If
you look at Maricel Soriano now, you probably won’t
believe that she’s already 42. Her slender figure
becomes her and you would agree she looks 10 years
younger. The Diamond Star has managed to stay slim
by watching what she eats. She says one’s metabolism
slows down at the age of 40, hence, she takes less
carbs and never forgets to exercise.
“Also,
it’s important to have a good relationship with
the Lord,” Maricel tells the press during her
A Love Story presscon. “Having peace of mind
is very important and you can only achieve that when
you learn to trust Him completely.”
Maricel
was one of the busiest actresses last year. She did
two independent digital films, Numbalik Diwa for Bobby
Bonifacio and Inang Yaya for Pablo Biglang-Awa. She
won the Cinemanila Best Actress award for the former
and the Golden Screen Best Actress award for the latter.
This year, she was handled by yet another new director,
Jun Lana, in the “Umiyak Man ang Langit”
episode of Paraiso: Tatlong Kuwento ng Pag-ibig. She
played a mother whose three daughters perished in
a landslide in Leyte.
“
I enjoy working with new directors as they are full
of fresh ideas,” she says. “Marami rin
akong natutuhan sa kanila saka ibang experience
naman working with new directors. It’s my
way of giving back for the good deeds I encountered
in the past. I was also an unknown when I started
as a child star 37 years ago. Tinanggap agad ako
ng the likes of Tirso Cruz III and then Tito Dolphy.”
At
the same time, the award-winning actress still enjoys
working with veteran filmmakers. For A Love Story,
she had a blast working with Maryo J. delos Reyes.
(She’s now filming Bahay Kubo with Joel Lamangan.)
Reunited
She’s
very happy to be reunited with “Direk Maryo”
who was an early mentor during her teen years under
Regal Films, her home studio for many years.
“It
was Direk Maryo who directed me in Saan Darating
ang Umaga under Viva Films for which I won a FAMAS
Best Supporting Actress award in 1984. He was also
my director in Kaya Kong Abutin ang Langit, one
of my biggest solo hits, where I played an anti-heroine,”
recalls Maria. They also worked on Pepe en Pilar
with Gabby Concepcion, Schoolgirls with Snooky Serna,
Minsan May Isang Ina with Nora Aunor and the late
Charito Solis.
Now,
with A Love Story, Direk Maryo keeps the guessing
game going as it’s not very clear if it’s
Maricel or co-star Angelica Panginiban who plays
the other woman in Aga’s life. “Don’t
ask me anything about the plot because we’re
instructed not to reveal any details, so there will
be a surprise for the viewers. I only found out
how the movie ended during the premiere night. Even
when we were filming, our co-stars didn’t
have full copies of the script with them. They only
had copies of the sequences that we were doing for
the day. Sinadya nila iyon para hindi nga malaman
ng ibang tao kung ano ang twist sa ending.”
