She’s made a career back home in the Philippines as jobbing actor, but now she’s the breakout star of a Palme d’Or-winning film – and enjoying every minute of her newfound fame
When Ruben Östlund screened an early version of his bitter new comedy Triangle of Sadness for Michael Haneke, the Austrian director offered a suggestion: “Cut to Abigail as soon as you can.” Abigail, played by the pocket-sized 53-year-old Dolly de Leon, is a Filipino “toilet manager”, a domestic who mops up after oligarchs, arms dealers and models during a cruise on a luxury megayacht. When the boat is buffeted by a violent storm and ambushed by pirates, a handful of passengers and crew members make it to a desert island where it is Abigail alone who demonstrates survival skills and takes charge: “On yacht: toilet manager. Here: captain.” Those who have never uttered the phrase “Yasss queen!” might consider this the ideal time to start.
Triangle of Sadness, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, has made De Leon a rising star and potential Oscar nominee. She has been acting for decades, mostly in homegrown films, plays and soap operas, always needing to supplement her income with other jobs – hosting children’s parties, say, or training office workers in etiquette and social skills. No surprise, then, that when we meet at the London headquarters of the film’s distributor, her manner is affable, her eye contact unwavering. She is wearing a black suit and clutching a tiny vape. She takes care to drop my name into her answers at regular intervals, which has the same effect as if she were fondly patting my arm.
