SANYA Lopez is now busy taping “First Lady,” the sequel to her successful primetime series, “First Yaya.” “We’re glad na pinagbigyan ng GMA management ang request ng maraming fans na magkaroon ng Book 2 and journey ni Melody as yaya na ngayon, magiging asawa na ni President Glenn Acosta, played by Gabby Concepcion, kaya ‘First Lady’ na siya,” she said.
But before that, don’t miss Sanya in the featured episode of “Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko” for this month entitled “Oh My Oppa,” a romantic comedy where two young men will be fiercely competing for her heart. After being paired with senior leading men like Gabby in “First Yaya” and Sen. Bong Revilla in “Agimat ng Agila,” younger hunks Derrick Monasterio and Gil Cuerva are now rivals for her attention.
“Sobrang nakakakilig ang ‘Oh My Oppa’,” said Sanya. “I play Grace, a hotel manager na fan ng Korean dramas so gusto ko, isang Korean oppa na mayaman at pogi. Derrick is Toti na mabait naman pero ayoko kasi he walks with a limp. Ang ex-BF ko, Jon Lucas as Alex, arrives at our hotel with his new GF, si Ashley Ortega. I tell him may bago na kong BF, but ayaw niyang maniwala so bumili ako ng isang oppang robot online, si Gil nga ito and I named him Gong Yoon Bin. Ayun, para siyang totoong tao.”
Sanya said Derrick is the leading man closest to her. “We go back a long way to ‘The Half Sisters’ na supporting pa lang ako, then I was paired with him in a film we did with Regal, ‘Wild & Free’,” she said. “But we’re just good friends. There’s never romantic involvement between us.”
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Ara Mina and Maui Taylor are the younger two mentors in “Pornstar 2: Pangalawang Putok” after Alma Moreno and Rosanna Roces. They’re now both married and has kids of their own. Ara has a daughter and Maui has two sons.
Has Ara’s husband, Dave Almarinez, seen “Pornstar 1”?
“No, wala siyang time, he’s so busy, lalo ngayon he’s campaigning for the elections,” she said. “Pero hindi naman siya nakikialam sa career ko, so okay lang kahit ‘di niya mapanood.”
What’s the difference between Pornstar 1 and 2? “Mas busog ang mata ng male viewers dito kasi apat na bagong sexy young stars ang ini-introduce namin.”
She says she, Alma, Osang and Maui all enjoyed each other’s company. “We’re all very thankful na we’re still active sa work namin. We’re like a family at ang lahat, very professional pagdating sa trabaho. Para ko talagang kapatid sina Ate Ness and Ate Osang.
At si Maui, very protective, you can really depend on her.”
What advice did she give to the newbies working with them? “Basta ako, ang bilin ko, kapag sumikat kayo, don’t change. And always, show respect to other stars, specially to senior stars. At maging polite sa lahat, pati sa crew.”
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Maui Taylor says her family watched “Pornstar 1” and they all enjoyed it. “Gusto nila ang style ni Direk Darryl so I’m sure they will also watch ‘Pornstar 2’ na mas maraming nakakalokang eksena na ako mismo, nababaliw. Grabe ang lines na pinapa-deliver sa amin. Siguradong magba-viral na naman.”
How is it working with Ness, Osang and Ara this time?
“We’re more comfortable with each other. Na-miss namin ang isa’t isa kasi we shot ‘Pornstar 1’ last year and, after a year, itong ‘Pornstar 2’ naman. Mas marami kaming daldalan ngayon, lalo kami ni Miss O, lagi kaming may balita sa isa’t isa.”
What advice does she have for the newcomers in the movie? “I tell them na sa eksena, ‘pag may ipinagagawa si Direk, itodo nyo na ‘yan kaysa ipaulit-ulit pa sa inyo. And don’t forget all the people you work with, batiin nila lahat ng tao sa set, pati na ang crew at staff.”
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‘Michelle chose to follow the footsteps of her parents, Melanie Marquez and Derek Dee, who both went into acting.’
Michelle Dee is happy that after playing an evil villain to Bong Revilla in the action-fantasy, “Agimat ng Agila,” she now plays a glamorous character in the GMA primetime series, “I Left My Heart in Sorsogon.”
“Most of my scenes are with Heart Evangelista and Paolo Contis,” she said. “I was intimidated at the start, kasi I’m so new in the industry and they’re already big stars. But they’re both helpful. First scene ko with Heart is a breakdown scene and she really guided me.
Ang bait niya talaga. Si Pao naman is so much fun to work with his good sense of humor. Working with everyone in Sorsogon turned out to be really pleasant.”
Does she miss her beauty pageant days? “After beauty pageants, acting is something I now enjoy doing and I hope to do it for the longest time. And I hope to grow as an actress.
Suwerte nga ako, challenging ang roles given to me. In ‘Agimat,’ naka-prosthetic ako, pinapangit talaga ako. Now naman, different challenge ang role ko in ‘I Left My Heart in Sorsogon.’ Contravida siya pero hindi naman extreme. I’m thankful to GMA for giving me the chance to explore my craft.”
Her paternal grandmother, Regina Dee, was a well-known banker and she could have gone into banking or business, but Michelle chose to follow the footsteps of her parents, Melanie Marquez and Derek Dee, who both went into acting. “Acting has become my passion and I really now want to excel in this field,” said the former Miss World Philippines.
