She currently plays an offbeat role in “School Service”, a drama which is an entry in the coming Cinemalaya Filmfest this coming August. “Bida-kontrabida yung role ko, tipong anti-heroine,” she says. “This is directed by Louie Ignacio who also directed me in ‘Area’, where I played a cheap prostitute at nanalo ko ng ilang best actress awards pati sa ibang bansa. Kakaiba rin ang role ko rito. Seryoso at hindi ako nagpapatawa, kasi lumpo ako, naka-wheel chair, tapos bulag ang isang mata ko at may cover na white contact lens. Kaming dalawa ni Direk Joel Lamangan, na uma-acting dito at di director, we operate yung sindikato ng mga batang kinikidnap namin at ginagawang pulubing namamalimos sa kalye.”
She adds that she plays a very complex role. “Mahirap yung role kasi may moment, bait-baitan ako sa mga bata, tapos, biglang nananakit, nagmumura lalo pag ayaw sumunod sa akin. Ang huling kinidnap namin, si Maya, played by child actress Celine Juan, sobrang pilya at lumabas ang mother instinct ko. Nakatira kaming lahat sa isang sirang school bus kaya ‘School Service’ ang title ng movie. Walang mabait sa movie, pati si Direk Joel, masamang tao rin ang character niya. Nag-last shooting day na kami kaya siguradong aabot kami sa deadline ng Cinemalaya Filmfest.”
Didn’t she hesitate to accept the role which is dark and negative? “Ay hindi, kasi may trust ako kay Direk Louie Ignacio at sa producer namin, si Dennis Evangelista, na siya ring mga kasama ko sa ‘Area’. Sa kanila, hindi ako komedyante, aktres ako. O di ba? Take note, ha! Aktres!”
Aside from this, she also has a new TV show. She’ll be one of the mentor-judges in the reality talent search hosted by Regine Velasquez entitled “The Clash”. She will be helping in judging the contestants, who were recruited from all over the country, along with Mark Bautista, Lani Misalucha and Christian Bautista.
“Nag-start na kami ng taping and I’m really excited kasi nakita ko na yung lineup ng contestants at ang daming may magandang potential,” she says. “I really enjoy being a part of talent searches like this, kasi nakikita mo yung pagtuklas at pagsisilang ng mga bagong talento na talaga namang siyang lifeblood ng showbiz, di ba? We started with 62 top semi-finalists dito into seven groups, as screened by Vehnee Saturno, Jay Durias and Bert de Leon. Ang tawag sa contestants, clashers. May 14 na clashers from Metro Manila, 6 from Northern Luzon, 12 from Central Luzon, 7 from Southern Luzon, 9 from Visayas and 10 from Mindanao, plus meron 4 for international clashers. Abangan nyo kasi it will start airing on July 7, directed by Louie Ignacio at naiiba talaga siya from past talent searches we’ve had before.”
Ai Ai just posted her latest photo in revealing lingerie to show off her slim figure. So how did she lose weight? “Mula nang maging puro organic ang kinakain ko, without milk and carbs, talagang nag-improve ang health ko,” she says. “Dati kasi, may allergies ako that trigger asthma and psoriasis. But since I stopped eating unhealthy food, nawala yung mga kung anu-anong sakit ko. Nawala rin ang unwanted fats ko. Sabi nga, life is short, but we can make it shorter, through unhealthy eating. Now, I restrict myself to fish, no fried foods, no sugar. We owe it to ourselves to eat healthy.”
