Donny Pangilinan finds joy working with mom Maricel Laxa

Young actor Donny Pangilinan expressed his happiness working with his mother, Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, on a project for the first time in GG (Good Game): The Movie.

During the press conference, the Kapamilya actor dropped more details about the upcoming movie, saying that it is a rare opportunity for them to work on a big project together.

“I’ve been doing a lot of projects, as well, that I wouldn’t really get to see Mom and Dad a lot. So, it’s nice on set that I would get to see my mom and dad every day,” Pangilinan said.

The young actor also said that the movie had become a sort of reunion for them.
From left: Hannah Pangilinan, Donny Pangilinan, Maricel Laxa- Pangilinan, and Anthony Pangilinan
“Actually, this is the longest time I’ve seen them, because of this movie. So, it was really nice that this project served as our reunion of some sort,” he added.

Pangilinan will be portraying the role of Seth, a gamer, while Laxa-Pangilinan is Iya, Donny’s estranged mother in the film.

When asked about the lessons he learned from his mother, Pangilinan said he learned a lot from her feedback on the script and her help in analyzing and internalizing the character.

“The biggest one is to be able to put aside what we have behind the character, in order to portray what we will show for our characters needed,” the actor said.

On the other hand, Laxa-Pangilinan admitted that there were moments when she would be amazed by her son’s acting.

“Well, actually, I would admit that there were many moments when I would realize, I had to stop in a scene with him because I would be amazed at him. This is my son and I’m so proud of him,” she said.

The movie, which was co-written by Pangilinan’s sister, Hannah Pangilinan, discusses esports, its community, the struggles it faces, and how it affects the lives of the players and their families.

Laxa-Pangilinan also revealed that her son had put so much effort into working on GG (Good Game): The Movie as he invested his time and money in it.

“This is the first time I’m also gonna be not just an actor, but a producer in a film, an investor, and really behind the scenes. As in ‘yung level na sit down on edits, like really be hands-on. So, this is the first time I’m actually gonna able to participate like that in a film,” Pangilinan said.

GG (Good Game): The Movie also marks Pangilinan’s first movie outside his love team with actress Belle Mariano.

“You will see a different side of me,” he said. “I love working with Belle. I love working in a love team. But it’s also nice to do projects like this because it also helps with growth especially [since] I’m doing it with my mom. It’s something a first time for me. So, it’s nice that I get to do this project.”

When asked what projects he wanted to do with his mom in the future, Pangilinan immediately answered, “I want us to do action. I guess that’s okay. Actually, she already had done action. Her action scenes in Iron Heart were really great.”