CARLA ABELLANA is getting married next month to Tom Rodriguez. But both of them are still busy working with their respective shows. She with “To Have and To Hold”, and he, with “The World Between Us”.
How did the lock in taping of her romance drama wth Rocco Nacino and Max Collins affect their wedding preparations?
“When we announced our engagement, we thought matututukan namin ang aming wedding preparations,” she says. “But yun nga, we have to work at sabay kaming naging busy sa lock in taping.
"Mabuti na lang that most meetings with our wedding coordinator and planner, online lang. So pwede naman na in between scenes or during lunch breaks, we meet online with our coordinator and planner. Nagawa naman namin, time management lang ang kailangan.”
And now, “To Have and To Hold”, which they shot in Bataan, is about to be shown this Monday night. What’s her role in the story?
“I’m Erica Gatchalian and I’m married to Rafael Rosell as Tony. Anak ako sa labas and I come from a broken family. So, si Erica, she’ll do everything para maging buo ang family niya.
"At hindi siya papayag na basta masira ang marriage nila. Kaso her husband is unfaithful then she meets Rocco as Gavin na troubled din ang marriage kay Max as Dominique so nagkaroon ng complications.”
So the show she did just when she’s about to get married is about unfaithful wives and husband?
“Yes, it’s about infidelity which is a very sensitive topic. But let’s face it, it’s real, nangyayari naman talaga yan sa tunay na buhay kahit hindi natin intention talaga to cheat on our partner.
"The good thing about our show is it shows how infidelity badly affects the marriage and the family.”
She’s soon getting married. Doing this kind of show, doesn’t it give her any feeling of reluctance?
“Yes, may times na natatakot ako, ano ba ito? But not naman to the point na nagdadalawang isip na ako. But I do get so many lessons for married couples from the characters we play in our show and I can imagine myself in their situation.
"Knock on wood, wag naman sana mangyari sa amin ni Tom ang nangyari sa kanila. In, the end, I think it’s about fighting for your husband or your wife and being willing to forgive.”
Does she believe in unconditional love that accepts a partner who made a mistake?
“Yes, I believe in giving a second chance to someone you love but who has hurt you, that’s part of unconditional love. Also, in marriage, we are committed with each other, lalo na sa Catholics.
"It’s a sacrament and you make a vow in front of God, so you will do everything to save your marriage. But when he commits the same mistake over and over again, it comes to a point na nagiging martir ka na and iba na rin yon.”
Is there anything she learned from playing the role of Erica in “To Have and To Hold"?
“Si Erica kasi, she tends to favor her heart more than her head. Dapat, parehong puso at utak ang gagamitin mo. E, siya, puro puso lang ang ginagamit at di nakakapag-isip nang tama.
"So I learned na hindi puedeng puso lang ang pinaiiral mo kapag nagde-decision ka. Dapat gamitan din ng utak, ng tamang pag-iisip.”
She’s confident that viewers will enjoy watching “To Have and to Hold” every night starting this Monday.
“The show will definitely give you lessons in life, and the various characters, you will learn a lot from them. We in the cast all tried to give justice to the characters we play.
"Direk Don Michael Perez is very supportive sa aming lahat. He was also my director in ‘Love of My Life’ at yung atake niya rito is very realistic. It will help people assess their own relationships in life.”
