Marian, Alden spice up Cagsawa Festival

ALBAY , Philippines  â€” It was a grand treat for Bicolanos when the lead stars of GMA 7’s primetime soap Carmela lent their star power to the month-long celebration of Cagsawa Festival. Marian Rivera and Alden Richards turned the evening of Feb. 9 into one exciting and thrilling event for their supporters from the beginning until the end of the Kapuso Fiesta show.

The STAR was invited to cover the event and this writer did not expect to get goosebumps upon seeing what seemed to be a sea of people all trying to get inside the Daraga Covered Court to have a good view of Marian and Alden. There was not enough space to freely walk through the designated seats without pushing and shoving others. It could have been just an ordinary scenario for anyone probably used to unabashed adulation of fans. Still, it could easily be noticed that Marian and Alden looked truly delighted as if the warm reception of the Bicolanos was a rare experience. Host Boobay and James Wright, the voice behind the Carmela theme Sana’y Ikaw, added thrill to the event.

Both Marian and Alden exuded an aura of joy all throughout their performance. People rose from their seats with arms stretched up in the air as they waved with much adulation. Shouts of “Yago! Yago!” proved that Bicol fans are very well familiar with Alden’s character. Same with Marian who was greeted with deafening shrieks when she appeared onstage.

Marian, who probably psyched herself to think more positive, said she would rather count all the good things happening to her than dwell on nasty rumors. It was in the news lately that she reportedly died in a car accident which the Kapuso Primetime Queen just laughed off.

“I think some people forget to separate your being a celebrity from your private life kaya nakakalimutan nila na may mga mahal din sa buhay ang mga artista. The news that I died in an accident daw didn’t bother me at all but those who care about me cannot understand why some people had to resort to that kind of rumor. May mga tao yatang sadyang ganun. But I’m thankful there are more who pray for me.”

So if in case you see Marian crying buckets on-cam, don’t ever think that it’s because she feels downtrodden by the rumor. She’s just breathing life into her character as Carmela. “When it comes to crying scenes, sanay ako d’yan; parang gripo ‘to (pointing to her eyes),” she enthused. “I’m so happy with my life now that there’s really no room for gloomy thoughts.”

Same with Alden. His tears easily well up in his eyes during emotional scenes. If you’re watching Carmela without a miss, then you still vividly recall the scene where Alden as Yago cried a river while telling his mom (Jaclyn Jose) that Carmela/Catarina has decided to cut their friendship.

“In real life, I haven’t experienced that kind of pain yet so I really need to draw my emotion from the story itself. Siguro kung may konting pag-huhugutan from my personal life yun yung naiisip ko lang na sitwasyon na, what if my dad leave us so dun pa lang maiiyak na ko talaga.”

And how does he feel after each heavy scene?

“I feel so fulfilled because when I was just starting (in showbiz), heavy scenes gave me jitters; phobia ko talaga yung pag-iyak on-cam. Now, I have learned to act at naibibigay ko na ang tamang emosyon na galing sa puso.” 

For Marian, tear-jerking lines get into her system as soon as the cameras start grinding. What challenges her more is how to effectively balance her personality with that of her character. “It’s my first time to be paired with a younger actor so my acting should be in the right level. Before, I could do extreme — yung sobrang matured (remember her in Temptation of Wife?) or mas batang akting (just like in Tweets for my Sweet) but this time I need to find a balance, especially in scenes with Alden who we all know is really younger than I, so it’s tough; kailangan lahat balanse lang.”

To make the task lighter, Marian sat down with director Dominic Zapata to know what kind of approach best fits her role. She, too, has had observed Alden’s every move so she could match his style.

Asked if she is aware that she’s been setting a fashion trend through her Carmela get-up (Read: Sleeveless top, pants and a pair of high-cut rubber shoes), Marian exclaimed, “Wow! In fairness, I know nag-do-doble din sila ng sando.”

Marian and Alden also had a motorcade in Naga and entertained the crowd via the Kapuso Mall Show at SM City Naga.