Welcome to the Philippines! A land where beauty pageants are given more undivided attention than anything related to politics. Oops. Back to the highlight of this week: The stars of Insatiable, are currently in Manila to promote the second season of their dark comedy show on Netflix. Frontliners of the show, Debby Ryan (who plays Patty Bladell) and Dallas Roberts (who plays Bob Armstrong), were joined by the Philippines’ very own OG beauty queen Gloria Diaz, who will be making a special apperance on the show as Gloria Reyes.
Although we personally found the first season to be too chaotic, but quite entertaining at the same time, Debby made a notable point when asked about the chaos that all the show’s characters create.
“I think there are so many fun characters where chaos happens when you put us all together. It’s just really good people making bad decisions,” shares Debby in front of her Filipino fans last Tuesday (October 8, 2019) at the Grand Ballroom of Shangri-La The Fort in BGC.
“One of my favorite parts about the show is that you never know what’s coming next. It’s always chaotic and hilarious,” added Dallas.
“In Season 2, you begin to see Patty become more self-aware, more self-assured. She definitely starts to look more internally and learn more about herself and her relationships, what she wants and how she intends to get it,” said Debby about her character’s evolution.
And if ever you’re wondering why a Filipina suddenly appeared in their trailers, here’s why Gloria’s involvement wasn’t broadcasted until Netflix Philippines released a trailer on their page:
“They just messaged me, and I thought it was a mistake,” explained Gloria. “I was just overwhelmed with everything. Everyone was so nice. They kept saying, ‘Welcome,’ but I said, ‘The more you welcome me, the more stressed I became.’” P
Without giving away too much spoilers, Gloria’s character plays a pivotal role in Patty’s growth as a character. We’re expecting a whole lot of much-awaited character development here!
“Gloria has a gorgeous role, and there are little moments [with her] that end up becoming really huge to Patty,” shared Debby. “There’s specifically one moment where we started a conversation — which is the first day we shot together — and that conversation is where she learned that queens take control. And once she hears that, it begins to be her North Star. In Season 2, she begins to be less responsive about the things around her and she gets in the driver’s seat.”
On Girl Power and Queens Taking Control
Dallas and Debby also shared what the show’s quote and over-arching theme, “Queens Take Control,” meant for them, too.
“Having seen and worked with the ladies on the show, queens don’t ask permission for control or they don’t wait for control. They just take control to stay at the top,” said Dallas.
“Our writer, our showrunner, majority of our producers, and some of our executives at Netflix are all really cool, strong women. I’ve never been at a set where not only women are at the top, but there are roles in the crew that you don’t typically see with women. They’re holding the lights and building the sets,” shared Debby. “There’s so many different types of strength that a woman can exude. It’s just in the DNA of the show. And the thing I’ve noticed, and all of these women — specifically working with Gloria, with her formidable, terrifying energy — respect is not demanded. It’s commanded. I think that is really prevalent to me and all of the powerful women I’m around and look up to.”P
As the conversation came to an end, Gloria and host Nicole Cordoves taught Debby and Dallas a Filipino phrase that will be familiar to pageant fans and contestants: “Kabogera ako!”, which means “I slay!” in Filipino slang.
Beyond girl power, we’re also glad that Debby was very vocal about her support for the LGBTQ+ community during the event. With performers from O-Bar sharing the stage with her during the fan meet, Debby gladly proclaimed how she loved the gays here in the Philippines. Well, same, Debby. Same.
Insatiable Season 2 will be available on Netflix starting October 11, 2019. We’re giving this another shot! After all, we were able to survive the first season. Anything else you want us to check out from Netflix? Let us know by getting in touch with Manila Millennial via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!
I was Insatiable for a day, too!
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