Raen Badua
It’s Dolly’s world and we’re just living in it.
Dolly De Leon is taking on the world. After three decades in the industry, contending with smaller roles and supplementing them with side jobs, the Filipina actress is finally breaking into the big stage, in the most historic way with Triangle of Sadness.
Directed by Ruben Östlund, the award-winning film has De Leon playing Abigail, a “toilet manager” aboard a luxury cruise ship filled with billionaires and influencers. The social hierarchy gets turned on its head when the ship gets marooned on a deserted island, and no one but Abigail knows how to fish.
The film has already been sweeping the most prestigious awards-giving bodies. Earlier this year, the title won the coveted Palme d’Or, which is considered the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and arguably one of the industry’s highest awards.
De Leon is now raking in her own set of accolades, having just received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 2023 Golden Globes. She’s now considered the first Filipina actress to ever be nominated at the reputable ceremony, second only to Darren Criss for his win portraying Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
The actress was also nominated alongside actor Ke Huy Quan for his performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, his first acting role in nearly 40 years. Quan said he left the field due to the lack of opportunities for Asian Americans and was only inspired to return upon seeing Crazy Rich Asians.
Both Quan and De Leon just won side by side for Best Supporting Performers at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. The two are now paving the way for a new generation of aspiring Asian actors with their nominations this year.
Fans and critics alike are now crossing their fingers for De Leon to be the first Filipino to bring home an Academy Award Nomination. She has recently brought home several other nominations, including Best Supporting Actress and Best Breakthrough Performance at the DiscussingFilm Critic Awards and Best Actress In A Supporting Role at the International Press Academy Satellite Awards.
In a video interview for ABS-CBN, De Leon expressed her gratitude and disbelief at the Golden Globe nomination.
“Hindi ako sanay sa nomination na ganito. Ang sarap! Sana mas marami pa sa atin ang makatanggap ng ganitong recognition because so many of us deserve it,” she says. [I’m not used to these kinds of nominations. How satisfying! I hope more of us will receive this kind of recognition, because so many of us deserve it.]
