourself right now -- beautiful, radiant... What would you say to yourself?

A: Uhm, I don't know. "You're a lucky girl," I guess.

B: You see yourself as that young lass from "The Princess Diaries..."

A: (Smiles)

B: You recall your days when you were met with multiple rejections... endless auditions... when you were still struggling to make it into the industry...

A: (Expression suddenly straightens)

B: You recall your three hours of auditioning for Fantine... how hard it was, how you felt... but you were burning with passion... with that desire to play her in the movie...

A: (Eyes now misty)

B: Then you see yourself with your hair chopped off... gritty... you did it... you are Fantine...

A: (Tears start rolling down her cheeks, starts singing) I dreamed a dream in time gone by... When hope was high and life worth living...

B: Uhm, Anne...

A: (Continues singing) I dreamed that love would never die...

B: Anne...

A: (Stands up, looking far away) I dreamed that God would be forgiving...

B: Okay, now you see your mom with you in the mirror... she joins you in singing...

A: Then I was young and unafraid... And dreams were made and used and wasted... There was no ransom to be paid... No song unsung, no wine untasted...

B: (Claps) Bravo! (Stands) Bravo, Anne! That was just perfect.

A: (Goes back to her seat) Sorry, I got carried away.

B: Anne, since I'm sure they'd much rather hear from me than from you, I'm inviting all Filipinos out there to come watch and support this beautiful, beautiful movie - Les Misèrables, starring Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, and of course, Ms Anne Hathaway.

A: Thank you.

B: Anne, ikaw na!

A: S-Sorry, what?

B: Ikaw na! It's you already!

____________
*For the benefit of my foreign readers, Boy Abunda is a Philippine talk show host with several programs currently on air including "The Buzz." He is contracted by ABS-CBN, which brands itself as the Kapamilya Network (Kapamilya simply means family member, or family). He has a penchant for making stars cry during his interviews, usually with his longstanding shtick of whipping out his imaginary magic mirror. "Ikaw na" is an expression he uses in his showbiz segment of the network's late-night newscast. It's an entirely Filipino expression that cannot be directly translated into English, used to convey directly with someone that he/she has made it, or something to that effect. "It's you already" is just a crude translation, often used in jest.

Comments

  1. HAy.. itayo naten ulit ang bandera.. thanks to Mr. Boy Abunda..i hope there was a vid..

    ReplyDelete

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