Mercedes Cabral reveals intense ‘Enjoy Your Stay’ prep that took emotional toll

“My preparation spanned for one year before shooting,” said Cabral, noting how the overlap required her to constantly shift between two emotionally heavy roles.

To fully inhabit Luz, Cabral worked closely with directors Dominik Locher and Honeylyn Joy Alipio, engaging in deep discussions about the character’s inner life and motivations. Production also arranged for her to train under renowned acting coach Susan Batson, known for working with Nicole Kidman and Lady Gaga, through a series of online sessions.

“She taught me how to look at personas, flaws. It was a deep dive into the character and the script,” Cabral said.

She later continued her preparation with actress and acting coach Angeli Bayani, applying the Meisner technique to ground her performance on set. The immersive process proved effective—but also difficult to shake off.

Cabral revealed that after spending two and a half months filming in Switzerland, on top of a yearlong buildup, she found it hard to detach from Luz.

“I had a hard time getting myself out of it,” she admitted. “I had to rest for a while.”

The challenge was compounded by the tight turnaround between projects. Cabral had only four days to reset after finishing “Batang Quiapo” before flying to Switzerland to begin filming.

During the first weeks of shooting, she struggled to separate her previous character from Luz, leaving her physically and emotionally drained.

“I was carrying two characters,” she said. “I was so tired. I was crying even when I wasn’t on set.”

She eventually found her footing by embracing the process and leaning on her co-actors and directors, describing the experience as both exhausting and rewarding.

Despite the heavy material, Cabral said working with her “dream team”—Anna Luna, Hasmine Killip, Irma Adlawan, Donna Cariaga, and Ruby Ruiz—helped shape her performance and grounded the film as a collaborative effort.

Directed by Locher and Alipio, “Enjoy Your Stay” follows Luz, an undocumented Filipina worker in Switzerland navigating survival, anxiety, and difficult moral choices for the sake of her child.

Cabral emphasized that Luz is not just a singular character, but a reflection of many real-life stories.

“She’s like a collective story,” she said, recalling encounters with overseas Filipino workers during production. In one instance, a Filipina worker in Switzerland broke down upon hearing the film’s premise, saying, “You’re telling a story about us.”

The film also drew strong reactions abroad, particularly during its premiere at the Berlinale, where some viewers found certain depicted realities difficult to believe.

“For them, it was so absurd,” Cabral said, referring to scenes that mirror real-life conditions experienced by migrant workers. “But for us, it’s real.”

“Enjoy Your Stay” opened the 2026 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival on Aug. 6, marking a high-profile homecoming for the internationally screened film. The festival will close on Aug. 18 with the film “Filipiniana.”

For Cabral, seeing the film resonate with audiences, both abroad and in the Philippines, has been deeply emotional. “I didn’t expect it to be that strong,” she said. “I was hit, even if I already knew the story.”

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