Ten Little Things to Know Ahead of ‘Ten Little Mistresses’ Prime Video Release

Feb 14

Ten Little Things to Know Ahead of ‘Ten Little Mistresses’ Prime Video Release

Allain Brutas February 13, 2023, 7:00 PM

The director and the cast of “Ten Little Mistresses”

The world gala premiere and press conference of Jun Robles Lana’s “Ten Little Mistresses” was held a week before its release on Amazon Prime Video. While waiting, here are ten little trivias that you need to know before watching the film, coming straight from the cast and crew.

*A still from Lana’s “Ten Little Mistresses” from Prime Video Philippines.*

Premieres on Valentines’ Day… of the Mistresses

The murder-mystery comedy mistress-centered film to end all other mistress films is set to be released on February 15, jokingly dubbed the Valentines Day for the mistresses, as the day before, February 14, is typically reserved for the real wives or girlfriends.

Set to be the first Filipino Amazon Prime original film!

It was disclosed during the film’s press conference that Lana’s “Ten Little Mistresses” will be the first Filipino Amazon Prime original film. While there is pressure from the cast and crew, Lana was extremely grateful for the support that he had gotten from Prime Video and only thinks of this film as “a movie that has to stand on its own”. Rather than thinking about the pressure, the director just wants to have fun, work hard, be prepared, and surround himself with the best people that he can find.

Originally self-produced before it had to be shelved,

Lana revealed that he originally intended to produce the film himself months before Prime Video came through, but due to budget constraints, had to shelve the project, as it is not living up to its supposed vision. Luckily, Prime Video did come through and we are blessed to finally witness the fun and decadence that the director envisioned the movie to be.

More of a collaboration than that of a dictatorship!

Considering the scale and amount of talent coming from both the veterans and the newbie actors, tensions and conflict could potentially rise between the cast, the director, and the crew. But that was not the case in this film, as Lana divulged that he gives the cast necessary space to play around with their role and just get as much footage as possible. Agot Isidro (playing Helga) backed this as well, stating that she always turns to Lana on how to do certain scenes and how she can freely talk and converse with the director.

On John Arcilla and his extreme preparation for his role

Both Arcilla and director Lana discussed how he prepared for the role of Valentin and Constantin. While both characters he played are similar, both physically (being twins) and psychologically (being chauvinists), there are slight differences to set them apart, and it is up to Arcilla to show these nuances on screen. Lana revealed that he and Arcilla had exchanged a series of long messages and even differentiated the physical, social and psychological aspects of the twin characters he’s portraying, showing the dedication of the actor and the collaboration between the cast and the crew at large.

Integrating Filipino pop culture into a murder mystery film

There are a lot of Filipino pop culture references shown in the film, which are evidently seen in the trailer and the names of some characters—Adrianna So’s Because being a prime example. Director Lana revealed that his love for murder mystery genre and his desire to make people laugh during the pandemic are what drove him into making a comedy murder-mystery film. It is also a challenge that he took and the title of “sampung mga querida” really brought a lot of pop culture references to his mind.

*Costume display of each film character at the world gala premiere of Jun Lana’s “Ten Little Mistresses”*

Great gowns, beautiful headpieces!

Besides the talented ensemble cast, one thing that is most noticeable in the film, from its poster to its trailer, is the beautiful costume design. From the outfits, gowns, and headpieces, costume designers Jaylo Conanan and Jaydee Jasa really gave their all on this film. Director Luna disclosed that, while it is his first time working with Conanan, he was extremely impressed by his genius, talent, and ability to execute and adjust to what is currently needed.

Actors that love and relate to their character roles

When asked if they would like to pick another film character to take, most of the cast stated that they are already content with what they got. Carmi Martin said that she is happy playing her role as Magenta, as she managed to compete with the other mistresses, but considered Eugene Domingo’s character Lilith as interesting. Arcilla also joked that if he can’t play as Valentin, he will play as Constantin.

Newbies learning from the veterans

A query was raised towards the women who are relatively new in the industry about how it feels working with the seasoned actors, especially Arcilla, Domingo, Marietta Subong (Pokwang), Martin, and Isidro. A consensus of nervousness and excitement arose from the new actors, with them stating how they are extremely grateful working with the dream team of both director Luna and the veteran cast. They even shared how even though the ace actors are not on the shot, they will still read lines with them, especially Martin reading her lines even while sleeping.

A message from the cast to all the women this Valentines…

The cast of “Ten Little Mistresses” had something to say to women of all ages for the upcoming Valentines. Isidro said that women should know their worth, have self respect, and stand for themselves, and this is reiterated by Subong, adding that women should be wise and not have their head in the clouds. Martin declared that women “don’t need a man to be happy,” and that “you can express your love to your family, to someone, not necessarily a man.” She ended her statement by stating, “Be happy, be independent, and enjoy life as a woman,” and we couldn’t agree more.

“Ten Little Mistresses” is set to be released on the Prime Video streaming platform on February 15.