IZA Calzado
“I’m very thankful GMA 7 extended the offer,” Iza said of the lead role in “Sentensiyada,” which was later given to Bianca King. “I said ‘no’ to it for several reasons. I believe that, in time, my bosses would have something better for me. Right now, it’s been one thing after the other, I couldn’t keep up.”
Iza took over the role of Regine Velasquez in the romantic comedy series “I Heart You, Pare” when the latter got pregnant.
The daughter of choreographer and TV director Lito Calzado is also one of Sen. Bong Revilla’s leading ladies in the upcoming sequel of “Ang Panday,” to be screened in December.
Only recently, Iza was cast in the sitcom “Andres de Saya” opposite Cesar Montano. She recently returned as cohost of “Eat Bulaga” and “Party Pilipinas” after making time for her other commitments.
“This (“Andres de Saya”) came so suddenly,” she told Inquirer Entertainment on Thursday. “We were informed only two weeks ago and it’s already going to air on May 28. We had a lot of things blocked off, like TV commercials and magazine show appearances. I’m also concerned about my two out-of-the-country trips for Pinoy TV in June.”
Total commitment
Iza denied that she wasn’t interested in doing “Sentensiyada,” explaining that she just couldn’t commit to the project 100 percent.
The 28-year-old actress added: “There are a lot of things I wish to pursue that I hope would make me a multifaceted individual. Hosting is one of them. Mr. (Tony) Tuviera, producer of ‘Eat Bulaga,’ recently decided to make me a permanent host of the noontime show. I don’t want to turn my back on him just because I got offered a big acting project. I kept saying that before I hit 30, I have to be able to do certain things. Now is my chance.”
The long working hours are reportedly taking its toll on Iza, who commented on it lengthily during the thanksgiving dinner for “I Heart You, Pare” on Wednesday night.
“We worked for more than 24 hours for the show’s finale,” she said on Thursday. “I wasn’t angry because of it. I used to do that three times a week when I was younger. (But) I just can’t stay up so late anymore. I just hope that one day we will all have respectable working hours. You’re not always given enough time to rest on the set, especially if you’re playing the lead.”
The actress said she was confident she’d be given enough rest while working on “Andres de Saya.”
However, it was the shift from drama to comedy that’s proving to be tough for her.
ANDOY Ranay with Regine Velasquez
“I’m not sure if I’m fully adjusted to it. I still feel shy,” said Iza, who plays Matilde Golpe de Oro, wife of Cesar Montano’s character Andres Taguyod. “She’s a motor-mouth. That’s a challenge for me. I’m used to talking softly and slowly when I’m doing drama. I still get tongue-tied a little.”
Andres, the family’s breadwinner, works as a bouncer in a bar. He does not aspire to be rich but his ultimate dream is to marry a woman he really loves. He knows he has found the woman of his dreams when he meets Matilde, who comes from a well-off family and is a title holder of many beauty pageants. One night, Matilde finds herself drunk and lying on Andres’ bed.
Asked whether she preferred a henpecked husband, Iza said: “I want my man to be able to make important decisions for the sake of our family. I don’t think an ‘ander de saya’ is the kind of man I will respect. Andres, when the situation calls for it, really puts his foot down. It’s just that he’s still wooing Matilde so he does everything to get to her good graces.”
“Andres de Saya” is based on the comic novel of Carlo J. Caparas. In 1980, it was adapted to film with Vic Vargas in the lead role and Gloria Diaz as his wife.
The TV adaptation also features Gloria Romero, Caridad Sanchez, Mike “Pekto” Nacua, Chariz Solomon, Fabio Ide, Elmo Magalona, Julie Anne San Jose and Jillian Ward.