Maritoni: Life in a ‘soap’ bubble

If there’s one thing Maritoni Fernandez wishes more of these days, it’s time. As it is, a huge chunk of her weekly schedule has been eaten up by the backbreaking taping schedules for ABS-CBN’s latest primetime soap, It Might Be You which features the sizzling John Lloyd Cruz-Bea Alonzo tandem.

"It sure feels great to be in the thick of all that action," exclaims the acclaimed drama actress, "but it’s gotten to a point where I miss doing the other things I love – like being with my daughter Alexia and playing badminton. I haven’t seen a badminton court in three weeks, haven’t touched a racket even!"

These days, her other neat little racket finds her holding reign over her "kingdom" – the vast and sprawling Montegracia homestead she shares with her onscreen family: the town mayor (Tirso Cruz III) and their son, played by John Lloyd Cruz.

"I play the mayor’s wife, Frida Montegracia-Trinidad," Maritoni narrates. "It’s a challenging role because I’m both bida and kontrabida at the same time. Bida in the sense that since I’m John Lloyd’s mom, I still play a major influence on his life, as well as on my husband’s decisions.

"Kontrabida naman in the sense that I try to make life miserable for Bea (Alonzo) and her kin," she adds. "See, I’m conniving and manipulative all the time. And it’s obvious from the start that I don’t like her, and do everything I can to keep her away from my son."

"It’s a ‘feel good’ soap. Nothing heavy like Dynasty," she clarifies, "but more like An Affair To Remember."

The opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. "I just finished doing GMA 7’s Kahit Kailan and Darating Ang Umaga with ABS-CBN," she says. "Then, I stopped for two months. That gave me enough time to spend with Alexia. We went to the US and renovated our house when we got back. There was also this short stint for RPN 9’s May Puso Ang Batas. But now, with It Might Be You, I don’t think I’ll have time to do anything else."

At the rate the crew is going, they might as well call San Fernando, Pampanga their second home. "There’s this beautiful mansion there owned by the Romeros," Maritoni gushes. "That’s where we tape most of the time – our so-called Montegracia manor. Sometimes, we’re at Subic or Clark."

For her role, Maritoni finds herself donning an air of class and elegance. "Very Doña ang dating!," she chuckles. "As in super! My clothes here are all from Black Shop. I’m always in suits, pearls, the works! I’m never in jeans or sporty attire when we tape."

TV viewers probably don’t realize the tedious work involved in the soap’s taping schedules. "We tape three times a week, call time is 8 a.m. and we finish around 5 a.m. the next day," she says. "Imagine, for a given day, we try to do around 40 sequences! But it’s workable naman, because we have three directors working with different sets of actors at the same time. It’s a good exercise in time management."

Best remembered (hated, even) for her role as the loathsome Ruth in the long-running GMA 7 soap, Anna Karenina, Maritoni reprises her new "villainy" role with more depth and substance. It’s the kind of acting that could scare the wits out of acting neophytes. "I had this scene with this new, young girl and I tore her to pieces," she recounts with amusement. "She was so rattled she forgot her lines! Hay naku, she had it coming!"

But it’s not always heavy drama at the set. Every so often, the Montegracia mansion would echo with resounding laughter. "For a show that’s heavy on drama," Maritoni reiterates, "we accumulate quite a number of bloopers. We could actually make a program out of all those funny blunders!"

In retrospect, 2003 has been a fruitful year for her. "It’s been great! I’m a cancer survivor, so after that ordeal, I can honestly say that there is no one year that sucks. Every year is a gift!"

"But I’d say the highlights are, let’s see, Hans (Montenegro) and I got together, we were able to go to the States with our own kids, and I was able to be around for Alexia and all her school activities. Showbiz-wise, I was able to do Kahit Kailan, Darating Ang Umaga, May Puso Ang Batas, and now this. What more can I ask?," she says.

Aside from a 30-hour day or a badminton court at the Montegracia set, maybe the sound of wedding bells in the not-too-distant future would be a good way to burst her bubble.