AI AI De Las Alas was all set to live in the US but she got an offer from GMA-7 that is too difficult to refuse: playing the title role in “Raising Mamay”, which starts airing on April 25, 3:10 p.m. She plays Letty, a mother who gets regressive behavioral disorder after being shot in the head and starts acting like a 6 or 7 year old. Her daughter Abigail is played by “Starstruck” winner Shayne Sava who becomes her mother and takes care of her, kaya “ang ina, naging anak, at ang anak, naging ina.”
Ai Ai says: “Mamay is my most challenging role ever. Physically, emotionally and mentally draining. We have a psychiatrist and a neurologist as consultants to guide me.”
Did she have second thoughts about leaving the US for this project? “No, kasi blessing ito and dapat, hindi tayo tumatanggi sa blessing. Lalo ngayon, maraming walang trabaho, so bakit ko tatanggihan? Ang mahirap lang talaga, nagkalayo kami ng husband ko kasi naiwan siya sa States, so mag-LDR kami ngayon. Marami kaming luhang naubos bago ko umalis.”
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How would she rate Shayne’s acting as her daughter? “Nagulat ako sa bata. Kasi, nakita ko lang siya, sumasayaw at kumakanta. Ngayon ko lang nakitang umaarte. Sabi ko, aba, mahusay pala ang batang ito. Kapag tumanda ito, kakainin kaming lahat sa aktingan. Ang ganda ng kemistri nila ng ka-love team niyang si Abdul, na heartthrob ang dating. Ang cute nilang dalawa and I’m looking forward to the success of their love team.”
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‘Lalo na ngayong director ko na siya, she brings me out of my comfort zone and it’s so much fun. – JC Santos’
JC Santos and Bela Padilla
‘Lalo na ngayong director ko na siya, she brings me out of my comfort
zone and it’s so much fun. – JC Santos’
JC Santos made “hugot” films with Bela Padilla that are all acclaimed and did well at the box office. They’re now together again in “366”, with Bela also the film’s director.
“It’s always exciting to work with Bela as we bring out the best in each other,” he says. “But as the director now, the challenge is for her how to make this different from all the other movies we’ve done together. Maganda ang working relationship namin at hindi na siguro ako makakahanap ng ganyang ka-tandem na kahit anong scene or movie ang gawin namin, it always works. Lalo na ngayong director ko na siya, she brings me out of my comfort zone and it’s so much fun.”
What does he think of Bela going into directing? “She has surely levelled up from acting and she’s now also writing and directing her own movie. I’ve seen ‘366’ and it really works as a touching drama about grief and moving on. I’m so glad to be part of her first movie as a director. Tantiyado na niya ang mga puede kong gawin bilang aktor at kaya niya rin akong i-push to get more from me. I really want to help her kasi nga first directorial job niya ito.”
Does he also have plans of going into directing like Bela?
“Yes, may ambition din ako to direct, pero nakaka-pressure and achievement ni Bela kasi sobrang bata pa lang niya at 30, pero nagdidirek niya. But we both have this love for storytelling. It just so happened mas maaga siyang nagsimula sa pagdidirek. But she really inspires me. Actually, I have already written a few scripts at kailangan ko na lang i-pitch. Sana magustuhan din ng Viva.”
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McCoy de Leon stars with partner Elisse Joson in the Vivamax movie “Habangbuhay” and he’s asked if their relationship is really for life like their film’s title.
“Oh yes! Panghabangbuhay na talaga ito,” he says. “Kasi sa ngayon, I can say, sobrang kuntento ako sa buhay ko. I thank God kasi meron akong masayang pamilya, okay ang trabaho ko, so I’m sobrang happy talaga. I cannot complain.”
He is very pleased with Elisse. People keep asking them as to when will they face the altar.
“As of now, we’re still exploring each other at ang bawat side namin. Marami pa kaming natutuklasan about each other. So we will know na lang sa sarili namin kung kailan ang right time for a wedding. Naniniwala rin akong kailangan namin ng basbas ng simbahan, pero ayaw naman naming biglain o madaliin. Kailangan pa rin naming mag-ipon. We have to really prepare for it.”
Being real-life partners helped them in interpreting their roles well in “Habangbuhay.” “Iba ang journey ng characters namin dito and it’s easier for us to do them kasi napag-uusapan naming mabuti kung paano namin gagawin ang bawat eksena. Mas may rapport na kami ngayon kaysa when we did the movie na ‘Sakaling Maging Tayo’ na away-bati kami.”
Just like other couples, he admits they’re not perfect. “May conflicts pa rin, but we manage to resolve them with God’s help and, with the help of compromise, we learn from our mistakes. Basta ang commitment ko now is to always be present in the lives of my family, through ups and downs, kapag may problema, we’ll always just work on it.”
