“I only want to work with people I’d like to work with. That’s the biggest discovery for me. All my actors here in ‘Greed,’ they all have chemistry. That’s what the big discovery is for me.”

In Laranas’ films, part of his storytelling is his cinematography. Hardly can he separate the two. “Greed” is no exception.

“I want to tell my story based on my camerawork and lighting,” Laranas granted. “Literally, blood, sweat and tears ang aabangan ng viewers. Super summer, pero parang fall ang Philippines sa ‘Greed.’

“May feeling na rusty, parang kinakalawang ang pelikula. Nandoon ang grit ng pelikula. From wardrobe to lighting to make-up to sweat, ‘yun ang aabangan nila. You cannot predict this film.”

The last scene with Lustre, Loyzaga and Quizon was doubly challenging for all three actors. “You really have to sustain all of the emotions,” Lustre said. “The scene was so violent… May kasamang violence and anger, that’s why it was really hard for us. After the cut, parang I would faint or parang aatakihin ako sa puso.

“For some reason, no matter how intense the scene was, when we went back to the scene nagtatawanan lang kami after. Super light. It’s really amazing to work with the same people, with the same team.”

In her forthcoming other films, Lustre will make something new, different, daring, even sexy. “Definitely, I want to make films that’s out of the box,” she said. “The kilig, cute, rom-com, if you say Nadine Lustre that’s the first thing that you think about.

“I don’t want to be boxed into that kind of branding. There’s so much more that I can do. There’s so much more that I can offer. It gets me excited. I know that it’s going to be a challenge. Hindi madali.”

Meanwhile, Lustre insisted she is “contented” at this point in her life. “If I will look at my life right now, I can say that I’m contented. I don’t need more. I’m blessed that my family is okay and they are also contented.

“Being in this state of mind is a blessing. Being okay that you’re good, without problems is a blessing. So, I would like to share my blessings to whoever needs it the most.”