Sharon Cuneta pays tribute to her “A Family of Two” co-star Alden Richards.
SHARON CUNETA and Alden Richards
SHARON Cuneta has an entry in the Metro Manila Film Festival this year and it’s also her first movie with Alden Richards, “A Family of Two.” This is produced by Cineko Productions, written by Mel Mendoza-del Rosario and directed by Nuel Naval, the same team that brought us the award-winning heartwarming drama last year, “Family Matters.”
How did Sharon feel when the movie was offered to her?
“When they told me I’d be working with Alden Richards, right away, sabi ko, ‘Ay, si Alden, go go go!’ agad,” she says. “Also, it’s written by Mel del Rosario, who’s a master, so kahit hindi ko pa nabasa ang script, let’s do it. I really miss doing this type of movie na wholesome, funny and also heartwarming.”
In the story, her son was only five years old when her husband died so Alden grew up so attached to his mom. But eventually, he has to leave Sharon to work somewhere else. Of course, it’s very difficult for Sharon to let go of her only child.
So how is it working with Alden?
“From the start, I really felt anak ko siya talaga. He’s handsome, talented, and I realized kung sino ‘yung mga sikat talaga, siya pa ang very humble. Even my own kids said that we are so alike. And it’s true, we think along the same way. He’s like a male Sharon and I’m a female Alden.”
Sharon has joined the Metro Manila Filmfest twice. The first was in 2003 for “Crying Ladies” and then in 2009 where she won best actress for “Mano Po 6: A Mother’s Love.” What are her chances of bagging the award this time?
“I will answer that,” Alden volunteers. “She has a scene with me na wala siyang dialog, mata-mata lang, but she got all the nuances right that everyone on the set was crying as they watched her. For that scene alone, for me, best actress na siya.”
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Eugene Domingo and Pokwang have been paired before in “D’ Lucky Ones” in 2006, a comedy directed by the late Wenn Deramas, where they played ardent fans of Vilma Santos.
Now, they’re together again in “Becky and Badette” which pays homage to Vilma Santos or Ate Vi. In a key scene, they re-enact Ate Vi’s famous sequence in the 1982 Ishmael Bernal drama, “Relasyon,” where she is shown panicking while Christopher de Leon is having a stroke.
“The movie is really a love letter to Philippine cinema,” says writer-director Jun Lana. “It pays tribute not only to Ate Vi and her movies but also to Sharon Cuneta, Maricel Soriano and Tito Dolphy.”
“Our wish is sana manood si Ate Vi ng premiere night namin on December 21 kasi we honored so many of her films in our movie,” says Eugene. “And we promise, kami naman, manonood ng entry niyang ‘When I Met You in Tokyo’.”
Eugene says she saw Pokwang’s rise in the industry. “I was a judge when she was a contestant in ‘Clown in a Million’ searching for new comedians in 2004,” she recalls. “She was a stand out in that contest. Nakakatuwa siya and ang akala ko, bakla siya. Babae pala. So she won. Then nagkasama kami sa show ni Charlene Gonzales na ‘At Home Ka Rito.’ Wala pa siyang sasakyan noon and after the taping, sumasabay siya sa akin sa pag-uwi. Nakita ko pag-angat niya hanggang nagkaroon na siya ng sasakyan at naging sila ni Lee at kinuha niya akong ninang ng anak niyang si Malia.”
They have something else in common other than being both good comedians. They have an “afam” for a partner. Eugene is married to Italian film critic, Danilo Bottoni, and they’ve been together for seven years now, while Pokwang was in a relationship for a while with American actor Lee O’Brian that ended in a bitter breakup. Pokwang is now very open in declaring that she wants to avoid men for a while. What can Eugene say about this?
“Ang payo ko sa kanya, wag siya basta sumuko sa love,” she says. “‘Yung sinasabing kaya kong ako lang mag-isa, hindi naman totoo ‘yan. Kasi the time will come that your two daughters will have their own families, so it’s important na may kasama ka rin sa iyong pagtanda. ‘Yung merong totoong magmamahal sa iyo at kasama mong mae-enjoy sa buhay ang lahat ng pinagsikapan at pinaghirapan mo.”
