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Dolly De Leon On Her Fashion Choices, Advocacy, and 'Dirty Linen'

We chatted with the award-winning actress and 'Triangle of Sadness' star about her Golden Globes look, the upcoming project of her Ladies Who Launch group, and the 

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Grace Libero-Cruz

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/62275757-5bd0-4ba3-84f4-2aa19762b31d_325177185_3353418221646435_2331845521328175509_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Dolly de Leon at the 80th Golden Globe Awards"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dolly de Leon at the 80th Golden Globe Awards<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Photo from @dollyedeleon  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Pinoy pride <strong>Dolly de Leon</strong> is back in Manila after attending the <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/dolly-de-leon-at-the-80th-golden-globe-awards/34643" target="_blank">80th Golden Globe Awards</a> in Beverly Hills, California. Before she leaves again to attend the <strong>76th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs)</strong> on February 19 in London—where she is nominated as Best Supporting Actress for <em><strong>Triangle of Sadness</strong></em>—we got a chance to catch up with her at her &#x27;Hello, Dolly&#x27; homecoming press conference.</p><div><br/></div><p>To kick off the conversation, she was asked what she plans to wear to the BAFTAs. She replied, laughing, &#x27;I don&#x27;t know yet what I&#x27;m wearing... I really have to wear the dress to know. <em>Hindi ko mai-</em>imagine <em>ano &#x27;yung itsura ko </em>until <em>suot ko talaga</em>.&#x27; </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Her fashion choices</strong></div><p>At the Golden Globes—which recognized Dolly with a Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for her role as Abigail in <strong>Ruben Östlund</strong>&#x27;s <em>Triangle of Sadness—</em>she made a statement in a bespoke black faux leather <strong>AZ Factory</strong> dress with a built-in corset by Filipino design and image director <strong>Norman Rene&#x27; De Ver</strong><strong>a</strong>, as styled by <strong>LJ Perez</strong>. The haute couture piece, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnRm9YBt3GO/?hl=en" target="_blank">as Norman shares</a>, was crafted from sustainable fabrics and entirely handmade in the brand&#x27;s Parisian in-house atelier. As we complimented her bold and fearless fashion choice, Dolly told <strong>Metro.Style</strong> that she&#x27;s very hands-on when it comes to putting her looks together. </p><div><br/></div><p>She said, &#x27;I have a stylist (his name is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theljperez/?hl=en" target="_blank">LJ Perez</a>), and <em>sinasabi ko sa kanya kung ano &#x27;yung mga ayaw kong suotin</em>, <em>&#x27;yung </em><em>mga</em> colors <em>na ayaw kong suotin</em>, and then we also talk about <em>kung ano &#x27;yung mg</em>a elements that influence me, like fire, air, water <em>ba</em>. And then after that, <em>tsaka siya namimili</em>. And then <em>p</em><em>apakitaan niya ako ng iba-iba</em> and <em>sasabihin ko</em>, &#x27;<em>Gusto ko ito</em>. <em>Ito</em>, <em>hindi ko gusto</em>.&#x27; So, it&#x27;s really like that. <em>Alam mo</em>, at my age, <em>hindi na ako du&#x27;n sa</em> part <em>na p&#x27;wede akong i</em>-control <em>ng mga tao sa kung ano ang susuotin ko</em>. So, what you saw <em>sa</em> Golden Globes, that was really my choice. I really wanted to wear that dress. I loved it!&#x27; </p><div><br/></div><p>&#x27;<em>May mga iba na medyo hindi nila</em> type,&#x27; Dolly added. &#x27;<em>Na</em> okay <em>lang</em>. <em>Parang</em>, for me, <em>ganun talaga ang</em> world, you can&#x27;t please everybody <em>eh</em>. <em>Parang</em> if I wear something that everyone will like, <em>may problema dun &#x27;di ba</em>?&#x27;</p><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmetrodotstyle%2Fvideos%2F1238596500199588%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Her advocacy</strong></div><p>Dolly&#x27;s friends and co-founders of social enterprise <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lwl.ph" target="_blank">Ladies Who Launch</a>—which is gearing up for their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/projecthulmahan" target="_blank">Project Hulmahan</a> exhibit this coming March 15 (the third anniversary of the pandemic-caused Manila lockdown)—tease her that what was missing in her sexy-feisty Golden Globes look was a <em>latigo</em> (whip). &#x27;In our other projects, we call her [Dolly] our executive director and also our ring leader. So, <em>&#x27;pag merong</em> idea, <em>siya &#x27;yung taga-latigo</em>, <em>kami lang &#x27;yung taga-galaw,</em>&#x27; shared Jasmine Ong, who primarily takes charge of the group&#x27;s marketing efforts. </p><div><br/></div><p>The group of Ladies Who Launch was formed around 2013 by Zena Bernardo, Dolly de Leon, Judith Albano, and Jasmine Ong. During the pandemic, they started community kitchens, which sparked interest as a form of pandemic response when Ana Patricia Non (Zena&#x27;s daughter), also known as Patreng, started the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/14/22/a-year-later-maginhawa-community-pantry" target="_blank">Maginhawa Community Pantry</a>. &#x27;For those who don&#x27;t know, community kitchens are kitchens basically established in certain spots in the metro and also outside of the National Capital Region, where people cook meals and feed the neighborhood,&#x27; Dolly explains. Their latest project is Project Hulmahan, in collaboration with Bayanihang Marikenyo at Marikenya and UP Artists&#x27; Circle Fraternity.