It would be the very role that would earn her a historic nomination at the Golden Globes.
On her Instagram account on Monday, July 13, acclaimed actress Dolly de Leon shared a photo of her that was taken by her daughter, Luccia, seven years ago.
The said image was apparently taken on January 7, 2019, during the conversation that she had with director and screenwriter Ruben Ostlünd, who did the film Triangle of Sadness.
In the caption, Dolly shared that she initially thought it would only be a simple call back, but it turned out to be a virtual interview with Ruben for the above-mentioned film, specifically for the underdog turned powerhouse character, Abigail.
“I had auditioned three months prior and was convinced I wasn’t going to get it. Only to learn from my friend Jake Macapagal who convinced me to audition in the first place that I had a chance to book the job,” she noted.
Beyond the photo, Dolly also detailed her condition at that moment in time with her family.
“On this night in Cainta where I was living with my children in my friend Harlene’s rent-free unit,” she recalled.
At that time, she said she had washed her crystals in salt and laid them out on her window sill under the light of the moon and made a deal with her “Creator.”
“If I don’t get this job I will quit being an actor,” she told.
Dolly also said that she and her daughter set up their living room then to necome a makeshift studio, where she had her tablet sandwiched between her LEAP award, Bette Davis’s autobiography, and Stanislavsky’s Building a Character. She quipped, “Today I wonder if I placed these on purpose for luck.“
“My face was lit by a second-hand lamp donated by one of my best friends when I decided to leave a toxic relationship. Water and coffee sat on a chair with no backrest,” she further went into details of that exact moment.
In retrospect, she told that she now looks at this “long haired” lady as “hopeful.”
She also remembers what “she went through seven years ago and think to myself – it was all worth it.”
“All the rejections, the heartache, the let downs, mistakes, disappointments, bad choices, failures -they all happened for a reason,” added de Leon.
For the others, she left a message of inspiration. “[What] ever it is you’re going through, what ever it is you’re pursuing, keep at it. IT GETS BETTER. I promise,” de Leon concluded her post.
Dolly eventually bagged nominations for her role as Abigail at the prestigious Golden Globe Awards in 2023 and the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).
Recently, she starred as Agnes in the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers, which was followed by her portrayal of Detective Sofia Gonzalez in Maximim Pleasure Guaranteed and the twins Lo and Li for the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
She is also confirmed to be part of the voice cast for the upcoming movie Forgotten Island, which include the likes of Liza Soberano, H.E.R., Lea Salonga, Manny Jacinto, and more.
