Netizens are reacting to a comment made by celebrity host Toni Gonzaga over Vivamax actress Angeli Khang’s account of being taken advantage of by male co-stars on set.
In an episode of Toni’s online talk show, “Toni Talks,” uploaded on her YouTube channel last Sunday, August 4, she was joined by Angeli, one of the stars of Vivamax films, to talk about her career of being a sexy actress at the age of 22.
Among the topics they discussed was Khang’s experiences of being taken advantage of during the filming of her last few movies.
“May time ba na you felt na taken advantage ka?” Toni asked.
“Yes, a lot. lalo na sa last, last movies ko,” Angeli confessed.
She revealed that there were instances when the plaster that was supposed to cover the male private part would fall off and another when her male co-actor would continue to kiss her even after the director yelled cut.
“May times na habang nakaplaster, natatanggal young plaster kasi tumitigas. Tapos bago pa mag-take ‘yung direk, hinahalikan na ko. After mag-take, hinahalikan pa rin ako,” the young actress recounted.
When asked by Gonzaga what she would do during those incidents, Khang said that she could only hope that the scene would be over in just one take so she could immediately tell the director afterward about what was happening.
Toni reacted, “Eh kasi syempre lalaki pa rin sila make-carried away talaga sila sa eksena.”
Based on the video, which didn’t indicate if there were things edited out or not, the host moved on to a different topic how the sexy star would separate the reel life from real life.
Some online users quickly took to social media to criticize Toni’s comment, describing it as “frustrating” for dismissing a serious topic of alleged “abuse” and “harassment” in filming sexy scenes.
“Ka-frustrate ‘yung interview ni Toni with Angeli Khang, ang gandang diskusyon na sana tungkol sa harassment at abuso na nangyayari sa loob ng Vivamax pero dinismiss lang nya na ‘eh kasi lalaki’ tapos biglang nag change topic wtf??”, an X user wrote in a post which has gained over 14,000 likes on the platform.
The uploader expressed their worry over the “lack of practice” of “intimacy coordination” while filming on set of such films.
Fellow users agreed in the replies section of the post, expressing their bewilderment over Toni’s reaction to Angeli’s story.
“Imagine asking a woman if she felt victimized in which she replied yes. And yet, you still watered it down by saying “lalaki sila”. Toni did not just dismiss that woman’s trauma, but she also justified rape culture and all these horrible men,” read a netizen’s comment.
“Hindi ba nao-offend ang mga lalaki na everytime sasabihin ng iba na ‘eh kasi lalaki,’ ibig sabihin nun ang sobrang baba ng tingin sa kanila? Kahit kasi ibang lalaki, naging linyahan na rin yan na ‘lalaki kasi kami.’ So you’re saying na di ka marunong mag-isip nang tama?” said another.
“You can be a man and still be professional and know your boundaries. I’m a bit concerned on her perspective on this as she’s raising boys,” another user said of Toni who’s a mother of two — one boy and a girl.
A Facebook page named “We Are Millenials” also reacted to the comment, saying, “Reducing harassment to ‘it’s because they’re MEN’ is why harassment and abuse continue in any space. This is especially sick in filmmaking, where they can excuse it as ‘it’s for the act’ to get away with it.”
One pointed out that the actress started her sexy acting career after just turning 18.
“Also the part where she said that she was called in set for a Vivamax film when she just turned 18. I felt bad for her, I think she’s being exploited that time and couldn’t back out because she got successful in that field,” one commenter opined.
Angeli is currently promoting her upcoming film, “Unang Tikim,” starring together with her fellow sexy actress, Robb Guinto. It will be the first-ever Vivamax movie that will premiere on the big screens.
Dubbed as the Vivamax Queen, Angeli has been vocal about embracing her sexy films as a stepping stone in showbiz.
