MANILA, Philippines — Actors will try to leave no stone unturned in every creative work being thrown at them. Glaiza de Castro knows that like the back of her hand. That why she’s considered as among the passionate and ever-reliable ones. Glaiza can hold her own, regardless of genre and collaborator, and is endearing to watch every time she graces the screen.
What inspires Glaiza to keep herself on her toes, as she implied in a previous interview with The STAR, is her interest “in (knowing) what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes and I am able to do that through portraying different characters.”
Starting tonight on GMA Telebabad after First Lady, Glaiza will be every Kapuso viewer’s Yannie, a career woman who becomes a wife to Xian Lim’s Edward and eventually a mom in False Positive. Audiences will see for themselves if that happens as Edward will encounter a “gender switch.”
“It’s a good feeling that in every project, you learn something new from it,” said the actress-singer in a press conference held recently and virtually for the GMA 7’s light romance, family and fantasy drama. “In this soap, I have learned a lot as an actor and for myself… ang sarap din lang ng feeling na na-su-surprise ka, na hindi mo masyadong iniintindi o iniisip yung dapat mong gawin, you just let the scenes carry you.” With that, Glaiza, who can hop from one role to another, has appreciated more the element of surprise and spontaneity in her work. She welcomed the project with excitement and enjoyment. Glaiza and Xian’s director for the hybrid genre, and also a comedy TV series is Irene Villamor.
“It brought out the inner kulit (funny side) in us and I think it worked because everybody was open and giving,” said she of her latest assignment. “Masasabi ko lang talaga na ang sarap tumawa. (It’s good and enjoyable to laugh).”
Again, Glaiza’s partner in entertaining audiences and making them re-think about gender equality and roles as themes is Xian, who teamed up with her for the first time, and vice versa.
“Siyempre, di ba?, kapag may bagong tao, parang hindi mo alam kung papaano i-a-approach, parang nahihiya ka pa (Of course, if you will be working with someone new, you still figure out how to approach the person and how you, two, can work together),” said she, “pero makikita mo din naman sa tao kung friendly siya.” Glaiza added that Xian reached out and made an effort to bond with everybody on set and even in their Zoom sessions. From there, they established their rapport and clicked together as fellow creatives.
As for the themes, Glaiza had this to say: “(They seem to be) forever relevant. Yung theme nito hindi siya naluluma kasi kahit ilang generation yung dumating, I have a feeling they can still relate to them.”
When she entered the False Positive bubble, Glaiza had already said goodbye to single-blessedness and embraced married life. She is the wife of Irish businessman David Rainey.
“Masaya siya, it’s exciting kasi alam mo na sa ‘pag paplano mo sa future, may kasama ka, may partner ka, na nandyan siya lagi na naka-suporta sa’yo, ang sarap sa pakiramdam na meron kang laging maaasahan sa pag dating sa paggawa ng mga desisyon (It’s exciting because you have a partner when you plan your future, you have someone who will support you when making decisions),” said Glaiza. “Hindi ka lang mag-isa, na merong nag-co-comfort sa’yo kapag nalulungkot ka, nandyan siya palagi (You have someone who will comfort and cheer you up).” Lifestyle-wise, she said nothing has changed, “It feels like that I’m with my best friend every day. Ikaw pa rin yun, ako pa rin si Glaiza.”
With her new status, Glaiza can even relate more to the relationship realities her Yannie is making sense of. She knows the meaning and the context when characters say, “Till death do us part, in sickness and in health.” “Na kahit anong mangyari, pinili ninyo yung isa’t-isa, kung anumang dumating na challenge sa buhay ninyo, kailangan ninyong harapin ito together,” said she, who can attest to the art-imitates-life cliché.
“Kahit exaggerated yung napapanood natin sa TV o sa mga movies, yung essence ng mga eksena, totoo siyang nangyayari (Even though the scenes that we watch on TV and in the movies are somehow exaggerated, they are essentially true),” said Glaiza.
She was also inquired about her and David’s plans of having a baby and she answered, “Medyo matagal-tagal pa kasi nga parang gusto ko munang i-enjoy yung time namin together ni David. We want to travel (more) and I feel I need to be mentally, spiritually and physically prepared (when it comes to it), may mga nagsasabi sa akin talaga na ang pagbubuntis (ay) para siyang nag-re-ready ka sa marathon.”
Asked if her marital status, in some extent, will affect the kind of work she will accept in the future, Glaiza said, “Of course, may effect yun, siyempre naiisip ko ngayon na mapapanood ito ng anak ko. Ngayon parang lahat ay nasa archive na ng Internet, ang hirap na kapag may ginawa kang isang project na parang hindi ka masyadong confident na i-share yun sa pamilya mo, lalo na sa mga magiging anak mo. Parang may epekto yun sa mga magiging desisyon mo sa pagtanggap ng mga roles.”
The actress, however, will always aspire to essay characters that will further challenge her capabilities and creativity. Glaiza’s Yannie is proof to it.