3 award-winning stars in Puso

MANILA, Philippines - If viewers were to be asked to name the most memorable villainesses on Philippine TV, the character of Selina in Mula sa Puso will most likely top the list.

So when word came out that ABS-CBN is coming up with a remake of its 1997 hit teleserye, people were anticipating who will portray Selina until the Kapamilya network announced that actress Eula Valdez will be giving life to the well-known but much-loathed villainess.

“I am excited because the character is so popular. People remember Selina because of Princess Punzalan,” says Eula. “And I don’t entertain the thought that the public will despise me because of the character I am portraying. It’s just a role.”

Bagging the other plum role in the series is Dawn Zulueta, who is making her first teleserye after giving birth to a baby girl few years ago. She will play the role of Magda, which was first portrayed by Jaclyn Jose.

“I am honored that ABS-CBN chose me to reprise a role that has been iconic,” says Dawn, who was last seen on ABS-CBN in the series Lastikman.

Eula, Dawn and Ariel Rivera are all marking their comeback on ABS-CBN via Mula sa Puso. And the three award-winning stars were personally handpicked by director Wenn Deramas who also directed the original series.

Ariel was part of the original cast of Mula sa Puso but played a different character. Fourteen years later, he will now play the role of Fernando, which was first portrayed by Juan Rodrigo. He says, “My role is bigger and I have big shoes to fill.”

The privilege of choosing the cast made it easier for Wenn to accept the project. He initially thought doing a remake was going to be easy as it would be his second chance to improve on the original series.

“The ratings of Mula sa Puso were so high when it aired in the ’90s. It will be a tough act to follow, but I am excited to do the project. I know the story by heart. It will be easier for me to do it because it will come from the heart,” he says.

Wenn said he had to choose from 120 stars who auditioned to reprise the roles popularized by Claudine Barretto, Rico Yan and Diether Ocampo. He was impressed with Lauren Young, JM de Guzman and Enrique Gil who will play the parts of Via, Gabriel and Michael.

“Imagine what the three young stars did to get the plum roles. They were all stand-outs and they fit the characters,” he says.

Dawn shares the same observation after doing some scenes with the young stars on her first day of taping. She says the young stars are very promising especially JM.

“We make allowances when we are working with younger stars. We understand the pressure they feel. But it becomes a pleasant surprise if you work with a young talent who really knows how to hold his candle (against a co-actor). I can say that with JM,” she says.

Eula agrees, “If they were handpicked by direk Wenn and if ABS-CBN chose them, they must probably be good to be given a good project such as this.”

The project also serves as a reunion for Eula and Dawn, who last worked together in the film Hindi Pahuhuli ng Buhay some 22 years ago. Already, people are anticipating how they will fare in their confrontation scenes.

“We just had our story conference. We were still single when we last worked together. So we just started touching base again. I am sure yung sabunutan ay malapit na,” she says.

With a winning cast that has made the public excited over the much-awaited remake, direk Wenn gladly takes the challenge of retelling the story that kept millions of Filipinos virtually together every night in the late ’90s.

He says, “I always challenge myself to do good and what I think is nice. If the public appreciates it, I will be happy. If not, that’s the best that I can do.”

Watch out for the remake of Mula sa Puso starting tonight at 6 on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.