Striking while the iron is hot

Andrea del Rosario has proven she can carry a movie solo in Lupe. How come she agreed to do Bugbog Sarado where she shares topbilling with Maui Taylor?

"Because I play a good role as an NGO worker who works to give free housing for the poor," she explains. "Victor Neri is my live-in partner and we rent a room in an old house owned by Maui, who is living-in naman with Jordan Herrera. I thought Victor is faithful to me, but he gets involved with Maui, and that starts all the troubles in our lives. Also, I cannot let the chance of working with Direk Joel Lamangan pass by. I’ve worked with him in Kung Mawawala Ka on TV and I feel it’s about time magkasama naman kami sa movie. I also enjoyed working with Victor. We used to both be with ABS-CBN but we don’t even greet each other there. It’s our first time to work together and he’s a very intense actor. On the set, he just concentrates on his role. He hates distractions and is so focused on his work kaya okay katrabaho."

Someone says Maui has the better role and is actually the lead. "Okay lang. We have no rivalry because we’re friends and we work together as members of the Viva Hot Babes. As of now, she’s been given her solo video, Sex Goddess, and Viva said I am next in line to come out with my own video. They already told me the concept and it’s different from the rest because it has a good storyline. I really can’t complain because alagang-alaga kami ng Viva. Just from the out-of-town shows that we do with the Hot Babes, we already earn a lot."

Andrea is originally a member of Star Circle Batch 3. She got to do sitcoms like Palibhasa Lalake and Attagirl but her career didn’t really soar with ABS-CBN. She also joined the Miss Earth Philippines Pageant, became one of the 10 finalists and won the Miss Close Up Smile award. "Joining that beauty contest is a very memorable experience for me," she says.

She was taking up fine arts, major in advertising, in an exclusive school but her showbiz schedules got in the way and she never got to finish her course.

Three years ago, Viva Films’ Boss Vic del Rosario offered to launch her as a sexy star but she demurred.

"People thought we’re related because we have the same family name, but we’re not related at all. Everytime he’d see me, he’d ask, "Are you now ready to go sexy?" Finally, in December last year, I relented. I felt my career wasn’t really going anywhere so I might as well give going bold a try. I felt I’m mature enough to take the challenge and I’m thankful because they gave me Elwood Perez as my director in Lupe, which did very well at the box office. At first, I thought I would have limitations in my role but as the shooting went along, Direk Elwood convinced me to do a full frontal nudity scene in front of a mirror. I have no regrets doing it because the execution was tasteful naman. I’m really fortunate because after Lupe, I’m now doing not just one but two movies with Direk Joel. After we shot Bugbog Sarado, I’m now doing Viva’s Metro Manila Filmfest entry with him, Filipinas, where I play the girlfriend Richard Gomez left behind when he went to the States. When he returned home, it turned out I am going to marry some other guy. I’m glad to be part of the film’s powerhouse cast that includes Maricel Soriano, Aiko Melendez, Dawn Zulueta and many more. I am challenged to give my best because I know they’re all good at baka lamunin lang nila ako kung hindi ko gagalingan."

Before Lupe, Andrea was going steady with a Frenchman who has brought her to Paris twice. "Because of him, I even learned how to speak some French. We were on for more than two years, but we had to break up now that I’ve become so busy."

Did he object to her going sexy? "No. He’s very liberal-minded and he knows baring my body is part of my job as an actress. But at this point, I really have no time for him anymore since I am busy not just with movies but with live shows with the Viva Hot Babes and guestings on TV. Siempre I have to concentrate on my career because I am still sending a younger brother to school. But we parted as friends. Up to now, we still get in touch through texting."

What is her most difficult scene in Bugbog-Sarado?

"There are two very taxing scenes. First is where I am shown giving Victor a bath inside the shower room and I am soaping his entire body. We are both fully nude. I am using this small towel to scrub his body and there’s a scene where I am required to kneel in front of him. He has his naked butt to the camera while I am facing him so his manhood is right in front of my face. I usually don’t make mistakes when I deliver my lines, no matter how long they are, but in this, I got distracted by Victor’s naked body at nagka-buckle-buckle ako sa dialogue ko. The other difficult scene is when I had a fight with Maui and we roll on the floor while struggling with each other. Just when I get to subdue her and I’m sitting on her, Carlo Maceda, who plays another boarder, comes from behind and hits me on the head with a pot. It’s the most violent sequence in the movie but I can’t reveal what happens because mawawala ang suspense for the viewers."

After Bugbog-Sarado and Filipinas, Andrea will be doing a sex comedy with the Viva Hot Babes, Sex In the City. "It will be a welcome break for me because Lupe, Bugbog-Sarado and Filipinas are all heavy dramas," she says.