‘Well, with all her achievements that we just enumerated, we sincerely hope she’d soon be considered as a National Artist as she surely deserves it.’
LAURICE GUILLEN
LAURICE Guillen is currently directing the big GMA Afternoon Prime hit soap, “Apoy sa Langit,” but she is also busy working in front of the camera, playing an important role in the dark crime-drama, “Pamilya sa Dilim,” as the matriarch in a wicked family with so many deep, forbidding secrets. The movie is written and directed by Jay Altarejos who she gets to work with for the first time. How is it being handled by younger directors?
“Well, lahat ng mga nagdidirek sa’kin now, mas bata na sa akin,” she says. “Kasi naman, all the older directors I’ve worked with before, wala na sila.”
Laurice has formidable credentials both as actor and director. She started directing in 1980 with the acclaimed “Kasal” then won directing awards for “Salome,” “Dolzura Cortez Story” (about AIDS) and the touching inspirational family drama “Tanging Yaman,” which swept most of the awards in the 2001 MetroManila Film Festival.
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Her other acclaimed films include “Ipagpatawad Mo” (the first local film to deal with autism), “Kung Mahawi Man ang Ulap” (one of the best films based on a komiks melodrama), “American Adobo” (about the lives of Filipinos living in New York City), and “Santa Santita” (about the interplay between good and evil). She turned 75 last January and shows no signs of slowing down.
With all these impressive credentials, we tell Laurice she should next be in line as National Artist after her late contemporary, Marilou Diaz Abaya, just got the honor. Has anyone nominated her? She shakes her head and would rather not talk about it. Well, with all her achievements that we just enumerated, we sincerely hope she’d soon be considered as a National Artist as she surely deserves it.
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Cristine Reyes feels so nervous playing Imee Marcos in “Maid in Malacañang.” “Ang laki ng pressure for me,” she says. “Parang sobrang bigat. When I was told about it, talagang minamadali ko ‘yung handler ko. Sabi ko, ‘please, please ibigay n’yo na agad sa akin ang script para mapag-aralan ko’.”
She wanted to meet Sen. Imee in person and her wish was granted. “When I finally met si Sen. Imee, talagang tahimik lang ako. I was just watching her, observing ang bawat kilos niya, bawat salita niya. It’s really very challenging for me to do this role kasi totoong tao ang gagampanan ko and she’s still very much around.”
Also, Sen. Imee as the eldest child of Pres. Marcos and former First Lady Imelda is being used in the screenplay to act as the narrator of the last few days in Malacañang of their family before they left for Hawaii in 1986.
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We are not surprised that GMA Artists Center’s Sparkle is very aggressive in discovering more new stars. This is the lifeblood of showbusiness because the public is always looking for some new faces to idolize. Three Sparkada female newbies were introduced to us: Roxie Smith, Vanessa Pena and Lauren King.
Roxie is 22, a former Miss Earth and a ballet dancer. She feels so blessed that GMA’s morning show, “Unang Hirit.” got her to be one of their younger hosts.
“Bale two months na ako with them and I’m learning so much from all my co-hosts,” she says. “They’re so welcoming. It’s my first hosting job and they give me segments related to animals. I’m enjoying it so much. I’m having fun kaya lang, bungisngis kasi ako, madalas nahahampas ko sa braso ‘yung co-host ko.”
She’s glad she is also given the chance to act in the new GTV sitcom, “Tols.” “I taped na and I play the girlfriend of Kelvin Miranda.”
Vanessa Pena is 18 and she feels lucky that she was given a soap right away. She was part of the hit drama, “Widow’s Web,” where she played Nikki, the spoiled daughter of Bernard Palanca.
Lauren King is Fil-Australian and started as a model for commercials when she was only 3 years old. She later joined “Little Miss Philippines” in “Eat Bulaga.” A great dancer in Tiktok, she excels in both academics and sports. She is not given any project yet.
“Because of my age, kasi I’m only 14 years old,” she says. “Right now, I just attend lots of workshops para kapag nabigyan na ko ng project, ready na po ako.”
