COLEEN GARCIA returns to acting in “Adarna Gang”, a Vivamax film to start streaming on March 11.
She gave birth to her and Billy Crawford’s first born, Amari, on September 20, 2020. She delivered at home by water birth method, without any medication, after four hours of labor.
Now, Amari is more than a year old and she’s glad she got an offer to resume her work as an actress.
In “Adarna Gang”, she plays the lead role of Adriana, the only child of Jose (Soliman Cruz) and Maria (Mickey Ferriols.) She knows that her family is involved in an illegal syndicate but they don’t talk about it.
“My character is a simple girl who dreams of having a quiet life,” she says. “Gusto nga niya, lumipat na lang sila ng parents niya sa probinsiya para mas tahimik ang buhay nila, but her dream gets shattered when her father is ruthlessly murdered.
"Maganda yung role ko kasi later on, siya ang maghihiganti sa pagpatay sa ama niya kasi alam naman niyang ang nagpapatay rito is the syndicate boss himself, si Fernando as played by Ronnie Lazaro.”
But things don’t turn out to be that simple. Fernando has three sons: JC Santos as Juan, Diego Loyzaga as Diego, and Mark Anthony Fernandez as Pedro.
Fernando and his wife (Shamaine Buencamino) tell his sons that whoever gets to kill Adriana first will be their dad's successor in their crime organization.
So will they succeed in killing her or will it be Adriana who gets to kill all of them?
This is the gist of the exciting movie written and directed by Jon Red, who based it freely on Francisco Baltazar’s classic “Ibong Adarna”. He also wrote the script of the forthcoming erotic TV series, “L”, that will stream on Vivamax starting February 27.
So how’s it to be acting again?
“I was intimidated at first kasi matagal ako nagpahinga,” says Coleen.
“Ang alam ko lang is magluto, mag-change ng diaper. Nalimutan ko how to do emotional scenes, nalimutan ko na kung paano magalit. It was very challenging for me to do that key scene where I’m brimming with anger after my father is killed.”
She had to collect all her emotions intensely as the camera is focused on her in an extreme closeup.
“Nanginginig ako sa galit and I have to declare na papatayin ko silang lahat! I have to figure out how to do such emotional scenes all over again. It’s good I am surrounded by good actors who are all very nice. First time ko to work with most of them and I’m glad they’re all approachable.”
She’s also thankful to their director, Jon Red. “Direk is also always on hand to guide me. Lagi ko siyang tinatanong after each take kung okay ba yung ginawa ko.
"Very challenging din ang role kasi nag-action ako, humawak ako ng baril. I’m very happy right now sa personal life ko, so it’s so demanding to portray the opposite na mabibigat ang emotions, galit and vengeance.”
How is it being a mother now?
“Being a mom is very life-changing. But it’s very fulfilling kasi I think less of myself now. It’s really very different kasi inuuna ko muna ngayon ang needs ng baby namin. You wake up at night to feed him and maka-mommy talaga siya, very clingy, and I won’t have it any other way.”
