SHAINA MAGDAYAO says this year is turning out to be a good one for her. She played the female lead in Lav Diaz’ “Ang Hupa”, which was an entry in the recent Cannes International Filmfest and gave her the chance to attend the prestigious festival for the first time and walk on its red carpet. Now, she also plays the lead role of Shantal in iWant’s new digital series, “Past Present Perfect?”
“Yes, I can really say that 2019 has been great to me,” says Shaina. “But last year, I must confess that I thought I’ve done everything there is to do in showbiz. Kasi I’ll be 30 na in November and I thought of quitting. Pero heto nga, ang daming opportunities na dumating sa akin and I took it as a sign that the Lord still wants me to stay. I can now really say na hindi pa pala ako tapos dito at hindi ko ito magagawang basta talikuran.”
How was it walking the red carpet in Cannes? “It’s definitely an unforgettable experience. I felt so small compared to the big foreign stars who were there, specially from Hollywood. It’s overwhelming and very humbling. I’d really like to thank Direk Lav Diaz for making me a part of his movie. Because of my experience, I’m now more hungry, more full of gigil to work and see what the future has in store for me.”
In “Past Present Perfect?”, she plays a writer who starts very promisingly with a first romance novel then suddenly experiences the dreaded writer’s block. “It’s about life and career, first love and heartbreak, and how to move forward from the setbacks in your life. It shows young people how to make compromises in your career so you can pay your bills every month and go on living.”
The series is now streaming live on iWant, directed by the award-winning Dwein Baltazar, and has been getting a lot of good feedback from netizens who all praise Shaina’s heartfelt portrayal of her character who learns positively from the lessons in her past to help shape her own future. It’s common knowledge that Shaina had a relationship with John Lloyd Cruz in the past. When asked about his current state as a young father, she chooses to beg off. “I don’t think it would be fair if I’d talk about him, specially now that he is no longer active in showbiz. I don’t want to drag his name in this as he’s not part of our show. Let us just respect his privacy.”
Asked about rumors that she’s transferring to GMA-7, she says that she didn’t get any offer from the Kapuso network. “Wala talaga. I actually started my career with GMA-7 years ago in the drama series ‘Lyra’ in 1996, then I moved to ABS-CBN and worked there for many, many years. As of now, I can say I’m happy with ABS-CBN and I’m content where I am right now.”