Cheer Factor: Learning from the best

EULA Caballero and Ritz Azul

Teen stars Eula Caballero and Ritz Azul have been in show biz for barely 10 months but they have already worked with some of the country’s most respected veteran actresses. The experience, the “Star Factor” alums said, is better than any acting workshop they have attended.

Eula told reporters in a recent press con that she considers Nora Aunor, her mom in the concluded TV5 mini-series “Sa Ngalan Ng Ina,” a “workshop master.”

The 16-year-old said that on top of the valuable life and career experiences that Aunor shared, the Superstar regularly gave her acting advice in between takes or in casual chats during breaks.

“I used to think that being nervous was a sign of inexperience,” she told the Inquirer. “But Ms. Nora told me that nervousness is a wild energy that I could use to bring more life into my acting. She said it’s a matter of harnessing the jitters, and not letting them eat you up.”

She added: “To put me at ease, Ms. Nora told me, ‘Basta nanay n’yo ’ko, anak ko kayo—on and off cam.’”

Another thing Eula learned from Aunor was that acting, more than heart and emotions, is also an intellectual process. “When I watch her scenes, I can see that she’s a really smart actress. She’s very quick, she improvises and she does things that are not in the script. She always varies her attack. Sometimes I wonder what I would need to do just to be as good as she is.”

Eula also plays Maricel Soriano’s daughter in Regal Films’ offering for the coming Metro Manila Film Festival, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

“I’m in awe of how Ms. Maricel delivers her lines,” she noted. “Even if I close my eyes, I can still feel her intensity—her voice alone does that. Her acting is so natural.”

Seventeen-year-old Ritz, on the other hand, said she was flattered when Lorna Tolentino praised her acting. “She’s so supportive,” she said of her costar in the TV series “Glamorosa.” “She also understands that I’m still a newbie feeling my way around.”

Although they’ve only shot a few of scenes together, Ritz said she already felt LT’s presence and mettle as an actress. “She’s amazing. Even without lines, her eyes express volumes.”

Both Eula and Ritz have signed a four-year contract with Regal Films. As new “Regal babies,” the two will star in eight to 10 movies under the production outfit. Eula’s first will be “Yesterday,” while Ritz will be a part of the comedy “Hototay,” which is slated for next year.