</p><div><br/></div><p>Zena shared the story behind the project, &#x27;One day, in one of the communities <em>ng</em> Bayanihang Marikenyo at Marikenya called Isla Delata (it&#x27;s a small informal settlers community <em>ng mga nangongolekta ng</em> junk, <em>nangangalakal, </em>so <em>nagluluto kami ng champorado</em> and <em>&#x27;yung hulmahan ang</em> firewood <em>nila</em>.&#x27; They lamented the way the shoe molds were used, especially because Marikina is considered the shoe capital of the Philippines and shoemaking is an industry and a craft the city takes pride in. &#x27;<em>Para sa aming mga taga</em>-Marikina, <em>napaka</em>-visual <em>ng</em> representation <em>na mamatay &#x27;yung</em> industry <em>ng</em> Marikina,&#x27; Zena added, further sharing that that was what sparked the idea of turning these <em>hulmahan</em> into artworks. The proceeds from the project will go to Bayanihang Marikenyo at Marikenya&#x27;s livelihood projects, the community kitchen for disaster response nationwide, and community-based art workshops.  </p><div><br/></div><p>Asking for support for this worthy cause, Dolly said, &#x27;At the end of the day, <em>tayo-tayo na lang magtutulungan eh</em>. <em>Ang daming nawala sa atin nu&#x27;ng pandemya</em>. <em>Ang daming nawalan ng mga</em> loved ones. <em>Maraming nawalan ng trabaho. </em>So <em>ito &#x27;yung paraan namin para tumulong kasi</em>, at the end of the day, <em>konektado tayong lahat, </em>and we just need to help each other and just keep spreading the love.&#x27;</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/46feb7bd-4293-4c2e-9ad2-5ff4f7d618e6_20230201_152648.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Zena Bernardo (far left) and Dolly de Leon (fourth from left) with some of the artists who took part in Ladies Who Launch" s="" Project="" Hulmahan="" art-driven="" mutual="" aid="" advocacy="" in="" support="" of="" food="" security="" and="" disaster=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Zena Bernardo (far left) and Dolly de Leon (fourth from left) with some of the artists who took part in Ladies Who Launch&#x27;s Project Hulmahan (an art-driven mutual aid advocacy in support of livelihood, food security and disaster response)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/bb2f0788-8554-4183-bcbf-f50932b84712_dolly de leon project hulmahan 1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Dolly de Leon - Ladies Who Launch, Project Hulmahan"/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Her thoughts on </strong><em><strong>Dirty Linen</strong></em></div><p>As Dolly is gaining more and more attention in the global entertainment scene, locally, the mystery revenge thriller series <em><strong>Dirty Linen</strong></em> that features her as a guest star is creating a lot of buzz and earning positive reviews. In this <strong>ABS-CBN</strong> series by <strong>Dreamscape Entertainment</strong>, Dolly plays the role of Olivia, the mother of <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/janine-gutierrez-interview-thoughts-on-dirty-linen/34791" target="_blank">Janine Gutierrez</a>&#x27;s Alexa, and it&#x27;s a character that takes on a significant part in the plot. </p><div><br/></div><p>In an <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/janine-gutierrez-interview-thoughts-on-dirty-linen/34791" target="_blank">exclusive interview with Janine</a>, she talked about meeting Dolly, saying, &#x27;Unfortunately, I didn’t get to shoot any scenes with her. <em>Pero nakasabay ko siya sa</em> taping. There was one specific day, I think it was her last day on set before she flies to the US and then we sat together for a while, we chatted, <em>nagkukuwento siya</em> about <em>Triangle of Sadness</em> and <em>sobrang</em> precious <em>nun</em>g moment <em>na iyon</em> for me <em>kasi</em> we also all dream of being something that gets to showcase Filipino talent internationally. We&#x27;re so proud of her, cheering for her and it was nice <em>lang</em> to have that moment. And she was like ‘<em>O</em>, <em>balik ikaw ulit sa</em> indie!’ and how she watched <em>Babae at Baril</em>. It was a really nice moment and I’m such a fan.” </p><div><br/></div><p>We took the opportunity to ask Dolly about her thoughts on the warm reception for the trending series Filipino viewers have been raving about. She said, &#x27;I really believe that <em>Dirty Linen</em> is changing the landscape of how we make <em>teleseryes</em>. <em>Ang ganda-ganda ng Dirty Linen</em>—from the way it&#x27;s written to the acting, the actors, the direction. It gives me a lot of hope in the industry <em>kasi</em> this is really something I can be so proud of. And I&#x27;m not saying this <em>dahil sa</em> response <em>sa</em> social media <em>ha</em>. <em>Pinanood ko eh</em>. <em>Ang ganda talaga</em>. So, it&#x27;s really something to be proud of.&#x27;  </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/6e8598d5-2d05-4d81-986a-3f2f70d893b6_326470283_184255397550620_8859954626033499695_n.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Dolly de Leon in Dirty Linen"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dolly de Leon in &#x27;Dirty Linen&#x27;<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Photo from @dreamscapeph  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>For <em>Triangle of Sadness</em>, Dolly has so far received the Best Supporting Performance award at the 48th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2022 Middleburg Film Festival, Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 58th Guldbagge Awards in Sweden, and Best Supporting Actress at the 2023 North Dakota Film Society Awards. </p><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos from <strong>@dreamscapeph</strong>,<strong> @biancaparkes via @dollyedeleon</strong>, and <strong>Pexels</strong></p><div><br/></div>

We chatted with the award-winning actress and 'Triangle of Sadness' star about her Golden Globes look, the upcoming project of her Ladies Who Launch group, and the trending series 'Dirty Linen' 