Aiko Melendez revealed that before she accepted the role of Matadora in ABS-CBN’s Bagani, she also received an offer from rival network GMA.
“It (the offer) came after Wildflower wrapped up. Actually, it was at the same time when the offer to do Bagani surfaced. After weighing things, I opted to stay with the Kapamilya. For one, I love my role in Bagani. It’s another challenging one,” she reveals.
Apart from this, the actress said that her decision was partly for sentimental reasons after learning that she was personally chosen by Malou Santos and Olive Lamasan.
“How can I refuse? Everyone knows how close I am to Inang Olive. She was responsible for my first Best Actress trophy from the Film Academy of the Philippines via Maalaala Mo Kaya (The Movie)’ in the mid-‘90s. So, I chose to be part of Bagani and I don’t regret my decision.”
Interestingly, Aiko narrates how she adjusted to her role in the prime time fantasy series. She says it was not easy at first and she had a few struggles “unlearning” her Wildflower character, Emilia.
“I was only given a two-day break after Wildflower before my taping for Bagani commenced. You can just imagine how I struggled to do away with my Emilia character in the former and concentrate on the nuances for the latter. Emilia is a rich character while Matadora is completely different. Emilia speaks English while Matadora says her lines in Tagalog since Bagani is set during the olden times.
“In fact, I had a funny blooper during my first taping day for Bagani. Since it was just two days after Wildflower, the character of Emilia was still very much in my system. When I delivered a Tagalog line, I said ‘tupid!’ in the end, not realizing that I was doing Matadora now,” she adds.
Now, Aiko is glad that as she immerses herself in the role, it’s gradually sinking in unto her system. She thanks directors Richard Arellano and Lester Pimentel for their patience in helping her portray her character.
Despite her enjoying the role, Aiko still has some reservations.
“Bagani is full of action scenes and it’s my first time to do a genre in which I’m required to be a lot physical in many of the scenes. For me, it’s a challenge considering that in my 30 years in the ‘biz, this is the first fantasy series I’ll be doing. I just hope that I’ll be able to pass with flying colors,” she says.
Meanwhile, close friend Sunshine Cruz, who was also with her in Wildflower has accepted the offer from GMA to be one of its main stars in its upcoming soap opera titled, Karibal Ko ang Aking Ina.
“I’m happy for her. Anything for the career growth of any of my friends, I’m supportive. Especially in Sunshine’s case in which, she’s a single mom. She needs to work,” ends Aiko.
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Sofia Romualdez is both happy and proud that Viva Records has recently launched her single “Thinkin’ of U” in the market. The single is another self-penned material and she’s excited to share her music with the public.
“It’s a nice song and I hope many will like it. I’m grateful to Viva for believing in me. As you all know, I signed a five-year contract with them and it’s amazing how fast things happen for me. I’m really happy,” she says.
For the pretty lass whose vocal styling can be compared to internationally-renowned singer Adele, this is a fulfillment of one of her cherished dreams.
“I’ve always wanted to do this. It’s a dream-come-true and I promise to do my best to make my recording career a success,” Sofia muses.
Sofia receives strong support from her family especially her parents, former Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and its current Mayor Cristina Gonzalez-Romualdez.
“That’s one thing I’m grateful for. It’s good that they’re also into music so they get to coach me sometimes. They always remind me to do things right and stay humble no matter what. I’m very happy that they back me up in my dream especially in composing my own songs. It’s my passion and as I’ve mentioned earlier, it will be a joy to share this to the public,” she states.
Having finally entered the recording scene, people are curious if the pretty newcomer will also consider going into acting eventually, considering her mom is a former actress herself.
“To be honest, I just want to be a singer at this point. I’m so bad at acting! Ha-ha-ha! My Tagalog is also a factor. I have to practice a lot if I want to act on screen. As of now, I want to concentrate first on my budding singing career.”
The very promising wannabe feels positive about “Thinkin’ of U.”
“I think it’s a great song. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m here to follow my dreams and make meaningful music. I hope the public will support ‘Thinkin’ of U’,” avers Sofia.