COLEEN GARCIA stayed in France for several months to accompany her husband Billy Crawford when he joined a dance contest, where he won.
She’s now going back to Paris again as an endorser of L’Oreal, but before she leaves,she has to finish the shoot of a new mini-series for Viva One, “Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko”.
“It’s nice to be acting once again,” she says. “Before we left for France, I was able to do a horror film, ‘Kaluskos’, for which I won an acting award.
"Now, I play another good role in this new project with Viva where I’m paired for the first time with Carlo Aquino.”
What is her role?
“I play Allie, a dentist. Yung clinic ko, it’s in a building na katapat lang ng building ng restaurant where Carlo as Benedict works as a chef.
"We meet and it’s a whirlwind romance. We love each other so much and we’re looking forward to facing the altar and spending our lives together.”
But as their wedding date nears, they discover some major cracks in their relationship.
They realize they come from totally different families of origin and the differences in their background make them rethink their decision.
It turns out that Coleen’s best friends, Ryza Cenon and Rhen Escano, are also experiencing difficulties in their own relationships with their respective partners, Kiko Rodriguez and Jerome Ponce.
These relationship problems bring more confusion to both Coleen and Carlo.
“Our problem is kung susuko na lang ba kami agad sa mga kinakaharap naming problema,” says Coleen.
“We’re sure viewers of our six-part mini-series will be able to relate with the problems and situations that the three various couples in the story will go through.”
Has she ever given up or made “suko” in anything? “Naku, unfortunately, madali akong sumuko. What happened to my character in the series actually happened to me in real life.
Billy and I almost called off the wedding at Balesin Island five years ago. I was not sure if I wanted to push through with it or not. Sobrang magulo ang utak ko noon.”
In hindsight, she says she was daunted by the idea of being married.
“I think that was the time na pumasok lahat ng challenges sa isip ko. You ask yourself, ‘Ano ba ‘tong papasukan ko? Tama ba ‘tong decision that we’re making?’
"Doon pumasok lahat ng duda. But we decided to go through the wedding, hindi kami sumuko, but almost, malapit na. Mabuti na lang nanaig yung love namin sa isa’t isa.”
Does she have any regret that they did?
“No, no regrets. Getting married and having a baby made me realize the value of commitment to your marital vows.
"Now, our son, Amari, is turning 3 years old in September, and he helps me para hindi ako sumuko.
"I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I don’t have my family now. Billy and I have grown so much together.”
She’s just happy she continues to work as an actress.
“It’s a blessing that I get to work on films and mini-series as I still get to do what I love to do.
"It’s not as demanding as a regular teleserye that runs for many months.
"I just choose the projects that I do now and the materials that are really good and challenging, like ‘Kung Hindi Lang Tayo Sumuko’, which I also enjoy doing as it’s the first time for me to work with all my co-stars here and with our director, Carlo Catu.
"It’s a new experience for me.”
