Claudine, 25, told Inquirer Entertainment in an exclusive interview last week that she really had no choice.
"We were all dressed up when Piolo knocked on our door," Claudine related. "He showed us his barong, it was all wrinkled."
Claudine shared an apartment with her director Olive Lamasan, sister Marjorie Barretto and ABS-CBN executive Malou Santos. The men-Piolo and Cesar Montano, whose film "Panaghoy sa Suba" was also screened in the prestigious fest- stayed in another apartment.
Clad in a white, mercifully wrinkle-free, Rajo Laurel gown, Claudine whipped out an iron and proceeded with the task.
"My gown had a very long train," said Claudine. "Marjorie had to hold it."
Claudine realized she had never done any such thing for her fiancé, actor Raymart Santiago. She turned to Piolo and said: "Ang kapal mo (You're so cheeky). And you haven't even told us that we're beautiful."
Serious business
Turning serious, Claudine narrated how awesome it was to walk the red carpet in Cannes.
"It was really quite an experience. (Even if) you're appreciated in your own country, it's different when you're appreciated by a lot of people from all over the world."
The backless gown also gave Claudine the shivers, literally.
"It was jacket weather out there," she said. "Once we walked the red carpet, it was really cold. We had left our jackets in the car because no one would hold them for us."
She wished the walk would end almost as soon as it began.
"I was really scared [I might trip]," she revealed. "I was so conscious. [The walk] was so long. The paparazzi called out my name because they could pronounce it, [being] a French name."
The women raved about Cesar and Piolo, Claudine noted.
(Next day, the group had to buy the pictures from the paparazzi for 25 euros apiece.)
She described the Philippine delegation as "elegant" on the red carpet. "With all our guys in barong, we looked different."
Always eating
For the Cannes event, Claudine did away with all the rituals she was used to in Manila, like not eating hours before. "We were always eating in Cannes," she said. "Nothing was planned. When I'm preparing for an event [in Manila], I'm more organized."
She was more in control when she walked the red carpet during the Film Academy Awards night last month, where she won the Luna Award as Best Actress for her role in "Milan." Last week at the Urian Awards, she lost out to Judy Ann Santos.
"I didn't really expect to win," she confided. "It's hard to expect because I don't want to be disappointed. Every actor dreams of winning an acting award, [but] I don't have the right to feel bad if I don't win. I got a Luna Award, and went to Cannes. I couldn't ask for more."
Claudine's role in her latest movie, "Nasaan Ka Man" (opening today), directed by first-time director Cholo Laurel, might just give her another acting trophy. "I think it is an award-driven role," she said. "But still, I'm not expecting anything."
Demanding role
She described the part as "physically, emotionally and spiritually" demanding.
"I'm really into my role always," said Claudine. "That's why I can't do two movies at the same time. This is the hardest of all my roles so far. Unlike in 'Milan,' where I told myself that the part I was playing could happen to anybody, this role in 'Nasaan' doesn't happen to just anybody. Imagine two old maids adopting three children. It's so weird."
With this role, she said, "I'll know if I'm an artist or if I'm just a star."
