Sharon Cuneta’s Mega moments

Walking back to her dressing room, Sharon Cuneta rehearses a Barbra Streisand song that’s included in the repertoire of her coming two-night concert at The Theatre of Solaire (Oct. 15 and 22).

Earphones plugged to her smartphone, she’ll listen to the tune again throughout the ride home. It’s one productive way to cope with Manila’s daily “carmageddon.”

That is but a peek into her rigorous process as singer and actress. She admits that she prepares for each show and movie as if she were a medical student studying for the board exam.

And you take her word for it.

After all, she has earned the title Megastar through sheer hard work, perseverance and dedication. “I had to show extra effort compared to others, because haters thought I had it easy because my dad was Mayor Pablo Cuneta.”

She hopes to share the same no-nonsense work ethic to the young talents who are her guests in the Solaire shows—all 24 members of Team Sharon, including Antonetthe Tismo, second placer in the latest season of “The Voice Kids.”

Another young guest in the show is Sharon’s second daughter, Frankie Pangilinan, now 15.

In answering questions for this exclusive interview, Sharon is just as detailed and judicious. As bonus, the megawatt wit never wavers—not even for a moment.

She is completely present. Her voice is hushed, recalling personal pains, and swiftly becomes effusive, when talk turns to her precious family.

You said that you went through a lot in the last few years.

I was always sick. My respiratory system has always been weak even as a kid. But then, I had high-blood pressure…Four years ago, it hit 190 over 200. I was hospitalized in the middle of the Christmas season.

Didn’t you also have financial issues at that time?

I was never unwealthy, but I had cash-flow problems because my investments were tied up in real estate. I had half a billion pesos in loans. With God’s help, I was able to go through half of that.

What was the lesson from that trial?

Cash is king! I was always responsible…smart with my earnings. It was the one thing I could control, or so I thought. As they say: Man makes plans and then God laughs. I thought I’d be able to retire soon. At 50, I didn’t think I’d have these problems. Maybe God doesn’t want me to retire yet.

What were other realizations?

Humility. I was too complacent. I trusted too much in my fans. I forgot to take care of myself.

Then your mom Elaine Cuneta passed away in 2014.

Admittedly, and I am not proud of it, sometimes I didn’t like visiting, because she said things to hurt my feelings. But there were times I loved seeing her because she was very funny. She had dementia. Then, she got better. Then things took a turn for the worse. I told myself that I would never do that to my children.

Your roles were reversed.

That is the law of the universe. I told my children, when I am old and, God forbid, I get sick, I don’t want you to have to worry about me. I wish it won’t be a lingering illness. Sana, it would happen fast. But my kids would say that they would fight over the chance to take care of me. They’re so cute!

You were able to do that to your mom and dad.

That’s my pride. It was an honor to take care of my parents.

Did that cross your mind when you decided to focus on your health?

Yes, of course! First, I asked myself: Why am I doing this to myself? It was like giving up smoking…

Which you did.

I quit 13 years ago.

Maybe that was why you gained weight?

Exactly. But I couldn’t tell people that. Before, just give me coffee and cigarettes, I’d be fine.

When I saw myself on TV, in “Asap,” for my birthday celebration last January, I cried…I don’t want to be 50, fat and unfit. I didn’t know I had gotten that big. I would always hide behind my family when we took pictures. I had lost weight before that. But I stopped weighing myself and I gained 30 pounds na pala. By the time I decided [to slim down], I had gained so much more than I had lost.

How did you do lose 66 pounds in nine months?

Very slowly. I tried the Cohen Diet, the Scarsdale Diet, the South Beach Diet…I kept crash-dieting, and the rebound was horrible. I basically ruined my metabolism.

When I was on a diet, I was miserable and angry…then I binged. Now, I’ve learned not to deprive myself. I’ll eat anything I want, but in moderation. I’ll have mais con hielo, but only half a glass. Not six glasses! (Laughs)

There is no particular diet this time?

None. Although for “The Voice Kids” finals, I tried a version of Cohen, for a few days.

Speaking of “The Voice,” you said that you learned a lot from the kids?

It was humbling. I am basically a grateful person, but I became more thankful. I sing because I love it. But some of the best kids in this batch want to better their circumstances in life. I wanted Antonetthe to win, so that she could move out of their house that’s under a bridge in Parañaque.

Is she still there?

Yes. I hope ABS-CBN helps her. I made it a point to tell people that I didn’t pick her because of the sob story. The show is called “The Voice,” not “The Pity.”

How is Antonetthe now?

She is OK daw. I ask my friends to check on her. She’s back in school. She’s now in Grade 6. I hope she doesn’t change and remains grounded.  It seems her parents raised her well. I asked her if she really wanted to win, because she looked so cool. She said that winning was OK, but if she didn’t, she’d be fine, as long as she and her family were together.

Antonetthe is like the girls you portrayed in your old movies, “Bukas, Luluhod ang mga Tala” and “Pasan Ko ang Daigdig.”

I wanted her to sing “Pangarap na Bituin” (from “Bukas, Luluhod”) in the finals. But the staff told me somebody else had sung it. I wanted to give her “Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas” and I am very possessive of that song. But again, it had been performed before.

You will take care of the talent fees of the 24 kids in the concerts?

My talent fee will go to them! (Laughs) It’s not about money; it’s about legacy…I hope that they will remember that forever. That their first concert was with Coach Sharon. That she fulfilled her promise. I hope people would notice them. I am working on something for some of them.

What kind of mentor are you?

Like with my children, I am nurturing, but strict also. I can’t be lax. I can’t be too forgiving, because it’s for their own good. I hope they will remember me not just as someone they worked with, but as someone who touched their lives.

Do you also mentor your other guest, Frankie?

She doesn’t need much mentoring. But she doesn’t hesitate to come to me if she has a question. I am proud of her. She is PRO in her school. She plays soccer. She does theater. She was Lady Macbeth in a school play. We are going into talent management. Frankie asked me to manage her, but I am sure her dad [Sen. Francis Pangilinan] won’t allow her to do anything.

Is there pressure on them to be good performers, too?

It seems Frankie and Miel don’t have hang-ups. Unlike [my eldest] KC, they didn’t see the peak of my busy-ness. I spent most of my life with them as a normal mom. My youngest Miguel saw a picture of [the concert] “Mega Event.” He asked me: “Wow, that’s a lot of people! Mom, are you a star?”

That’s why I don’t see the whole decade, when I didn’t work as much as I would have had I been thin, as a waste…because it gave me time to be with my family. In the process, I raised good kids. That’s my pride and joy. In the end, that’s all that matters.