Why Judy Ann can’t cry as easily as she used to

CEBU, Philippines - Judy Ann Santos was in a chirpy mood one recent mid-morning at the Cebu Parklane Hotel where she, along with her younger male “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” castmates parked for a few minutes to oblige some media interviews before they were to entertain fans with a show at the Ayala Terraces.

She was greeted with a compliment by another interviewer on how she looked blooming than ever, followed by a question on what has been keeping her that way these days. “I guess if you live a happy life, when everything is coming together and you feel contented. Everything seems to be in the right place. OA naman kung magtatanong pa ako sa Diyos kung bakit ganito o ganyan lang. I have more than enough,” said Judy Ann, heavily stressing the word “more” in that last sentence. Contentment, more than any beauty upkeep, is her key to emanating that outward glow, the beloved actress believes.

The “Young Superstar” said she had done a lot in her almost three decades in the biz, that she’s now in the stage of seeking projects that would challenge her. She’s now geared towards quality as opposed to quantity and her aspirations became lesser for herself, but for her two kids, Yohan and Lucho.

“I love where I am right now. I accept challenges. I appreciate all the blessings. My dreams now are more for my children, one of which is for them to finish their studies. That’s what I regret not doing, to finish school. Whatever college they want to go to, tatrabahuin talaga naming mag-asawa yan just so they can achieve their goals in life.”

Judy Ann completed a Culinary Arts course while lying low after the birth of her son Lucho. The next plan, she shared, is to take up Hotel and Restaurant Management when longer free time comes up.

She credited her better half, Ryan Agoncillo, for opening her eyes to pursuits outside of showbiz such as formal education. Noticeably, she can now also express herself better in the Queen’s language, thanks a lot to her award-winning TV host of a husband. “If there’s one person who made me realize the reality of life, it’s Ryan. I’ve been in this business for 28 years. Wala akong ibang alam kung hindi ang mundo ng show business. He taught me a lot of things, on how to deal with reality, on what the world is made of. What I really like about Ryan, hindi siya nahihiyang i-correct ako kapag halimbawa, I say something and I don’t pronounce a word right, bubulungan niya ako.”

The downside to a blissful life in all its aspects, if there was any, was that a dramatic star like Judy Ann suddenly found it difficult to quickly summon her tear ducts to work.

She said, “One thing that’s really hard now when it comes to drama, it’s harder to motivate myself because I’m too happy and wala akong panghuhugutan na malungkot na experience, not unless you’re really sad on that day and you have many crying scenes, then it’s easier. But when I’m just happy, paano ba ‘to? Lahat ng tao pinatay ko na sa isip ko, hindi pa rin ako naiiyak. That’s when you go to a different technique.”

While she’s known to be a director’s delight for shedding tears at the drop of a hat, Judy Ann said there are definitely instances even on unhappy days where she can’t squeeze anything out try as she might. “Especially when you’ve been crying all day and you’re just exhausted. Parang na-harden na yung emotions mo kasi na-gasgas ka nung buong araw na yun. Humihingi talaga ako ng pahinga. Sinasabi ko wala na akong mailabas, and they would understand.”

Her current role in the ABS-CBN primetime series “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala” does sound emotionally and physically exhausting because she plays the battered wife Anessa who will do everything to be free from her husband and to protect her child. In doing so, her character learns a martial art to defend herself and her oppressed loved ones.

“The twist here is about a little boy who is my character’s son with Sam Milby and my battle to get him back. The phrase ‘Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala’ can be connected to everyone in Anessa’s life such as her family, her son, and even her sanity. In reality, you can always say that to someone or something,” she said.

Judy Ann added she feels fortunate that the soap’s producers gave her a chance to “suggest and request.”

“I appreciate how they ask for my opinion because I realized that as an actress, you have to be 110% involved in your project. You have to know the flow of the story and the other characters,” said Judy Ann, whose last soap before the present was three years ago.

While waiting for the right comeback, she tried out hosting for the first time through “Junior Master Chef Pinoy Edition.” Recalling that experience, Judy Ann shared, “I learned to enjoy hosting simply because you’re just talking. Ryan served as my tutor, and that made us even closer. When you’ve done a lot of things in the past, you want to challenge yourself with what else you can do aside from the usual. I wanted to prove to viewers that I can be more than an actress. So when that show was offered to me, I readily said yes because that was God’s answer to my need for a different challenge. The first edition with kids was difficult because you had to tame your comments in order not to hurt them. I saw my daughter in the contestants. At the same time, I became more of a people person because I got to interact with different people.”

Judy Ann also talked about the evolution of Philippine soap operas, a subject the 35-year-old is quite knowledgeable on, having begun her TV career at the ripe age of eight. We asked her preference between soaps that ran for years (“Mara Clara” which propelled her to household name-status lasted for five years, while her second most memorable soap “Esperanza” ran for three years) versus this generation’s norm of faster turn-over among TV shows.

The actress opined, “Before, airing a soap for years was okay since iilan lang yung teleseryes, hindi masyadong marami. Now, there are sometimes four soap operas back to back everyday. Can you actually watch all those if it won’t be finished after four years? Hindi ba bilang viewer, medyo utakan na rin? Viewers now are smarter, which is challenging for us. Now they know a soap is extended because of the high ratings. I’m not saying they were stupid before, it’s just that now, people are longing for another story kaagad.”

“On the other hand, if they’ve been watching your character for years, like in Mara Clara, you build a very strong connection with viewers. Lumaki ka sa harap ng mata nila and they saw how you’ve progressed bilang bata hanggang sa naging dalaga ka. Ngayon naman, if a teleserye runs for six months, napapag-usapan ng konti pero after that, tapos na. Not unless it was really a phenomenal success and it becomes part of history. But that usually happens in one out of 20 teleseryes.”

Becoming a mom has also altered the way she works. Now that she manages a household, living practically on set akin to her single years would no longer cut it. “Nung dalaga ka, wala ka talagang cut-off time. I would work seven days a week, 24/7. Ngayon, I work three times a week and my cut-off is 12 midnight. The rest of the week is when I do pictorials and TVCs, but after straight work for three days, I usually have two days off to be with my family. As much as possible, I try to finish early so that I can be with my kids before they go to bed.”

Judy Ann makes sure she remains a positive influence to her little ones, which means she has to be extra careful with what she does on-cam even if these are make-believe, because her kids can’t still fully grasp that their famous mom is just playing a screen role. 

“You need to have that awareness because when you become a mother, your children will eventually see your work, and you want to inspire them. You want them to be proud of you. Nagawa ko na naman lahat ng love team moments nung dalaga pa ako. When you have kids, you want to protect them from getting hurt because there are things they still cannot understand. Like scenes with different partners…si Yohan, she still doesn’t understand why her mom is holding hands with another guy. You have to explain to them that it’s just acting.” (FREEMAN)