The inspiring tale of Sophie and G

Janella Salvador finally gets her time in the spotlight with the current drama series Oh My G! on ABS-CBN. This is the first time the young actress is playing lead, after more than two years of playing support in the long-running morning show Be Careful With My Heart.

Describing Oh My G! as a show about a teenage girl and her connection to God or G, Janella, 16, plays Sophie Cepeda, who suddenly finds herself being able to talk to God through various means. Janella is part of the Star Magic batch of artists launched in 2013, along with Julia Barretto and Liza Soberano. 

Under contract with the Kapamilya network, Janella is the daughter of theater actress Jenine Desiderio and singer-songwriter Juan Miguel Salvador.  But Janella believes that she has her own path to forge in show business. She feels the pressure of filling the timeslot of Be Careful With My Heart vacated a few months ago. But she’s hopeful that, like her previous series, the new show finds its audience. “Only God knows.”

When asked if Oh My G! will run as long as Be Careful With My Heart, director Veronica Velasco replied, “It is a challenge with big shoes to fill.” Sophie (Janella) is a teenager who struggles after both her parents died and blamed God for the loss of her loved ones, until God himself appears to Sophie in different forms to enlighten her on the obstacles she is facing.

Paul (played by Eric Quizon) and Tessa Cepeda (Maricar Reyes) are loving parents to their daughter Sophie. Paul, a self-made man, wants to give Sophie everything, while Tessa, a devotee of Sta. Teresa of Avila, instills on Sophie the value of mercy, love for others and a life of prayer. But Tessa was gunned down in front of Sophie during a hold-up. Sophie was 10 years old when she lost her mother. Left to care for his daughter, Paul tries to give Sophie all the material things she wants so she grows up as a proud and rich teenager, attached to gadgets and social networking sites that make her very happy. But when Sophie turned 16, Paul dies in a car accident. Sophie questions God for all her misfortunes and immediately receives an answer from the Almighty himself.

One day, Sophie receives an unsigned poem that gives her peace and inspiration, while at the same time makes her cry. Sophie is certain it came from G himself, convincing her she can depend on him at all times. This, to us, is the most poignant and inspiring portion of the story so far.

After finding out that her Uncle Santi (Dominic Ochoa) and Aunt Lucy (Sunshine Cruz) have sold her parents’ house, Sophie decides to pack up her belongings and live with the Luna family (led by Janice de Belen) instead. As much as she would have loved to stay with the Lunas, Sophie admits she finds it difficult to adjust to a simpler lifestyle. Now, that she is seeking legal assistance to make the Lunas her legal guardians, Sophie discovers that half of the inheritance her parents left her has been withdrawn by Santi.

As the story progresses, there are changes in her and her classmates’ attitude towards one another. They are more friendly and understanding. Sophie also no longer blames G for taking away her mom and dad.

Meanwhile, Sophie still continues to communicate with G (God) about her current problems. She still asks him, “Am I a bad person?”, still tells him when she is tired and still continues on her search for Anne Reyes, the woman whom her late father asked her to look for. But Sophie is not worried, not with G by her side.

(E-mail your comments to [email protected] or text me at 0917-8991835.)