On the set with Manny Pacquiao

I’ve done only a couple of films over these past two years.

Shooting a movie is actually more fun than just taping for TV shows because it’s nice to play different roles for more than one day.

I find it very relaxing to portray different views in life and having a valid reason to be someone else for some time.

For me, acting is a great outlet from all the problems in life. When I act, I feel like I’m in a totally different world and far away from where I am and even who I really am.

I can’t explain the kind of release I get from it. It’s not just work, it’s become almost like therapy for me or reality check once in a while.

Last week, I ended up flying back here a week earlier than scheduled because my manager and I decided to accept this movie project with Madam Violet Sevilla of Violett Films.

The movie is light drama comedy, so I was very excited to start shooting.

This would be the first light drama comedy film I’m going to do. Sitcoms are really fun and easy to shoot.

It’s always relaxed and, of course, very funny. This time, I would be working with Manny Pacquiao, Aubrey Miles, Eddie Garcia, Daria Ramirez and others.

When I found out about this project, I quickly purchased a ticket for Manila.

I got back in the country on a Monday, had a pictorial the next day, then started shooting on Wednesday. Everything happened real fast. The presscon was held on the following day of my first shooting day.

To be honest, I had very little information on my character due to the terrible jetlag I had.

Luckily, the director, Tony Bernal, was nice enough to give me a stress-free day and not give me a hard time on the scenes we took. One of the most memorable times I’ll probably have in showbusiness happened when I got to Batangas on my first day of shooting for Lisensyadong Kamao.

The shoot took place in Nasugbu, Batangas. My driver and I had a hard time trying to find the place because there were so many beach resorts there.

By the time we got to find it, we were actually almost an hour late. Good thing my scenes haven’t been shot yet.

When we got there, the wardrobe person wanted to see my clothes right away so we could decide what to wear for my first scene.

Then it came as a big surprise that my clothes were all missing! I didn’t have a single piece of clothing with me!

It turned out that my driver and P.A. (personal assistant) misunderstood each other before we left the house.

It didn’t even cross their minds that all they put in the car were my shoes and sandals. I was so shocked. I couldn’t even get mad.

I almost just wanted to laugh, because I couldn’t believe what they’ve done. I mean, how can anyone possibly attend a shoot without the required clothes for it?

It actually took me a few moments to absorb the tangled situation.

And then I started to panic! Ha ha ha. I guess the jetlag pretty much caused my delayed reaction.

I quickly went to see the director and told him about the situation. He paid no need to it, because he said I didn’t really need much changing for my scenes that day. I just had to purchase some swimwear.

The next thing I knew, a friend of mine, Alexis, called me and asked how my shooting was going. I told him what happened and he was nice enough to offer to bring the clothes to Batangas. Thank you so much, Alexis! You are definitely a life-saver.

So then we got my clothes on the set and started shooting. My first scene was with Manny Pacquiao. That was a scene where I’m trying to seduce him.

My role here is pretty naughty. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I didn’t know whether Manny was nice or not.

When we threw lines, I learned Manny actually had a great natural sense of humor. He had his own jokes. I would say he’s a true Pinoy comedian,. He’s very original. He basically knows how to make anything funny.

I don’t know how he does it, but he’s pretty cool to hang around with. Manny has obviously achieved a lot, not only for his family, but also for the country.

However, he never made me feel that. He seems to be a very easy-going person. Our last shooting day was yesterday because Manny had to leave to country for another battle.

We all wish him luck and I’m real sure he’ll do well. Good luck, Manny.

(You can e-mail me at [email protected]).