Toni is ‘totally un-Toni’

MANILA, Philippines -  â€œTotally un-Toni in real life,” that’s how Toni Gonzaga’s character in the Star Cinema romantic drama Starting Over Again, opposite Piolo Pascual, was described by director Olivia Lamasan.

In the film that opens in cinemas today, Toni and Piolo play exes whose paths cross again several years after, just when wounds caused by their bitter breakup have finally healed (or maybe not).

“The challenge for Toni is the fact that she’s playing a character that’s so totally un-Toni in real life. Her character is driven (well, she’s driven in real life) but selfish, self-centered, ambitious, desperate, naghahabol sa isang lalake — that’s so un-her,” direk Olive told entertainment reporters.

“During the shooting, she would always ask, ‘Inang (as direk Olive is fondly called by the stars), talaga bang may babaeng ganyan, ba’t ginagawa ko to?’ and there were a lot of discussions that happened between us so that I could convince her and that she would believe in what she would do to give life to a dark or negative character.”

Toni said that she has done many firsts in the film because of direk Olive, who seldom assumes the director’s chair these days owing to her busy schedule as head of creatives for Star Cinema.

“I have done a lot of firsts in this film that I was only able to do because of Inang. I don’t know if I was able to do it because of PJ (Piolo’s nickname) but because Inang was there, I gave it my all… I know Inang wouldn’t do anything na kung pinanood mo, nakakahiya naman ‘tong babaeng ‘to, kasi award-winning na si Inang, I don’t think she’ll do that to herself. ‘Pag gumawa si Inang (ng movie) masterpiece, kahit love scene masterpiece,” Toni said.

One of the firsts Toni did in Starting Over Again was a kissing scene, and she hemmed and hawed before doing it, recalled an amused direk Olive.

“Pag-kissing scene, gusto na niyang umiyak, natutulala buong araw… tapos maraming tanong, anong klaseng halik yun, anong mangyayari dun, may ganun bang halikan.”

Toni laughingly recalled that when she was told that they were going to shoot the scene, she immediately researched on YouTube “Olivia Lamasan love scenes” and all the more was struck with nerves, seeing what Angel Locsin did with Aga Muhlach in In The Name of Love, or Bea Alonzo with John Lloyd Cruz in The Mistress.   

Certainly, it’s not lost on anyone that Toni has done box-office rom-coms sans the required kissing scene, and she explained, “It’s because it’s not my forte.”

“Ever since, torrid love scenes, hindi naman ako nakilala sa ganun. Nag-simula ako sa D’Anothers, and dun binaboy yung pagkatao ko, you know comedy, so I thought, ah okay, dito tayo tatahak sa landas na ‘to. Let’s not go to the path where I’ll be baring skin. I’ll only show skin if it’s funny. Besides, I don’t think I can take it. I don’t think it fits me. Sabi din ni Inang, ‘Parang di bagay sa mukha mo (love scene),’” Toni laughed. 

Still, direk Olive pointed out, “But she was able to do what I think is her most scandalous ‘love scene.’ You have to watch it.”

How scandalous? Toni quipped, “My parents are not invited to the premiere night, that’s how scandalous it is.”

More than making her agree to do the closest she could get to acting out a love scene, Toni said the film has made her explore what she’s capable of doing as an actress.

She remembered being very scared during the shooting that “I kept to myself for six months. I said, I won’t be chatty on the set, I have to internalize my character because with Inang, you don’t feel like you’re working with a teacher, it’s as if you went straight to the principal.”

Toni also took to heart the advice of dramatic stars who have had worked with the lady director, whose other hit romantic-dramas are Milan, In My Life, Sana Maulit Muli, like she has to know her character, where to get her emotion and her scenes. “Of course, I have no idea what I’m really capable of as an actress, because the films I’ve been doing are romantic-comedies. Di ko alam kung paano ako aarte,” Toni said, noting that a lot of the actresses the director handled went on to win acting awards. “Kaya sobrang hiyang-hiya din ako, I don’t know how I was able to finish it.”

How Toni fares in the dramatic parts of the film remains to be seen, although based on the trailer, there is much promise. Nevertheless, doing Starting Over Again made her realize why she loves her job.

“(During the last shooting days) I experienced withdrawal symptoms. When I would ride the car (on the way home) sometimes, a tear would fall from my eyes that I wished the cameras were there to roll and capture it so that I was able to contribute some best acting in my car,” she mused, but turning a bit serious, she admitted that when the shooting was winding down, “ang hirap na ng pinagdadaanan ng character ko, umuuwi ako na ang bigat-bigat ng loob ko, ang sakit sakit,” that she’d get sentimental. “I think working with Inang made me realize why I love this job, why I’m so passionate about this job.”

Toni was also asked to clarify issues about being linked to Piolo in the past, her rumored engagement in the US, her tiff with Mariel Rodriguez and the controversy her dear friend Vhong Navarro has found himself in.

Piolo had said that he and Toni had gone on a date, but it didn’t progress to a romance because he didn’t want to get in the way of her dreams, as she was then a newbie in ABS-CBN (after transferring from GMA) and trying to make a name for herself.

For Toni’s part, she said she couldn’t believe at the time that Piolo would be interested in someone like her. She said she started out in showbiz as a fan of Piolo, whom she first worked with when she was only 16 in what would become her first major TV commercial and her first big break.

She recalled that when Piolo was already being linked to other people, she got teased that she had missed her chance already and “tapos nalaman kong na-link siya sa maganda, sabi ko, tama lang,” drawing laughs, “Parang mas naging OK, imagine if we had something, tapos di naman nag-push through, magkakaroon kami ng ilangan, awkwardness, that’s why in this film, I was very comfortable with PJ, pwera lang sa maselan,” referring to the kissing scene.

Of course, everybody knows Toni has a happy love life now, although marriage is not yet in the agenda amidst rumors she got engaged to filmmaker Paul Soriano in the US last December.

“Not that I’m trying to hide anything, but really nothing (engagement) happened. Hindi kami nag-trip na kami lang. It was just a coincidence that he was in the States while I was there with my family.”

As for settling down, “Not now. I don’t have a timetable… (But I always believe) there are things that are really worth the wait.”

About the issue with Mariel, “Matagal na kaming OK. It comes with maturity and time. Time really heals everything. When you mature, when you embark on a new journey in your life, it’s very hard to hold grudges and bitterness in your heart. I’m happy for her, she’s happy for me, and this is not something we say because showbiz or (you’re being) plastic, although lagi naman yun ang sinasabi. At least from the bottom of our hearts, we know the truth. Matanda na kami, may asawa na siya, ako I just turned 30, masyadong high school na yung mga girl fights.”

Toni also related her visit to Vhong — her leading man in her first-ever movie for Star Cinema, D’Anothers — when he was still confined in the hospital after the “mauling incident.” “Hindi na ako nagpakwento. Hindi niya kailangan i-relive yung pinagdaanan niya. Niyakap ko lang siya. These are times that he has to know you’re there for him. Of course, it was unfortunate to see him in that situation. But what he really needs now is encouragement, prayers; he needs to know that he has friends supporting him.”