Dolly de Leon Makes Her Global Series Debut in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’

In the second season of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ Dolly de Leon tells the story of an ex-nun looking for healing.

Since her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Triangle of Sadness, Dolly de Leon has been keeping herself busy with project after project. In 2023, she showed a different side when she played the villainous entrepreneur Molly Suzara in A Very Good Girl. Last year, she returned on stage as the overseas Filipino worker Ms. Reyes in Request sa Radyo. This year, she takes us through the journey of a different character: an ex-nun navigating life outside of faith.

In the second season of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ De Leon plays Agnes, who navigates healing and transformation along with eight other strangers played by Henry Golding, Mark Strong, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Aras Aydin. At a retreat in the Austrian Alps, they are guided by the enigmatic guru Masha Dmitrichenko, who is played by Nicole Kidman.

In an exclusive interview with Vogue Philippines, De Leon shares her favorite moments on set, her experience filming her first global series, and her hopes for the future.

This interview has been edited and translated for brevity and clarity.

How did you get involved with the project and what drew you to it?

Well, I got an offer to play Agnes and what drew me to the series was really her, the character that I was supposed to play. I immediately fell in love with her. I can’t really say much about her because I don’t want to spoil it but I could relate to her and she’s very close to my heart actually.

I could empathize with her as well. And of course, I wanted to work with Nicole Kidman. Who doesn’t want to work with an icon like her? I’ve never done a series outside of the country so it was also something that I was excited about, to do my first series in the US.

Yeah, it’s quite a big leap in your career. What was your reaction when you found out that you’d be joining the series?

Oh my gosh, I was so excited especially when I found out the rest of the cast. When I found out that I would be working with Christine Baranski, Annie Murphy, Marie Bartlett, Masie Richardson-Sellers, Mark Strong, Aras Aydin. I mean, it’s a dream cast and it was really wonderful working with them. I was so excited. Even if I knew that I was going to be gone for six months, I was excited to just dive in and have fun with the series and my castmates.

Wow, six months is such a long time. Do you have any memorable moments with the cast or the crew that you can share?

Yeah, there were many, many memorable moments. It was mostly laughing on set and just making fun of each other and teasing each other because we’ve been together for a long time. By the time we shot the finale, we were so close already that we could just relax and have fun.

We were like one big happy family and we would just laugh about anything and make fun of each other and tease each other. I also enjoyed the weekends, the rest days, hanging out with them, going out for a drink or having dinner, and getting to know each other. So those are the things that are really unforgettable about the whole thing, getting to know the cast in depth.

Was there anything that surprised you about them?

Yeah, I was surprised that they were all really down-to-earth and really cool people. Because when you watch actors or celebrities, when you watch them on screen, at least me, I have a preconceived notion that they’re snooty or snobbish. They have that celebrity status so I kind of found them intimidating. But oh my gosh, they’re nothing like any of the things that I thought they were. They’re super nice, super warm, super friendly, and super sweet people.

I know that you mentioned that you can’t talk about it too much because you don’t want to spoil us. But is this role something very different from what you’ve done before and how did you prepare for it?

Very different. Agnes is an ex-nun. How did I prepare for that? First of all, I’ve been exposed to nuns since I was a kid because I went to a Catholic school. Since I was in preschool, I’ve known nuns. But of course, it’s different if you’re actually portraying a nun. So I had to really find out about what makes them tick and why they choose to serve God and to join the convent.

I had to approach a good friend of mine, Sister Mary John, who’s a retired scholastican in the Benedictine fold. I approached her, I talked to her and I read her book. She wrote a book about her adventures outside of the Philippines. And basically, she has similarities with Agnes because they both left the Philippines and pursued serving the Lord outside of the country in Europe. And she has adventures about that. She has stories about that. It was really mostly reading Sister Mary John’s book and talking to her.

Was there anything about the role that challenged you emotionally or mentally?

Yeah, because she has this big scene in the confessional. It’s a huge scene. I was really worried about it because for me, it was a very important part of her story. And I wanted to do it right. So that was a big challenge for me. But it worked out because we have a very supportive team.

Our directors, Jonathan Levine and Anthony Byrne were very helpful and supportive. And they collaborated with me because they’re not Catholic. So I had to give a little background on what it’s like to be a Catholic. When you’re supported by a really good team, a really creative and supportive and loving team, everything becomes easy.

So what’s the process like to collaborate with them on that?

It was really mostly sitting down with them and talking about the script and telling them my two cents. And sharing my own experience with Catholicism and telling them maybe she would do this. She would be more inclined to do this rather than this. And they were very open to it. It was really more of that and other technical stuff, which they were very open to me sharing my experience with it.

You mentioned that this is your first global series. What was it like to work on it? How does that contrast to how things are here in the Philippines?

Oh my gosh, it was so rewarding. I felt like I had their total 100 percent support. Because the way they would do things is they would come call us on set and we would do the scene the way we would want to do it. Without anyone telling us what to do, without the director telling us where to stand or where to go or how to say the line. They just gave us all the freedom to do it the way we wanted to do it. And then after we rehearse it, they would adjust the camera, the setup, and all that. And then they would shoot us based on what we would do during the rehearsal. So it was very freeing. As an actor, I felt very liberated. I was given all the tools that I needed to perform at my optimum best.

