“Naiyak ako kasi answered prayer siya,” she says. “Pinagdasal ko talaga ito. Tapos, Donna Cruz pa. I haven’t seen the soap but I’ve met her before noong bata pa ako kasi magka-love team sila ni Tito Ian (de Leon) noong araw. I never thought that one day, ire-remake ko ang soap niya.”
She’ll be paired with Elmo Magalona who, as everyone knows, is more identified with Julie Anne San Jose. Has she been bashed by the Julie-Elmo fans? “Wala, walang bashers so far. Yung fans ni Elmo even twitted me that they will support the show.”
How does she find Elmo? “Hindi pa kami nagte-taping. Yun pa lang parents namin so far. Ang parents ko are Paolo Contis and Maricar de Mesa at, si Elmo, sina Sunshine Dizon and Raymart Santiago. But nag-workshop na kami ni Elmo under our director, Gina Alajar. Actually, we’ve worked na before in ‘Together Forever’, shown sa Sunday afternoon, but we played brother and sister there. Ngayon, dahil sa workshop namin, I got to know him better. Hanga na ako sa kanya noon pa. My siblings and I watch him sa ‘Party Pilipinas’. Pero hindi lang pala siya a good singer. Very serious rin siya in his desire to be a good actor so excited ako to work with him. We’re really hoping we can duplicate the success of the original soap na toprater daw in its time.”
Her mom, Lotlot de Leon, used to be at odds with her Mamita Pilita Corrales. What can she say now that the two have reconciled? “Siempre, lahat kami ng mga kapatid ko, masayang-masaya kasi malaking bagay yung nagkapatawaran sila at kinalimutan na lahat ng anumang pinagdaanan nila.”
Who are favorite her actresses? “Sa local, si Lovi Poe, kasi magaling talaga siya, but I cannot go sexy like her. Sa foreign, si Natalie Portman.”
Folks are urging her to join a beauty pageant. “Wala talaga yun sa goals ko. I lack the confidence. Mas gusto ko mag-artista.”
