McCoy de Leon couldn’t believe it when he found out he’d be co-starring in a film alongside Nadine Lustre.

The two have been cast in Mikhail Red’s upcoming psychological thriller “Deleter.”

“Nung nalaman kong makaka-work ko siya at mayroon kaming role na talagang connected kami, tinitingnan ko na ‘yung mga pictures niya para kapag nakita ko siya sa personal, hindi ako mabigla,” he said.

“Ginawa ko ‘yun kasi baka mabigla ako [kapag nakita ko siya], hindi ako makaarte,” he added.

De Leon stated that he had no second thoughts when he was offered the post after learning that Red was in charge of the project.

“Nu’ng pini-pitch sa akin ‘yung istorya, kung may question ako, sabi ko wala akong question, gusto ko pong gawin. Kasi, nakatrabaho ko na si direk, quality and parang masasabi ko na unique rin ang mga proyekto niya. Kaya nu’ng nalaman kong isinama ako ni direk, kahit na extra, gusto ko, eh,” he said.

“Deleter,” written by Red and his brother Nikolas, is about an internet content administrator who deletes a suicide video recorded by a coworker.

According to a Variety story, “But the otherwise desensitized woman cannot escape from either her own troubled past or from a mysterious vengeful presence,” 

“[The Philippines] is now known as the content moderation capital of the world,” Red was quoted as saying by Variety. “Moderators work in clandestine or shadowy operations and are often exposed to the filth of society, watching countless videos and images with disturbing and graphic content, which can lead to lasting trauma, as well as psychological and emotional distress all for a low wage.”

“Most of them do not have proper access to proper work benefits, mental health support and counseling. This genre film attempts to unlock the dark secrets and consequences of their world, especially in a world where the truth is filtered and distortion is prevalent,” he added.