Screen queen Judy Ann Santos is excited about her latest television drama Starla where she plays a baddie role for a change.
“It’s a first in my acting career. The viewers will definitely see a different Juday in the show. I’m a ‘bida-contravida’ here. I play the role of a ruthless lawyer in the story. It’s something new for me, the reason why I got challenged and accepted the offer.”
Since it’s her maiden villainous portrayal, many ask if she has a peg on her latest boob tube character.
“Oh, yes! Have you watched the Hollywood film ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ in 2006? The character of Miranda Priestley there excellently portrayed by Meryll Streep is my peg. It’s a colorful and attention-catching role, the same as mine here in ‘Starla.’. Playing a ‘bida-contravida’ is just very challenging.
“I had to watch the movie over and over again to study her character. The way she walked, her posture, the way she spoke, all of that. Apart from this, I also had to study the movements of a lawyer especially in the way they speak or converse.
“I tell you it’s not easy! For one, their dialogues are so critical. You have to check if your English is okay. Then, you have to make sure that you’re credible in delivering all those legal terms which are used in the scenes.”
The critically-acclaimed actress reveals she found the initial taping days hard.
“I can very well remember, on the first taping day, I had no Take One scene! Yes! I was really struggling. Well, you have to take into consideration that I haven’t done a ‘teleserye’ for five years so it was as if I was starting all over again. I really couldn’t forget our first day of taping.
“I couldn’t perfect a scene in just one take. It’s either I forget my lines or I would just release myself from the scene mainly because I haven’t grasped my character yet. It would take four, five or six takes before I could complete a scene. It’s only after a few days when the character started to sink into me. It wasn’t easy but when I got accustomed to it, it’s also enjoyable to do.”
Juday is proud of the fact that Starla is her comeback vehicle in the soap scene.
“I really wanted something which is not a total heavy drama. What makes ‘Starla’ perfect is that it’s inspirational in nature. It’s the kind of program that will bring hope back in the heart of every viewer. It’s very timely, so to speak.”
To those thinking that she’s playing the title role Starla, the actress-TV host wants to correct the public notion.
“No, I’m not Starla. It’s child actress Jana Agoncillo. She is the wayward wishing star who wants to go back to star world. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m a ruthless lawyer here.”
Judy Ann is proud to be in the company of competent performers in the show. Co-starring with her and Jana her are Raymart Santiago, Joel Torre, Meryl Soriano, Joem Bascon, Enzo Pelojero, Charo Santos, and Tirso Cruz III.
For the young superstar, she’s glad that at this point, she can choose the projects she wants to do even if it’s somewhat offbeat like ‘Starla.”
“That’s true! I’m already thirty-plus in the ‘biz. I think it’s high time that I make vehicles which I really want to do. Starla is one because it’s inspirational that when my children get to watch it, they’ll be proud of me,” Juday ends.
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Kate Valdez sheds light on the issue that allegedly, she has an attitude problem.
“Actually, it has reached me that there are talks of my being ‘maldita’ or hard-to-deal-with. It’s not true! All I can say is that all of us have attitudes but they just vary. Perhaps, people say that I’m like that because of the roles I portray on screen. I’m happy because it means, I’m an effective screen villain,” she states.
According to speculations, the Kapuso young actress was removed from the musical show Studio 7 because of an attitude problem.
“The reason why I’m not seen in the program anymore is that my contract with them already ended. Instead, I focused on my studies.”
As to the controversy that she has misunderstandings with co-workers and staff members, Kate explains: “I’m really clueless where all these controversies come from. It saddens me. I’m shocked to be figuring into issues like this. For the record, I’ve not fought with anyone on the set of the shows I made. All these news are fabricated.”