‘If he’s not satisfied with the delivery of my lines or sa acting ko, he tells Direk Rico Gutierrez, “Cut Direk! Rabiya can do better than that.” — Rabiya Mateo’
RABIYA Mateo is so thankful for the positive messages she got when her character, Agent Asha Raj, appeared last Saturday in GMA-7’s hit action-fantasy, “Agimat ng Agila.”
“Nakakatuwa as most people said okay raw ang acting ko,” she said. “I feel very blessed that right after my stint as Miss Universe Philippines, nabigyan ako agad ng magandang project na ganito.”
How’s her experience working with Sen. Bong? “Alam niyang talagang intimidated ako, takot na takot ako sa kanya. But he made me feel relaxed, sabi niya, bakit ka matatakot, nangangagat ba ako? So nawala ang kaba ko at inalalayan niya talaga ako nang husto.”
She’s now very thankful that her very first big TV show is with him. “He acted like an acting coach for me. If he’s not satisfied with the delivery of my lines or sa acting ko, he tells Direk Rico Gutierrez, ‘Cut Direk! Rabiya can do better than that.’ So we do another take to perfect it and I really appreciate that. I’m so thankful he’s my first leading man kasi ako, very expressive. When I emote, buong mukha ko gumagalaw, so he tells me to minimize that kasi on screen, nama-magnify ang lahat and I have to control my movements and facial expressions.”
Will she be willing to do sexy scenes like what they do now in Vivamax movies?
“Naku, not right now, kasi I just came from Miss Universe Philippines. If ever I’d go sexy, siguro kailangang dahan-dahanin. I also have to consider my mom, kasi may restrictions siya and I have to respect that. I don’t see myself doing a sexy role, not in the next three years.”
The press con was held last Monday, Valentine’s Day. Does she have a date?
“Heto po, kayong mga press ang kasama ko. I’m spending Valentine’s with all of you. At saka, wala po akong boyfriend right now.”
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Ruru Madrid is currently in the hinterlands of Quezon Province taping for his long-delayed action-fantasy series, “Lolong.”
“Yes, sa wakas, natuloy na rin kami,” he said. “Mahirap gawin ang ganitong show na puro exteriors. Last year, sa una naming taping, inabot kami ng ulan at bagyo. It’s also very demanding to do a show na tungkol sa isang giant crocodile. We’re using an animatronic model na sampung tao ang kailangang bumubuhat sa set.”
How does it feel that he is one of the eight Kapuso stars now being given an extra push by GMA Artist Center, now known as Sparkle?
“Being part of Sparkle is a big honor for me,” he said. “With the help of the Sparkle team ni Mr. Johnny Manahan, makikita ng mga tao kung sino ang talagang ako. They’ll hone and enhance my singing and acting talent at makakapag-iwan ito ng mas matinding kinang sa isip ng bawat manonood.”
So what does he do to make sure his Sparkle doesn’t wane or dim?
“One should never stop learning kasi, in this business, maraming darating na mas pogi or talented sa’yo, but as long as you passionately love your craft and continue to nurture it, hindi ka mawawala dyan. Also, lagi ka ring visible sa social media, so I put up my own YouTube channel. I focus on people who struggled in life and how they survive yung trials na pinagdaanan nila. Please try watching it as it’s very inspirational.”
He really prepared for his action role in “Lolong.” “Yes, I trained so hard for it. Makikita naman ‘yan ng viewers when they watch the show. Lahat ng dangerous stunts and action scenes dito, I am proud to say na ako mismo ang gumagawa.”
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Xian Lim gets to work for the first time with Cannes best director Brillante Mendoza in Vivamax’ horror-thriller, “Bahay na Pula,” with Julia Barretto and Marco Gumabao. So how is it working with Julia and Marco?
“It a joy to work with both of them. It’s my first time to work with Julia but I didn’t have a hard time establishing rapport with her. Si Marco naman, we worked na before in a TV series so we know each other. But very memorable every single day na magkakasama kami sa shooting, kasi we’re on location in Mindoro and nag-connect kami agad kasi we shared common stories. We opened up to each other.”
They also found out that working with Direk Brillante is a different kind of adventure. “We didn’t know what to expect sa shoot dahil kakaiba ang style ni Direk. He just tells us what to do kapag nasa set na. So hindi namin alam kung ano na mangyayari sa susunod. He even trusts us to come up with our own dialog. But I enjoyed doing the collaborative process with him as the filmmaker. It’s unique.”
How is it doing a horror flick? “Kakaiba siya kasi, ‘yung horror vibe, mapi-feel mo na talaga pagpasok pa lang doon sa bahay na pula where we shot the movie. For ten years daw, walang pumapasok doon. Naka-lock lang siya. Nagpamisa muna kami sa bahay bago mag-start ng shoot.”
He had a strange experience with the house. “When we first got there, nag video ako. Dala ko ang camera ko, kasi I take footage for my vlog. Tapos, nang bumalik na kami sa hotel, I checked the video, wala, nabura lahat ng files ko. Sabi ko Direk Brillante, ayaw yatang magpa-video. And he said, baka nga, kaya huwag mo nang i-push, so ‘di ko na tinuloy.”
