‘Yes, during the pandemic, doon talaga gumanda ang takbo ng career ko. — Sanya Lopez’
SANYA Lopez renews her contract with GMA.
“I feel so blessed while I was signing my new contract,” she says. “Sobrang saya ang naramdaman ko and I felt na talagang pinahahalagahan ako ng GMA and they have a good plan for me.”
So what are the plans of GMA for her after her two successful shows, “First Yaya” and “Agimat ng Agila”?
“I will be doing a movie raw at marami pang surprises, pero ako talaga, hangga’t ‘di pa nangyayari, hindi ako nagkukuwento. As of now, I do a lot of guestings muna.”
People say she’s now one of the biggest stars of GMA. “Naku, hindi pa nagsi-sink in ‘yun.
Andami ko pang dapat patunayan to reach that level.”
So how does she react to all the good things coming to her life?
“Kapag sobra-sobra ang blessings na natanggap mo, you must remind yourself lagi na huwag mong ilalagay sa ulo mo. Anuman ang binibigay sa’kin, I just remain humble. I can really say na kung sino ang Sanya na nakikilala nila noon, ako pa rin ‘yun ngayon na humaharap sa inyo ngayon.”
Others lost jobs during the pandemic but in her case, it’s the opposite. “Yes, during the pandemic, doon talaga gumanda ang takbo ng career ko. To think na second choice lang ako sa ‘First Yaya’ and I did ‘Agimat’ pa. Andaming blessings na dumating sa’kin bigla. Even sa Tiktok, millions na ang followers ko. So panay talaga ang pasalamat ko kay Lord. Sabi ko, ‘di ko alam kung bakit ang bait Niya sa akin. This pandemic, lahat kami sa family very healthy, walang nagkakasakit. So I feel blessed and sana, ‘yung ibang mga tao rin, okay sila at ang prayer ko, matapos na itong pandemya para mabalik na tayo sa dating buhay nating na nakakalabas tayo nang walang takot.”
What else does she do while she’s in between shows? “Ayun, inaasikaso ko ang bahay namin. I buy new furniture and appliances for our home. Tapos, I also do the grocery, pay our bills, I do our budgeting. Dati kasi, abot lang ako ng abot ng pambayad, but now mas hands-on na ako.”
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Paulo Avelino is enjoying the back-to-back acting awards that he won recently.
“The pandemic has been very challenging to everyone, but despite the challenges, I have a lot to be thankful for,” he says. “It’s always inspiring to be honored for your hard work as an actor.”
Paulo has won four back-to-back acting trophies in the past few months. Last December, he has won Best Actor in the Metro Manila Film Festival Awards for his portrayal of a dysfunctional and troubled version of himself in the film “Fan Girl,” a film that was also one of the topgrossing entries in the said festival.
It also later became a top trending when shown in the streaming channel, Netflix. Paulo then bagged another Best Actor trophy at the 4th EDDYS Awards (Entertainment Editors’ Choice) last April for the same role.
In June, he was honored with two Best Actor awards at the 23rd Gawad Pasado Awards: Best Actor for Film for his performance in “Fan Girl,” and Best Actor for Television for his work in the ABS-CBN Kapamilya drama “Walang Hanggang Paalam.”
“All these honors truly inspire me to do even better work for all my upcoming acting projects,” adds Paulo. “Right now, I’m busy with new work for another teleserye for ABS-CBN and Dreamscape. It’s a new light drama series, ‘Marry Me, Marry You’.”
It’s his first time to be paired on TV with new ABS-CBN leading lady and award-winning actress Janine Gutierrez. They portray a newly-married couple whose eyes are later opened to the troubles and changing expectations of married life.
Aside from his acting work, Paulo is turning his passion for online gaming into a business.
He has partnered with young businessmen to run Lupon WxC, a company that broadcasts online games and events to the growing number of gamers. He also helps run and manage Execration, an E-sports market.
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Gina Alajar is one of our busiest actors-directors. After directing the blockbuster hit series “Prima Donnas,” she went back to acting in “Nagbabagang Luha” as the meddlesome mother of Rayver Cruz. Now that she has finished taping all her scenes for that show, she is back into directing “Prima Donnas, Book Two.”
They shot two legs of lock-in tapings for “Nagbabagang Luha” in a span of three and a half months. And now, she will be doing lock-in taping with the stars of “Prima Donnas Book Two” from August 15 to November 15, or three months straight.
“So sa fans ng ‘Prima Donnas’ who ask kung kailan kami magbabalik, heto na, abangan nyo lang. Balik ang buong cast at makakasama na namin uli si Sofia Pablo na hindi napasama sa ending nung Book 1. Kasi wala pa siyang 15 noon, so she was not allowed to do lock in taping. But now, 15 na siya, so she returns to the show as Donna Lyn. Meron ding bagong additions sa series, like Sheryl Cruz, and teen stars Allen Ansay and Bruce Roland.”
So which is more difficult to do: acting or directing? “Kapag artista ka, you think of yourself lang. How will I look before the camera? And you will memorize your lines lang. After the take, you can go back to your room and rest kapag hindi na ikaw ang kinukunan sa eksena. You can go get some sleep or read or just relax.”
And what about when she’s the director?
“As a director, mas marami kang trabaho as you’re the one in charge of everything, of orchestrating the whole show. At responsibility mo hindi lang ang acting ng cast kundi pati ang operations ng buong staff. Mahirap, lalo na ngayong lock-in taping, kasi may deadline kayong sinusunod. Bilang ang araw nyo. Kailangan bago matapos ang lock-in taping, matapos din lahat ng eksenang dapat na kukunan nyo. Kung minsan, the weather won’t cooperate, lalo ngayon, ulan ng ulan, ‘di kayo makakapag-tape sa labas. So you have to adjust to all that.”
