“I’m so glad to be given this opportunity by Unitel, who’s producing this for TV5,” she says. “Now that I’m given this chance, I’m very grateful and I will really do my best para mag-click sa viewers ang aming show which is a sitcom like no other kasi it shows that when it comes to love, it’s really more fun in the Philippines.”
She plays Cookie, a 30-year old single mom from Tacloban who tries to look for love online on the website Kanoluvspinay.com. This is where she meets Matthew, played by Pokwang’s real life beau, Lee O’Brian. So won’t Pokwang get jealous?
“Naku, hindi, ang bait nga ng lola mo. Dumalaw nga siya sa set namin at super chika kami. Ang dami niyang dalang ulam like laing, chicken, ginulay na mais. At si Lee rin, lagi niyang pinagbabaon ng food, kasama kami. Like one time, ang dala niya, talangka. Noong malaman ko ngang nakunan siya, tinext ko agad if she’s okay and sabi niya, she’s fine, resting at home. And Lee was very professional about the whole thing. Tuloy lang ang trabaho namin at di mo iisiping may pinagdaraanan siya.”
She herself is trying to get preggy with husband Coy Placido. “Ako rin, nakadalawang miscarriages na, so sana, makabuo naman kami soon ni Mareng Pokwang.”
So how different is “Kano Luvs Pinay” from its movie version? “Director Randolph Longjas, na siya ring director ng movie, has expanded it. Nadagdagan ng characters. Kasama sa cast sina Ces Quesada and Boboy Garovillo as parents kong naging biktima ng Yolanda, Martin Escudero as brother ko, Eula Caballero as love interest niya, Wilma Doesnt and Kiki Adviento as my best friends, ChokChok Venida as my child and Jelson Bay as Lee’s assistant. Sobrang nakakatawa ang show, but there are plenty of life lessons offered kasi very real ang struggle ng mga Pinay who are in a relationship with foreigners. May stigma agad: ano ba talaga ang motibo ng babaeng ito sa pagpapakasal sa foreigner? Ano ang conflicts na nararanasan nila since they come from different cultures and upbringing? I have to be very careful sa interpretation ko kasi I don’t want Cookie to appear as a cartoon or caricature. I want people to be able to relate to my character well.”