It’s really important to have that kind of trust and that kind of support from the creative team. Because sometimes here, and I’m not saying it all the time, but sometimes here in the Philippines it’s different. Directors have a preconceived idea in their head how they want the scene to play out. And they orchestrate and choreograph the scene based on how they think. And actually that also happens with other directors on the global stage, not just in the Philippines. I was just lucky to be able to work with two directors who were very inclusive in terms of the input of their actors.

Were there things that you discovered about yourself throughout filming this series?

Well, I’m a very insecure actor. But because of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ I learned to just let go of that. Being insecure does not serve me well. It gets in the way of work. So because of the confidence that they gave me, I learned that it’s easier to work if I can just believe in myself and trust in myself. Everything that I learned all throughout the years as an actor, I was able to use all of that knowledge wisely. And to trust that there’s a reason why I was able to accumulate all that knowledge. And to trust that everything will work itself out. So that’s really the major learning curve that I got from ‘Nine Perfect Strangers.’ To just trust myself and rely on my instincts to come up with authentic and as much as possible realistic work. 

I’m surprised that you shared that you still have an insecurity about your acting.

Yeah, I still do. Actually, sometimes it still pops up. It still surfaces. And I have to remind myself, there’s no point. You have to stop that. It’s counterproductive. I’m doing a great disservice to myself by allowing my insecurity to get in the way. It’s really a battle. It’s a constant battle with myself to get rid of the insecurity.

Now that you’ve reached this level of visibility as an actress, do you feel more freedom or more pressure in representing an entire culture, an entire country?

I feel more freedom. Right now, I feel more freedom. If you had asked me this question, Daphne, a year ago, I would’ve felt more pressure. But again, I told myself, there’s no point if I feel pressured or insecure. All these negative feelings, there’s no point if I let them take control of me. Because that totally defeats the purpose of creating. That will curtail the creative process. So right now, it’s really more freedom.

I feel like I’m really empowered. That I can really do what I want and do things on my terms. As long as I have a supportive team behind me. Yeah, it’s really more of the freedom. And of course, I also can’t do this without the support of all the fans and the people who love cinema, who love watching series. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do this. I think it’s my freedom and the joy I feel from it also comes from them.

But do you feel like the industry abroad genuinely understands the depth of Filipino storytelling? Or are they still catching up?

No, they’re still catching up. They don’t really know. But the beauty of that is we already have a lot of writers, filmmakers, and cinematographers who are already working in the industry there. So they’re already starting to tell our stories from our perspective. So yeah, they’re learning a lot. I mean the American and the Western audience is learning a lot from these creative people.

Did anything from this experience change the way you view your career path?

Yeah, I think in a way it did. It helped me realize that no matter how big you are in the industry, you should always look out for your team. You should always look out for each other and not just think of yourself. Because at the end of the day, creating a film or a series is the work of a whole team. It’s the efforts of over 500 people and no one is dispensable. Everyone is important, everyone has a contribution. So for me, that’s one thing that I really learned. That we have to really look out for each other and support each other. And at the end of the day, look at the ultimate goal and that is to make a great piece of art. And the only way to do that is to be a team player. 

Okay, I know that we’ve covered a lot of things that you’ve learned throughout filming this. But what’s one thing that you learned while filming Nine Perfect Strangers that you’ll take with you moving forward?

I think that probably the biggest takeaway I can have from this is to focus on the work. Focus on each other, on your co-workers. I know it sounds cheesy. Every time I do interviews, I always say just be loving. But that’s really the only way. For me, you can’t go wrong if you’re just loving towards your co-workers and towards the craft that you’re creating.

Yeah, that’s it. Because I was gone for six months. I reached a point where I was sad. I was so lonely. There were times when I was really depressed. Even if I was surrounded by really wonderful people, there’s really no place like home. So the only way to survive that is to just keep sharing your love with everybody and keeping your heart open. I guess that’s it. That’s really it. Keeping your heart open.

Looking ahead, what kinds of roles are you drawn to now after working on a project like this?

Right now, I just want to play quirky, fun, crazy characters who do not take themselves too seriously. I just want to have fun. Because, Daphne, my whole life, I’ve never done anything but drama. Drama, drama, drama, drama. It’s always drama. I just want to enjoy the set and have fun and laugh. And laugh at myself. That’s what I want. I just want to have fun. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m working for a major studio or an independent film production. As long as it’s fun and I just enjoy it and we just laugh at the set. That’s what I want. That’s the next thing I want to do. I just want to enjoy.

If you could describe this experience in three words, what would they be and why?

Core memory. Everlasting friendships. And emotional growth. Because I made really good friends there. Things that happened there, I will never forget. That’s my core memory. Emotional growth, because I really learned to be strong while I was there. Because you don’t have any other choice but to be strong. So, yeah. Those three things will always be the three things that I will take away from playing ‘Nine Perfect Strangers.’

Okay, and my last question is very broad. What is one message that you think everyone needs to hear right now?

Vote wisely. It’s [the Philippine elections] May 12. Please vote wisely. Vote for lawmakers who will give and add more meaningful laws that will help us. It’s not true that we already have a lot of laws, right? We don’t have enough laws. We need more. We need to protect each other. We need the SOGIE bill. We need so many things, okay?  We need many things, guys. So, please choose your candidates wisely.

The first two episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 will premiere internationally on Prime Video on May 22, 2025, with new episodes launching weekly.