Alessandra de Rossi Pushes Boundaries with One-Day Shoot for "EVERYONE KNOWS EVERY JUAN"

Award-winning actress and filmmaker Alessandra de Rossi continues her streak of bold creative choices with Everyone Knows Every Juan, a film that was entirely shot in just one day. The movie held its special influencers screening at Fisher Mall VIP Cinema 1 on October 17, attended by de Rossi alongside cast members JM de Guzman, Ruby Ruiz, and Angeli Bayani.

The film takes its title from a familiar Filipino truth: in every family, there’s always “that one.” As de Rossi explained, “There’s one in every family: the golden child, the youngest who feels entitled, the eldest who feels cast aside, and the one who got rich. It’s a mishmash of all the people who make up every Filipino family.”

Originally envisioned as an improvised film, Everyone Knows Every Juan evolved into a scripted one-take experiment out of both necessity and ambition. De Rossi shared that the decision came down to logistics and storytelling precision. “It was supposed to be improv at first, but then I realized the camera had to know where to go,” she said.

Theatre Roots, Cinematic Experimentation

For Angeli Bayani, the film’s one-take approach was a welcome creative challenge. “My roots are in theatre, so this approach felt familiar,” she said, recalling her work in the stage play In the Round. “Doing something like that again, but this time memorialized in cinema, was exciting.”

Veteran actress Ruby Ruiz admitted the format initially intimidated her. A fan of the award-winning Netflix series Adolescence, she was both nervous and thrilled to try something similar. “When I found out it would be like that, I asked myself, ‘Kaya ba namin?’ But once we started, I got excited because there was no going back,” she said. “It was challenging to keep my presence of mind at my age, especially since my character goes through a lot. But finishing it: that was the most gratifying feeling in the world.” She added her admiration for de Rossi’s courage: “I’m thankful for Alex being bold enough to try something this adventurous.”

A Tribute to Theatre Actors

JM de Guzman took a moment to highlight the unsung heroes behind the project: the theatre actors who assisted during rehearsals. “We rehearsed for two days, and the theatre actors really helped with our blocking,” he said. “It was challenging working with veteran actors, but more than anything, I’m grateful to Alex for including me. This project made me feel alive again.”

One Take, No Second Chances

De Rossi revealed that the film’s first half was achieved after multiple attempts. “We tried doing the whole thing twice, but someone walked in the background,” she laughed. As for her favorite moment? “The bodega scene during the mock trial. That’s when we were all together.” Ruiz echoed the sentiment. "That was my favorite too. It was chaotic and funny. I had a hard time stifling my laughter while shooting that scene.” Despite its experimental nature, Everyone Knows Every Juan feels grounded in de Rossi’s intent to capture authenticity over spectacle. “I didn’t want to emulate the Hollywood way of doing one-take shots,” she said. “I wanted to make it feel real.”

Everyone Knows Every Juan is now showing in Philippine cinemas.