Alice (back) in movieland

She’s back.

Who could forget Alice Dixson? her well-remembered Palmolive ‘I can feel it!’ TV ad is part of local pop history. She was the original Faye in the TV sitcom Okay Ka, Fairy Ko! She also took with her the best actress plum in the 1998 Manila Film Festival for Sambahin Ang Ngalan Mo. At the height of her career, she quietly left the limelight when she married Stormviz head honcho Ronnie Miranda

"My husband decided to live in Canada, I’ve been living in Vancouver for the past year, playing housewife," says Alice, and proudly relates that she has learned how to cook. "I’m not a good cook, but I can cook." But married life has taught her more valuable lessons. "I think I learned to be calm. I’m more responsible because I’m not just taking care of myself anymore. I’m taking care of my husband too. My communications skills have improved because you need good communication skills when you’re married." These lessons, she claims have added a new dimension to her acting.

She liked her peaceful non-celebrity life in Canada, but was a bit bored from being homebound. "I went through a period of adjustment but it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t like winter in Vancouver because it can get pretty harsh and you can’t go out." Although she originally wanted to have kids early on in the marriage, she decided not to have any yet. "I realized that there’s a lot of responsibility needed in taking care of a child in Canada and I think I’m just not ready yet in that respect."

However, her being abroad didn’t stop her from getting bitten by the acting bug once more. Alice performed with Joey Albert in concerts in the US. She also tried her luck auditioning for some roles in theater from which she learned a thing or two about rejection. "It’s frustrating to get rejected for roles you like. I’d get a callback but I mostly ended up not getting the role because most of the theater, television and movie projects there require you to be part of the Union of British Columbia Performers even if you’re just playing a bit role. I realized that I had to build up a new body of work so I can be part of the union.

When Alice was offered to do a TV series back in the Philippines, she jumped at the chance and told her manager to schedule them for December when she would be flying in for a vacation. When she arrived, she was surprised to find out that she had more offers from Viva, FLT, MMG, Star Cinema and Maverick as well.

"I’m so excited to be back!," says Alice. "I hope my fans look forward to seeing my projects. I hope they support me when they come out." When news about her comeback broke out, some of her fans called her up to share her excitement. "One of my fans started asking me about my making movies again. I couldn’t give her a definite answer yet. I’m raring to go but with the holiday season rolling in the real work will only start again after the Christmas season. All I could tell her was... tingnan natin."

Excited as Alice is about her comeback, don’t expect her to be all over the place just yet. "I’m looking for more challenging roles. I would still do comedies and fun stuff, but I plan to opt for more dramatically challenging roles," she muses. It is only natural to do that since she left showbiz before she got her first best actress nod – a recognition her fans think she truly deserves.