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| jodi sta. maria with zanjoe marudo and ian veneracion |
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| jodi sta. maria and ian veneracion with director carlo catu |
JODI STA. MARIA was last seen on the big screen in the hit horror flick, “Clarita”. Now, she is in the newest iWant online series "My Single Lady," which she herself also produced together with Dreamscape Digital.
Her leading men in the 6-part online drama series are Zanjoe Marudo and Ian Veneracion, directed by Carlo Catu (of acclaimed indie films “Ari, My Life with a King” and “Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon”). So how did she get into producing her own project?
“I’ve been wondering if there’s more to life than just being an actor so binalak ko ngang mag-produce,” she says. “I’m the type of person who likes to venture into things na I've never done before as it gives me a different kind of challenge.
"But my plan was mag-aral muna para maging ready ako. Kaso, dumating na nga itong ‘My Single Lady’ from Direk Carlo and I got excited, but at the same time, kinakabahan din because I'm embarking on a new role. So now, I’m happy I was able to help create more jobs for other people.”
In the story, she plays Chona, a single mom devoted to her 6-year old son (Ynigo Delen) and an avid fan of Regine Velasquez as her adoptive mom is a gay who’s an impersonator of Regine. So would Regine be appearing in “My Single Lady”?
“Yes po. She’s a gay icon and siya lang talaga ang babagay rito sa show. I got her number and sent her a message if I could call her. At first, ayaw niyang maniwala. She said, sinong Jodi ito, si Judy Ann? So I asked kung puedeng makipag-meeting sa kanya. Pinuntahan namin siya sa bahay nila and presented the project to her.
"Sabi ko, hindi ka puedeng hindi umoo rito dahil para talaga sa’yo ito. Lumaki kasi yung character ko, si Chona, na ang alam talaga, si Regine ang nanay niya. Pati mga kanta niya, gagamitin namin dito. Sabi niya, ewan ko sa inyo kung bakit santo ang tingin nyo sa’kin.
"But in the end, napapayag din namin siya at inayos niya talaga ang schedule niya so she can shoot with us. We used many of her songs at hindi mura ang pagbili namin sa rights nito but okay lang, sa ikagaganda ng show.”
Aside from Zanjoe and Ian, also in the cast are Carla Martinez as Ian’s mom, and three gay actors who play Jodi’s best friends: Iyah Mina, Brenda Mage and new discovery, a tranny named Vitex Paguirigan. Since the title of the series is “My Single Lady”, does this mean that Jodi is remaining single all her life?
“Sa season ng life ko ngayon, I have no problem with that. If it’s the Lord’s will for me, I will accept it. I don’t mind remaining single, but I’m not closing my doors.”
What can she say now that her ex-BF Jolo Revilla has tied the knot with Angelica Alita last month in the U.S.? “Ay, tapos na po yun. Matagal na, kaya huwag na nating pag-usapan.”
“My Single Lady” will start streaming for free on the iWant app or iwant.ph starting January 22, with six episodes. They’re hoping it will be a big hit so they can have a season 2.
