Hilda Koronel makes comeback with ‘Sisa,’ warns fans about ‘emotional vampires’

After years away from the big screen, Hilda Koronel headlines Jun Robles Lana’s Women’s Month film exploring courage, history and female strength.

After more than a decade away from the big screen, veteran actress Hilda Koronel is returning to Philippine cinema with the historical thriller “Sisa.”

Now 69, the award-winning actress says the secret to staying healthy and aging gracefully is surprisingly simple. “Stay away from toxic people, from hypocrites, from emotional vampires,” she said with a laugh. “How do I stay stress-free? I stay away from people most of the time.”

For the US-based Koronel, peace has become the priority. When she is not working, her days are spent largely at home with her son and two cats. “I just want peace and quiet,” she said. “Most of the time I’m at home. I do some gardening. I read more than I watch.”

Koronel has been selective about returning to acting, explaining that health and well-being come first. “My health is important before anything else,” she said. “It’s not perfect, but I’m still here. So I just take care of myself and choose my projects carefully.”

Even her beauty routine is deliberately simple. “I would just go to my dermatologist in Beverly Hills,” she said. “Nothing too different. The face should still look the same.”

Offscreen, she prefers thrillers to romance novels—partly because she avoids stories that might make her cry.

When asked about love, she laughed. “I’m done with that,” the actress said. “After so many husbands, I’m finished. I love men, don’t get me wrong. But this is my time—self-love.”

A comeback film with a purpose

Koronel’s return comes through “Sisa,” directed by Jun Robles Lana, which explores a little-discussed chapter of Philippine history during the Philippine-American War.

The film won best screenplay at the recent Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal  and premiered internationally at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.

Koronel admitted she was nervous seeing the finished film for the first time at its world premiere.

“When we were shooting, I never watched the playback,” she said. “So that was the first time I saw the film. I was very nervous.”

The premiere, however, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. “Our theater was full,” she recalled. “We were worried maybe only a few people would come, but it was packed.”

During the post-screening discussion, many questions focused on Philippine history, particularly the era portrayed in the movie. “Even for me, when I read the script, I learned many things I didn’t learn in school,” she said.

A history rarely taught

One of the discoveries that struck her most while working on the film was learning about concentration camps established in the Philippines during the war.

“When you hear about concentration camps, you think of other countries,” she said. “I didn’t realize we had them here.”

She noted that the film sheds light on the brutal realities faced by Filipinos during that period. “So many Filipinos died,” she said. “People were tortured, hanged, burned. There are parts of our history we never really studied in school.”

Through “Sisa,” she hopes younger audiences will look at the country’s past from a different perspective. “It’s a thriller, so we hope people enjoy it,” she said. “But at the same time, we want the younger generation to see what happened to us.”

A story about women’s strength

Koronel describes the film as deeply aligned with the spirit of Women’s Month. “This is really a women’s film,” she said. “The women here are very brave and very strong.”

Her character, she explained, is shaped by the violence and upheaval of war. “Sisa is not a bad person,” she said. “But the war changed her.”

For Koronel, the story also carries a message about women’s empowerment. “No matter what you’re going through, women can do anything,” she said. “It’s different now compared to before. Women used to stay in the background and were told to keep quiet. Now women fight for themselves.”

Looking ahead

Koronel is already considering future projects, including a potential collaboration with director Adolf Alix Jr. and actor Bembol Roco.

For now, though, her main hope is simpler: that audiences will continue supporting local films in theaters.

“With streaming now, people are reluctant to go out and watch movies,” she said. “But it’s so much fun to watch in a cinema.”

She also hopes ticket prices remain affordable so more Filipinos can enjoy the experience. “I just want people to come back to the theaters,” she said.

“Sisa,” which also features Eugene Domingo and Jennica Garcia, is now screening in cinemas nationwide.

 

 

‘Sisa’ is a thriller, so we hope people enjoy it… But at the same time, we want the younger generation to see what happened to us.

Hilda Koronel

 

 

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