Her boyfriend, Ben Wintle, also greeted her on video and was made to read a spiel in Tagalog filled with swardspeak words like ‘bongga’ and ‘chos’. Iza laughed and jokingly said she’s starting to doubt Ben’s masculinity.
Iza plays a controversial role in Regal’s “Somebody to Love”, directed by Joey Reyes and opens on August 20 as Mother Lily’s special birthday presentation. She is a TV host named Marga Castro, all sweetness and light in front of the camera but a real bitch who treats her co-workers like dirt when she’s off cam. She also won’t hesitate to use people and her own love life just so she will continue to be talked about. Her performance is so effective that some writers say she must have based it on a real life TV host. And they mentioned some names.
“Ay, kayo ang may sabi niyan, ha, hindi ako,” says Liza. “Basta ako, I just followed what Direk Joey told me to do and isinapuso ko lang yung role ko. I had a great time doing it kasi it’s so far from me in real life. I also had fun working again with Direk Joey Reyes after we did ‘Mga Mumunting Lihim’ for Cinemalaya three years ago. Ang madalas kong ka-eksena rito is Isabelle Daza, who plays Valerie, my best friend. Magkaiba ang love story namin. Siya, friends with benefits sila ni Matteo Guidicelli, but no strings attached. Ako naman, ginamit ko si Alex Castro, a well known athlete, para mapag-usapan kami. But when I realized it’s not helping my popularity at all, I dump him.”
How come Carla Abellana is billed ahead of her? “Okay lang yun. It’s clear to me na contract star siya ng Regal, so siya ang priority. I accepted this kasi I want to work with Direk Joey Reyes again and, also, gustong-gusto ko yung role ko na ngayon ko lang nagawa. Binigyan naman ako ng importance sa billing dahil may ‘And’ ang name ko.”
How come she rejected the “Bonifacio” Metro Filmfest movie that would pair her with Robin Padilla? “Much as I’d like to work with Robin, hindi kakayanin ng schedule ko. We’re taping ‘Hawak Kamay’ nina Piolo Pascual four times a week, na baka maging five times a week kasi wala kaming nakabangkong advanced episodes. Sometimes, the scenes we tape today, palalabas na kinagabihan. May sinu-shoot pa akong horror movie sa Star Cinema with Zanjoe Marudo, ‘Maria Leonora Teresa’. Mas nakakahiya naman kung tatanggapin ko yung Robin project, tapos magiging problema lang nila ako. E, may deadline yun para sa filmfest.”
Iza also plays an important role as the battered wife of a mayor in “Mga Kuwentong Barbero (Barber’s Tales)”, where she has a kissing scene with Eugene Domingo. You will be shocked on what she’ll do right after that kissing scene. It’s something so unexpected we ourselves gasped upon watching it.