After being called a “closet movie star”, Atom Araullo finally broke his silence and responded to ‘Citizen Jake’ director Mike de Leon’s “hurtful remarks” about his performance in the film.
In his lengthy Facebook post, Atom wrote a statement about his experiences working with the director, saying that Mike’s previous remarks was just the latest “in a string of unprovoked, irrational, almost random tantrums” he had witnessed while doing the movie.
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Here is Atom’s full statement regarding the issue:
“On Citizen Jake and Mike De Leon
Before anything else, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported Citizen Jake. Despite the inherent challenges of promoting an independent movie that deals with a controversial theme, I am humbled by the strong response to the film, good or bad. It was the result of more than a year of hard work by a resilient, dedicated, and talented team.
Sadly, I found myself in the middle of a minor controversy just as Citizen Jake was released to a wider audience last week. I chose to keep quiet while the movie was still in cinemas because I didn’t want to distract from the film, or be accused of cheap gimmickry to promote it. Besides, I figured that those who really mattered know me well and would not be swayed by what they hear in the rumor mill.
Nevertheless, I feel like I owe it to the supporters of the movie, many of whom are asking, to set the record straight. I intend for this to be the first and last time I write on the matter.
I was approached to be part of Citizen Jake around September of 2016. Early on, without a script or a clear story, director Mike de Leon wanted me to play the lead in the film. It was a surprise. Mike had no basis to determine whether I could act or not, much less carry an entire film (with what would turn out to be a challenging role). Naturally, my first questions were: Why me? What movie are we crafting to justify my participation as an actor? Mike was adamant that he wanted a journalist and non-actor to play the character because of his unique vision for Citizen Jake. I believed in the director, and like others who admire his work, I wanted to see him make another film after some 17 years of retirement at the time. So, I said yes.
Mike knows that it was not an easy decision. Journalists becoming actors is unconventional to say the least. Colleagues raised their eyebrows, and surely many in the film industry did, too. I knew that I would be subjected to an intense level of scrutiny from all sides, and others will harbor suspicion about my motives. But this was the price to pay for an extraordinary opportunity to speak truth to power in a different medium. I have had more than my fair share of good fortune in my life, and the least I owe the universe is to have the courage to step up to the plate when called upon. I learned that from my parents.
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