HINDI NAGING MADALI para kay Cherie Gil na sampalin niya to the max si Cherry Pie Picache. Kailangan niyang gawin sa ikagaganda ng eksena nilang dalawa. “Nagsampalan na kami, sinampal na niya ako, take 2, take 3, kasi nagtatawanan kami. Magkaibigan kasi kami, we couldn’t take it seriously. We have to admit, ayaw na naming masaktan ang isa’t isa. Especially with what happened to the Lorna Tolentino and Chin Chin Gutierrez issue, we were careful. At the back of our minds, we don’t wanna go that far so, tawa lang kami nang tawa. Sabi ni Direk Don Cuaresma, totohanin daw namin ‘yung sampalan. Ako personally, I don’t know na how to slap na, I swear!”
Very memorable kay Cherie G. ang sampal na natikman niya kina Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos at Sharon Cuneta. Sino kaya sa kanila ang mas matindi kung manampal? “I think it’s Nora in Bituin, she slapped me ten times stronger. I don’t take that against her, that little thing can slap hard with the wallet. Akala mo hindi niya kakayanin, I challenge her, I slap her hard purposely because I heard she slap hard. So, I want to challenge her so I can get that infamous hard slapping from her. And true enough, she jammed and lifted with the wallet in her hand, she slapped me 2 times more, okey lang ‘yun, I loved it! It helped me in the scene, I cried first. I never say I’m sorry, I just grabbed her face and asked her, are you okey?
“I was good in Sharon Cuneta days, pareho kami ni Sharon, sapok talaga, right on the spot! At saka, right on target, kung malakas akong manampal, mas malakas si Sharon. Wala kaming hiyaan and we remained friends,” pagmamalaking kuwento ng actress.
What makes you accept this project with Angelica Panganiban? “It’s always welcoming to be able to get the job, and nowadays it’s a blessing. Unfortunately for me if I just turn it down and don’t take advantage of the opportunity, since I did Pieta, and it’s my first time I’ve done three soaps in a row in my life. So far it happened that I guess right now, the universe is opening up a lots of opportunities for me and ABS is very accomodating and happy, I hope. It looks like they’re happy in the past works I’ve done. It’s been one after the other and I expected it, because we didn’t think Katorse will go on for almost two seasons. And this particular project… was a big thing again. I like doing first and a lot of my past soaps with ABS is basically historic like Bituin with Nora Aunor. It was her comebacking, first musical soap opera. Marina was the first fantaserye, Gulong Ng Palad was again another historical event. This time, it’s to celebrate 60th years of soap so, I have to be part of it, it’s my ninth soap already with ABS. Dapat lang, kung hindi, pipilitin ko ang sarili ko na nandu’n ako. And beside, it’s all about kontrabida-bida of Rubi and how the character, I guess, her portrayal in Rubi will not be so effective unless you face all the other kontrabida that has been.”
Hindi kaya nagsasawa na si Cherie G. always playing kontrabida role?“ I don’t think… I don’t plan. I guess, like I’ve said, it’s my world already. It’s my life. I always said I’ve eaten, I’ve breath, I’ve slept acting. For as long as I’m here alive, for as long I am physically able, I will continue to work.”
Reaction ni Cherie G. na kinatatakutan siya ng mga baguhang artista. “I’ll just try to make pare-pare first to everybody I work with, because they all come and say, ‘Natatakot po kami sa inyo.’ I don’t know, why? So, I’ll try to get everybody fondly and friendly. That way, I settle the environment for a better creativity and collaboration.”
Kung naging bida-kontrabida si Angelica, walang pagkakaiba ito sa mga role na ginawa ni Cherie G. in the past. “Para sa akin, hindi naman nagbago dahil I have really good roles in the past. Especially Lavinia whose the character that people learned to love, to hate and learn to love as well because although she’s the kontrabida to the bida, Lavinia is one of my favorite kontrabida because she’s a human being that is fighting for something that many women where fighting for that time in the ’89, which is the career. For me, I think the kontrabida can be identified with particular women, bida pa rin ‘yun kahit papaano, they’re never secondary,” paliwanag niya.
Challenge for the role you portray? “Well, it’s not different from the past that I portrayed. It’s working with Cherry Pie Picache that excites me because I really have a chance to work with Pie on a daily basis na kami magkakaharapan. Even in the parts of many project, minsan lang kaming magka-eksena. The idea that Bing (Loyzaga) is there, I never work with Bing, I’m hoping and praying that there will be scenes together kasi, malaki ang cast,” say ng magaling na actress.
AYAW Paawat!
by Eddie Littlefield
