If she weren’t an actress, Charlie Dizon said she wouldn’t hesitate to work abroad for the sake of her family.
“Actually, if there are plenty of (work) opportunities here in the country, definitely, you will choose to stay with your family,” began Charlie regarding her thoughts on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). “Pero minsan kailangan talaga. Kumbaga, tawag na ng tadhana o sitwasyon. So for me, I’ll do everything for my family and I think, that’s also the reason of the person I’m portraying in MMK (Maalaala Mo Kaya).”
The subject was brought up during the virtual media conference to drumbeat the weekly drama anthology’s episode that Charlie is starring in, with Kiko Estrada, where she portrays an OFW.
Followers of MMK will see Charlie as nurse Raquel whose lovelife takes a back seat after her nine-year love affair went pfft. But fate has other plans. Raquel meets Ralph (Kiko) on social media who, coincidentally, is also a resident of her hometown. The latter is persistent in proving his love for her to the extent of demonstrating his pure intentions through her parents.
Eventually, Raquel reciprocates Ralph’s love and, later on, they both start planning for their wedding — clueless that COVID-19 will hit globally. Find out what happens next when MMK airs on April 23 at 8:45 p.m. on A2Z Channel.
Charlie hopes that Raquel and Kiko’s story will serve as inspiration to the viewers.
“It’s not an ordinary love story. I want to show the true person’s (Raquel, the letter sender) character, and as much as possible, the closest details of what truly happened to her. S’yempre hindi naman natin nakita kung ano ‘yung totoong nangyari kumbaga doon sa mismong sitwasyon pero base sa sinulat nilang kwento, gusto mo s’yempreng ma-portray ng maayos talaga.”
Charlie added that she was able to talk to the letter sender before taping started. It helped her to fully understand what she had been going through. “I also asked her for some tips on what she wants to see as I portray her on screen. For me, that’s important because what you are about to show to people is actually real, hindi basta lang naisulat o na-imagine ng iba.”
The Kapamilya actress also told The STAR how she makes sure to effectively perform a role requiring intense human emotions.
“Lahat ng materyal sa MMK mabigat talaga. That’s why, the challenge for actors is so tough. Sa akin, in all the characters I portray, I see to it na nararamdaman ko na totoong tao talaga.
“We’re also very lucky with the production (people) of MMK because they’re very giving in terms of the materials you need as an actor. They would even show to you the video clips of the letter sender and their pictures as well. That’s why, you will be able to study your character thoroughly.”
The pressure to make her portrayal convincing was undeniable “but it’s fulfilling, ang saya kapag nagawa mo, ‘pag na-accomplish mo yung trabaho na ‘yun kasi maraming mai-inspire rin na manonood. I’m sure that many people can relate to the story, not just those who are in a relationship, but also the whole family. And the kind of situation they were in, maraming nakaranas nun kasi COVID season ‘yun,” she mused.
Charlie deemed the opportunity to work with different screen partners as an advantage because she is able to discover and learn how to build rapport with them.
“First, I will check if he’s easy to talk to, but usually, I am the one who breaks the ice. Ako na ‘yung kumakausap agad, nagpapakilala rin ako agad, then from there, s’werte naman ako na lahat sila mababait sa ‘kin. Lahat sila madaling ka-trabaho.”
Working with different actors, Charlie added, improves her own acting style “because you get to see their distinctive approaches. So, I feel na mas nag-gro-grow ako as an actress.”
Asked how was Kiko as a partner in the MMK episode, directed by Froy Allan Leonardo, Charlie said it was her first time to do a project with the actor. No wonder, she initially felt shy knowing that they would portray as lovers.
“Kiko and I did not know each other in person, we were not acquainted yet, when I accepted the project. So, I felt a bit awkward in the beginning but when we did the pictorial prior to the taping, we jibed right away. Parang nagka-biruan kami agad, so I felt that he was easy to work with. At the same time, I saw his passion for his craft because he had already memorized the script. Then, we would talk about how to attack our characters, kung paano ‘yung dynamics namin sa isa’t-isa as a couple.”
She also learned from Kiko how his parents would give a tip or two in acting. “He comes from a family of actors (Kiko’s dad is Gary Estrada and his mom is Cheska Diaz) so he would share pieces of advice from his parents at malaking tulong ‘yun for me and at the same time, nakikilala ko rin s’ya as a person.”
(MMK can also be viewed on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube, ABS-CBN Entertainment FB page, and iWantTFC.)