RYZA Cenon just had a movie shown in theaters last month, “Kunwari Mahal Kita.” Now, as April ends, she has another movie to be shown in theaters on April 26, the romance-fantasy, “Sa Muli,” where she is paired for the first time with Xian Lim.
“I feel so blessed with the big projects Viva is giving me,” she says. “And on TV, I am also given the chance to do comedy in ‘Kurdapya’ with Yassi Pressman, now being shown on TV5.”
“Sa Muli” is about reincarnation. Ryza plays Elly and Xian plays Pep. They are soulmates who first fell in love in the 1900s, then in 1950 and meet again in the present. In the past, their story always ends in tragedy with Ryza suddenly dying. Now, they meet again in modern times. Will history repeat itself for both of them?
“Napakaganda ng story,” adds Ryza. “Madadala ang viewers sa journey nina Elly and Pep and will surely root for their love story. You will laugh and cry when you watch the movie.”
Ryza’s baby boy, Night, is now 2 years old. She and her partner, cinematographer Miguel Cruz, has no plans yet of formally tying the knot. “Priority namin is to build our own dream home. Okay naman kami ngayon but later, who knows, we might want to formally get married. Paghahandaan muna naming mabuti.”
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‘Dolly co-stars with former wrestler John Cena, Chinese American actors Simu Liu and Awkwafina, and Seann William Scott.’
Dolly de Leon made history as the first Filipino actor to win an award from the Los Angeles Film Critics award and be nominated in the Golden Globe and the British Academy Film and Television Awards or BAFTA.
This is for her performance in the Oscar-nominated “Triangle of Sadness.” We got to work together as jurors in the recent Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. She was the chairperson and she’s a very competent one, very articulate in expressing her opinions about the eight official entries.
We were seated together on the same table during the dinner-style awards night at New Frontier Theater so we got to interview her at length. She reveals she has just finished shooting a new movie in Hollywood, “Grand Death Lotto,” an action-comedy directed by Paul Feig, best known for the hit “Bridesmaids.”
Dolly co-stars with former wrestler John Cena, Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu, Awkwafina, and Seann William Scott. Locally, she has just finished a new movie, “Pura Serbidora,” with Elizabeth Oropesa, and will soon start a new movie with Kathryn Bernardo, “A Very Good Girl.” We notice she gets to wear chic designer gowns in the Hollywood affairs and awards nights that she attends. She must be spending a lot for them.
“They are just lent to me by some designer friends and I return the clothes to them after using it,” she said.
Dolly turned 54 years old on April 12. She has four children. “The older three are now in their 20s but the youngest one is only 10 years old.” She shares that she and their dad have separated. “But it’s not a bad break up. He is welcome to visit our children anytime.”
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Former Binibining Pilipinas Tourism Cindy Miranda went sexy in many Vivamax skin flicks but stopped disrobing last year and did supporting roles where she was not required to take her clothes off. Now, she is delighted to be given the chance to do hosting, like in the Summer MMFF awards night and in Bingo Plus. She’s also in a wholesome romantic-comedy, “Adik Sa’Yo,” where she gets paired with JM de Guzman for the first time.
“I was so happy when I saw the full trailer of ‘Adik Sa’Yo’ kasi I felt na nagawa ko to reinvent my career,” she says. “‘Yun naman talaga ang plano ko. Makilala muna ako ng viewers via the sexy movies I did, then unti-unti, transition into doing more wholesome, mainstream projects.”
Does she regret going sexy? “No, wala po akong pinagsisisihan kasi ginusto ko naman ‘yun. Part ‘yung ng preparation ko, ng journey ko para makilala bilang isang aktres. Malaki rin ang naitulong nung mga roles ko in the movies I did for me to refine my craft.”
In “Adik Sa’Yo,” she plays JM’s long time best friend. She is very much in love with him but he doesn’t reciprocate her affection because he is more in love with drugs. How is it working with JM? Did his previous addiction bother her at all?
“No. I never thought of anything negative about JM. Wala akong pakialam about his past and I don’t judge people. I was actually excited when Viva told me I’d be paired with him as I know he’s a great actor and I will learn a lot from working with him.”
