Dolly de Leon leaves Hollywood starstruck
After her breakthrough international role in “Triangle of Sadness”—the critically acclaimed film that carried her to the red carpets of Cannes and the Oscars—you’d probably think Dolly de Leon has already grown accustomed to the flashbulbs and brushes with Hollywood’s elite.
But the sense of awe hasn’t faded. “Oo naman, I still get starstruck!” she told Lifestyle in a Zoom interview.
And who wouldn’t be, if it’s someone like Nicole Kidman—lead actress of the mystery series “Nine Perfect Strangers”—standing right in front of you?
“The first time I saw her, wow, she was so tall and slender. But after five minutes, I had to snap myself out of it,” she said, recalling her first meeting with the Australian actress. “But she will make you feel comfortable. She doesn’t put on any airs, so working with her was easy.”
In the show’s ongoing second season, De Leon plays Agnes, a once-devout nun slowly unraveling as she walks away from the church. Spiritually lost and emotionally frayed, she arrives at Zauberwald—a secluded wellness retreat nestled deep in the European Alps—seeking healing from Masha (Kidman), a wellness guru whose methods are as unconventional as they are controversial.
The role demands emotional depth and restraint, which De Leon navigates with an intensity that simmers just beneath the surface. Her performance didn’t go unnoticed: The starstruck De Leon left her costars just as starstruck.
Poise and depth
In separate interviews with Lifestyle, it was the rest of the cast’s turn to sing the Filipino actress’ praises.
Murray Bartlett, who plays Brian—Agnes’ closest confidant at Zauberwald—was already a “huge fan” of De Leon, having seen “Triangle” prior to their meeting. The six months they spent together, shooting in Germany and Austria, only deepened his appreciation for her talent.
“There’s a delicacy in the way she works that’s beautiful to watch and to be part of. This is a cliché, but still waters run deep. There’s poise and so much depth to Dolly, but she also has a fun and cheeky side. Watching it all unfold before you is amazing,” he said.
The subtlety with which De Leon shapes her role becomes even more striking, Mark Strong pointed out, when you realize that in person, the actress’ presence is anything but subtle.
“She’s fantastic. Because in real life, her personality and strength become absolutely self-evident,” said Strong, who plays David, a sharp-tongued billionaire whose wealth is matched only by the weight of his emotional baggage. “Her role isn’t who she is in real life, making her performance all the more accomplished.”
Henry Golding, who plays David’s approval-starved son, Peter, put it succinctly. “She killed it! She made you (Filipinos) proud!” he said.
Despite her stature, taking compliments is something De Leon hasn’t completely gotten the hang of yet. But she’s working on it—and she has to, what with the doors that have recently opened for her in the international stage.
“It can be awkward sometimes,” she admitted. “But that’s the thing I’ve learned from them—you should be able to accept compliments as they come. They’re a gift. It would be disrespectful to dismiss them.”
Besides, there’s no greater reward than being recognized for a job well done by artists she holds in such high regard. “Ang sarap sa feeling,” De Leon said when told about her costars’ kind words for her. “I idolize these people.”
But amid all the adulation, and no matter how crazy showbiz gets, De Leon’s feet remain firmly planted on the ground. She gets by with a little from her family, her friends—and her therapist. “My children ground me,” said the actress, 56, a mother of four. “I also turn to friends in the industry who understand what I go through.”
“It’s important to seek professional help but it’s just as important to nurture relationships with the people around you,” she added. “It allows you to heal and help you know yourself better.”
Pockets of time
That’s exactly how things unfolded among the cast members, which also includes Lena Olin, Christine Baranski, Aras Aydın, King Princess, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers, throughout the filming period, which saw the seasons change from winter to spring.
De Leon especially enjoyed the quiet pockets of time she shared with Kidman when the cameras weren’t rolling. “We’re both moms, and that commonality made us feel comfortable with each other right away,” she said.
This need for emotional anchoring became especially apparent while filming some of her most taxing scenes as Agnes—like the one where she wanders the streets alone, chasing the sound of church bells and the elusive voice of God. Or those opposite Kidman, whose spontaneity and ever-shifting approach kept her on her toes in every take.
And when nerves threaten to get the best of her—or when her own emotions start to contradict those of her character—she turns to one more calming element: music. “It helps me regulate my emotions. Sometimes, when I’m sad but I don’t want to be, I play happy songs and my mood instantly shifts. It’s one of my coping mechanisms,” she said.
In fact, De Leon curates a playlist for every character she plays. For Agnes, that meant a healthy dose of Barbra Streisand. “She’s old-school like that,” she said, laughing.
It’s the same measured mindset she brings to her growing international visibility. As the first Filipino actor to be nominated for an award in any category at the Golden Globes and Bafta, De Leon—whether she intends it or not—has become a flag-bearer of sorts for Filipino pride. For a while, she did feel that weight.
But over time, she came to a realization: Representation doesn’t always have to be loud or literal. Let the work do most of the talking. “It’s not a beauty pageant. I’m not a Miss Universe candidate,” De Leon quipped. “I’m here to work.”
She would rather see Filipino sensibilities shine through—the language, the small cultural details—deftly woven into the material. “That’s what makes me happy,” De Leon said. “I love material that shows what kind of people we are and where we’re coming from.”
Ultimately, she stressed, it’s not so much about carrying the country’s name herself as it is about choosing work that represents the country well.
