Stars of the ‘Four Sisters’ prequel give advice to their characters

Filipino cult classic “Four Sisters and a Wedding” was a hit for many reasons—it’s relatable, Real™ and has hella remarkable characters.

Bobbie, Alex, Gabbie and Teddie conquered entirely different worlds—from shareable memes and Facebook games to actual cinema discourse—and became a benchmark of quality Filipino films delving into family dynamics.

But as the trailer of its canonical prequel asks: Do we really think we know them?

We’ve seen the bruises of the siblings through the lens of child prodigy issues, self-acceptance, career, and the overall curse of growing into an adult. But what’s their backstory? Thanks to “Four Sisters Before The Wedding,” our questions might finally be answered.

To peep into the origin story of the sisters, we talked to the stars themselves. In a quick chat with Charlie Dizon (young Teddie) and Gillian Vicencio (young Alex), we asked what advice they’ll give their characters—knowing their strengths, weaknesses and struggles in their youth.

“Kay Teddie, be yourself. Kasi ‘yun ‘yung kinakatakot ni Teddie. Ang dami niyang insecurities, feeling niya hindi siya enough,” Dizon said.

(For Teddie, be yourself. Because that’s what Teddie fears. She has so many insecurities, she feels she’s not enough.)

“Kung tatanggapin niya mismo ‘yung sarili niya, na alam naman niyang kaya din niya. For me, ‘yun, huwag na siyang ma-insecure, and alam naman niya sa sarili niya na kahit paano, kahit insecure siya, may mga taong nakakatanggap sa kanya and may nagmamahal sa kanya.”

(If she achieves that self-acceptance, she knows deep down that she can conquer anything. I hope she doesn’t feel insecure because she’s aware that there are people who accept and love her.)

Meanwhile, Vicencio wants Alex to learn freely from her mistakes. “Okay lang ‘yan, magkamali ka kung gusto mo. Kasi diyan ka matututo. Sundin mo ‘yung mga gusto mo, basta huwag kang magre-regret sa dulo.”

(It’s okay, because that’s how you’ll learn. Follow what you want, as long as you won’t regret it in the end.)

“And ‘yung choice na gagawin mo, dapat sure ka na paninindigan mo ‘yan. Live your life to the fullest. Rakenrol!” she added.

(And make sure to be responsible for the choice you’ll make.)

The premiere of “Four Sisters Before The Wedding” is perfectly timed for the holidays. If Charlie were to give Teddie a present, she said it would be a comb—simply because her hair is always messed up. For her part, Gillian will surprise Alex with a new videocam, she being a future independent filmmaker.

But the prequel’s Christmas drop also meant more for its screenwriter Vanessa Velasco. Given the pandemic and ABS-CBN’s shutdown, Velasco said the movie focused on what the audience needs right now.

“They need that joy. Nasulat na siya bago pa mag-pandemic eh. So ‘nung nire-revise na during the pandemic, parang kailangan mong hanapin, ano ba talagang kailangan ng audience, ng kumpanya mo?”

(The audience needs that joy. This was written pre-pandemic. So when we were revising the script during the pandemic, we needed to find what the viewers and the company really need.)

As for director Mae Cruz-Alviar, she confessed to conquering her many fears in the making of the film, given the pandemic. “Kaya ko ba with the limitations?” she asked herself. (Can I do it, with all those limitations?)

Fortunately, the movie and its characters gave her life lessons. “Just go ahead and do it. And do it out of love. I think ‘yung pinaka importante doon is that in spite of all the fears, my driving force was love for my company, kaya gusto ko talagang gawin ito.”

“Four Sisters Before The Wedding” is up for streaming on KTX.ph, iWant TFC, Sky Cable PPV and Cignal PPV. You can also catch it at select SM and CityMall cinemas.

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Still from “Four Sisters Before The Wedding”