RICHARD Gutierrez and Marian Rivera in “My Lady Boss”
All is well now between actress Marian Rivera and producer Lily Monteverde.
The Regal matriarch earlier said she was slighted when Rivera turned down her offer of a role in a Regal Entertainment movie that would have featured her with top drama actress Judy Ann Santos.
In a recent press conference, Monteverde addressed the Kapuso star: “I treat you like my own daughter. Past is past. Let’s just work harmoniously.”
The former “Darna” star argued that she had merely asked the movie outfit to put the movie on hold because she wasn’t ready to do it.
“I never said no,” Rivera insisted. “I’ve been with [Regal] for seven years now. In fact, I’m set to make two more movies [with the company].”
She promised to meet with the producer soon. “We all know how Mother (Lily Monteverde) is. This is all just a misunderstanding. I owe Mother a debt of gratitude. Aamuin ko na lang s’ya.”
No script
Alfie Lorenzo, Santos’ talent manager who was present at the media gathering, said his ward didn’t agree to do the film, either. “She (Santos) asked for a script,” Lorenzo elaborated. “But Regal didn’t have one yet. We were told what it was about, and we felt the story was similar to her current drama series.”
When Santos was informed of the project, Regal executive Roselle Monteverde said, Regal was still awaiting response from Rivera’s camp.
“Marian’s handler, Rams David, later said the actress preferred a solo movie. We don’t know whether that was from Marian or just Ram,” she said.
More picky
Rivera said she no longer wanted “to just keep saying yes to every project. I want my next one to be well-planned and executed.” She added: “I want to be prepared when I finally get to work with Ms. Judy Ann. She’s a really good actress and I know that I will learn a lot from her. I also want it said that I did well working alongside her.”
Rivera will be seen in the romantic comedy “My Lady Boss,” whose screening schedule was moved from April to July 13.
Directed by Jade Castro, “My Lady Boss” also features Richard Gutierrez, Tom Rodriguez, Rocco Nacino, Sef Cadayona, Ronaldo Valdez and Maricel Laxa.
Rivera also stars in the fantasy-adventure flick, “Kung Fu Divas,” with Ai-Ai de las Alas.