What convinced her to come back? “Every year, I get an offer to comeback but this is the right time. My youngest son is now 21 years old and all my other children are now professionals. I have three granddaughters, about to be 4 since my eldest, Leona, is pregnant now. Also, I like the script and my husband said yes.”
What does she do in L.A.? “Shopping,” she laughs. “Relaxing. My mother in law and I do charity work for hospitals. My first few years, malungkot. I missed my maids. But now, I’m adjusted to my life there.”
Did she miss doing movies? “When I’m there, di ko masyadong naiisip, but minsan, when we watch old movies, I miss it. Kaya lang, iniisip ko, gusto ko bang mag-memorize uli ng mahahabang lines o magpuyat uli? E, meron na akong pacemaker. So now, sa shoot ng ‘The Mistress’, I request them huwag akong puyatin masyado.”
She got here on July 26 and she has already shot for 12 days. She’s supposed to return to L.A. next week but they haven’t completed the movie so she’s staying put. Is she willing to do a new soap? “May offers na, not only from ABS but other channels. We’ll see.”
How does she remain quite slim? “In L.A., we only eat one meal day and mostly organic things. It’s only here where I eat all the Filipino dishes that make me fat, like kare-kare. In L.A., I also exercise a lot. We sleep early and wake up early.”
