‘Call My Manager’ explores realities, work behind showbiz glamour

Behind the movies, television shows and glamorous lives of celebrities are managers dealing with the pressures and complications of the entertainment industry. That less visible side of showbiz gets a closer look in the new HBO Original series “Call My Manager,” led by Judy Ann Santos, Edu Manzano, Gina Alajar and RK Bagatsing.

For Santos, who plays manager Andrea Manuel, accepting the role was an easy decision. She said she was immediately drawn to the project after her first Zoom meeting with director Erik Matti and the production team.

“When it was pitched to me, first, Zoom pa lang with Direk Erik and Sir Don Don and the rest of the production team, it was a go already. I hadn’t even seen the show yet at the time. But when Direk Erik mentioned the cast and the show’s synopsis, I knew I had to say yes,” Santos said during a roundtable interview.

The actress also welcomed the chance to play a character unlike those she has portrayed before.

“I know I wanted to be part of the team. I wanted to be part of this project because it is something really different from my past characters. I knew that if I declined it, I would’ve regretted it. So, it was an easy decision,” she added.

Alajar, who plays Aleta Alfonso, was likewise sold on the project after watching the original French series.

Working again with Matti was another reason she accepted the role, while her partnership with producer Dondon Monteverde was another draw.

“I wanted to work with him once again because he’s someone I look up to in the directorial field. And of course, I wanted to work with Dondon Monteverde of Reality Films because I play Mother Lily Monteverde here. So It’s home. It feels like home, this whole thing,” Alajar continued.

Manzano, who plays senior manager Matthew Buenaventura, said he was also interested in seeing how the French series would translate to the Philippine setting. He has also known Matti since the director’s early years in the industry.

“You thought the French series was colorful? You ain’t seen nothing yet. You want color? We give you color. You know what it’s like here with the different characters in the Philippines. This has far more color than a rainbow or a kaleidoscope. This is it. I’m just so happy to be part of it,” he added.

For Matti, “Call My Manager” is also a tribute to the entertainment industry he grew up in. He recalled spending time in the home of the late producer Lily Monteverde, where he would encounter people from different corners of showbiz.

“You don’t know how important this show is to me and Don Don, who started in the industry quite young. Don Don started upon birth. He was born into the industry. I started when I was 21 years old and I’ve seen it all,” Matti recalled.

“Every day there was a mix of different people in Mother’s dining area. There would be press, a production designer, a manager, an actor, a director. No one knew me. I would eat and drink with them, and listen to all the show business,” he added.

While the industry has changed, Matti said the “Call My Manager” allowed him to revisit some of those experiences.

“The show busines we know now is totally different from what we had then. Doing this show brings up a lot of memories, but also it also provides a tribute to the industry we once had,” he said.

Manzano said audiences typically see only the glamorous side of being an artist and rarely see the work that happens behind the scenes.

“It’s just that the audience only sees the glamour — ‘God what an easy job you have,’” he said. “They don’t see the intricacies that go with being an artist and what managers have to go through to make us worthy of the producer’s time.”

He said the series also shows that show business is ultimately a business, with managers often responsible for keeping their clients grounded.

“There’s show and there’s biz. And I think what’s important here also is that we see the dark side where the managers have to tell us, ‘Hey, come down to Earth.’ They keep you grounded because this is a business. We don’t need your tantrums. The producer could use less of you coming to work late, less of you not knowing your lines,” Manzano said.

The series also explores the close relationships that can develop between Filipino artists and their managers, with Santos pointing to the country’s culture of treating members of a team like family.

“There are lots of scenes that are very much us. You can’t really lose the culture of a Filipino regardless if you’re related or not. Once you’re part of the team, you’re part of the team. You’re family, that’s automatic,” Santos said.

Santos said her own experience has shaped her understanding of those relationships, describing her current management team as her “chosen family.”

“My management team now, they are what I love to say, my chosen family. And when you do that in this industry, it simply means that you trust your life with them and they do the same with me,” she added.

She hopes the series will also remind viewers that both cele­brities and managers have their own struggles.

“Celebrities are also human beings. Same with managers. Hopefully after they watch this show, they’d be more understanding on why sometimes celebrities can be moody or that managers can be frank side because they also go through a lot,” Santos said.

For the cast, that combination of showbiz glamour and the realities behind it is what makes “Call My Manager” more than a story about celebrities.

As Christiana Zaleta who plays Camille Vergara put it, the series ultimately gives viewers a chance to see the people behind the industry.

“It opens your eyes to the human side of showbiz. And ultimately, you’re the human part of life,” Zaleta said.

“You have to watch the whole thing. You have to witness and experience it for you to understand that anyone, even people outside the showbiz industry, can relate to it on an emotional level.”