Shaira looks forward to staying Kapuso for a long time

Shaira Diaz is more inspired to work these days with her recent contract renewal as a Kapuso artist. From playing a bride with cold feet in I Can See You: On My Way To You, she can’t wait to breathe life into the environment advocate character in Lolong. In a manner of speaking, Shaira runs away from the drama-romance genre, in the meantime, to try her hand at action-adventure.

“I’m really looking forward to doing more projects and to working with (more) Kapuso actors after Lolong,” said the GMA Artist Center talent in a media call via Zoom. “Matagal pa po ako sa kanila (I’ll be staying with them for a long time).”

Shaira also shared that she and the rest of the Lolong team are on hotel quarantine as a pre-taping requirement in the new normal. At the time of the group interview, they were on Day Two of the nine-day health and safety protocol.

“Kapag OK ang lahat, negative lahat ng results namin, we’ll be heading to Villa Escudero to start shooting Lolong,” she said. “Tuloy na tuloy na po (ito) finally.” Lolong stars Ruru Madrid (also Shaira’s love interest in I Can See You: On My Way To You) in the title role and was among GMA shows that were put on hold due to the pandemic.

“I play Elsie,” said Shaira of her character. “She’s one of the boys, simpleng tao lang at may paninindigan (a simple person of principle). Lolong’s family helped my character’s family. We are indebted to them. As a sign of gratefulness, nung na wala yung mga magulang ni Lolong, my character carries on the legacy of her mom, siya yung taga-protekta ng paligid, ng kalikasan at ng mga animals (as the protector of nature, environment, and animals).”

As an advocate, Elsie is on the lookout for individuals who might exploit nature.

“Ayaw niya na masisira, ayaw niya na may ikasasama yung paligid at kalikasan (She can’t stand and tolerate activities that will harm the environment),” said Shaira. “Galit siya sa mga taong, alam mo yun, ginagawa lahat nang gusto nila para lang sa interests nila, na hindi nila alam na may tinatapakan sila (She also detests those who pursue their personal interests even if it means sacrificing the welfare of others).”

What’s good about Lolong is, reiterated Shaira, it promotes environmental awareness among viewers and informs them that animals are also protected by laws.

Pre-pandemic, the young star was seen in shows such as Love You Two, Pamilya Roces and Contessa. Her first show on GMA 7 was Trops. Viewers, on the other hand, saw her onscreen chemistry with Ruru in I Can See You and they can follow it in Lolong.

In a media interview with I Can See You director Mark Reyes, theirs could be compared to that of Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera and Richard Gutierrez and Angel Locsin. Direk Mark recalled that when loveteam mates were paired, it took time for the chemistry to simmer. But in the case of Shaira and Ruru, the natural fit, which encompassed emotional connection and rapport, was already there. Shaira and Ruru will just revisit that for the action-adventure series. “Working with Ruru was fun,” said she.

Asked about her acting preparations in Lolong, Shaira had this to say: “I just read the script well and over and over again. If there are revisions, I still go over it to get myself more familiarized with the role. The challenge is to give it a new (approach) or flavor, dun ako nag-fo-focus kung paano ko siya aatakihin.”

With all this manna from showbiz heaven, Shaira remains humble and grateful.

“I’m very happy. I mean ngayon na nasa pandemic tayo parang ang hirap, hirap makahanap nang trabaho, parang walang kasiguraduhan sa lahat (It’s hard to get work and it seems nothing is assured of this pandemic),” said she. “Yung the fact na ni-renew nila ulit ako, it means a lot to me. Siyempre, nanduon yung trust and that they trust me to work and be with them for more years. I’m very grateful to GMA Artist Center.”

These are reasons for Shaira to keep herself motivated in pursuing acting and entertaining viewers. She also holds on to the thought that GMA believes in what she can still bring on the table.

“For me, hangga’t meron, go lang ako, hangga’t may o-offer sila at ako din, go lang ako, go lang ako hanggang dulo (For as long as they offer me projects to do, I will go for them and continue working till the end),” said she, who also finds time to finish her studies, which will give her a fallback from showbiz.

Aside from her TV work, Shaira was also asked by media members about any movie projects in the pipeline. “As of now, there are no offers yet,” said she, who was part of Because I Love You and Coming Home. “Pero may wi-no-work out na indie (film), in which I’ll do a cameo role. There are a lot of considerations in doing a movie because of the pandemic. It’s challenging to commit to different projects because we have to follow protocols, unlike before pwedeng rumaket-raket kung saan, saan (one could jump from one project to another).”

For now, Shaira will be all eyes on Lolong.