Moi Bien (left) with her former “boss” Piolo Pascual
Hatima Marcampo is no longer known as “just” the personal assistant of Piolo Pascual. The spunky Zamboangueña has come into her own and now goes by the screen name, Moi Bien. Although she does not work for Piolo anymore, Moi has Papa P.’s full support for her acting career.
She first caught our attention in “Kimmy Dora,” where she played Eugene Domingo’s household helper with great aplomb. Moi portrays the same role in the indie movie, “Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha” but, this time around, her “boss” is Megastar Sharon Cuneta. Their onscreen jousting delivers the punches.
Although it’s a dark comedy, Moi’s self-deprecating jokes lighten up some scenes. Just as the comedienne’s screen name connotes, her acting is “muy bien.”
Here’s my chat with Moi:
What was Piolo’s advice to you about acting? To do everything from the heart, so my acting will turn out right.
What was your memorable off-cam moment with Sharon? How we laughed like crazy and how “busog” we always were.
What don’t too many people know about Piolo? How “makulit,” in a cute way, he can be. Papa P would taunt me by making “nguso” to make it seem like our lips look the same. It’s fun to travel with him abroad, because he’s so “galante.” He always makes “libre” even if it’s expensive. He does not bother to compute the price in its peso equivalent.
What’s your favorite scene with Sharon? Our drinking session, because we totally cracked each other up with our ad-libs. And the phone call scene, where I said, “The number you are calling is not yet a number.”
She’s such a breeze to work with.
What’s Piolo’s daily routine? When he wakes up, he runs then goes to the gym. Bawal tatamad-tamad (you can’t be lazy). Even if I’m so hungry, he won’t allow me to eat without sweating it out first.
What makes Papa P hot-headed and how do you calm him down? He gets in a bad mood when he’s hungry. Just feed him yummy food and he’ll be in a good mood again.
How did Sharon make you feel at ease during your scenes? By making chika and having a good laugh before we shoot a scene. Madam always reminded me not to be nervous because she said she knew I could deliver. Her belief in me made me believe in myself. She guided me in all our scenes, so I didn’t feel intimidated at all.
What did you learn from Sharon? To get along well with the staff and crew, making them feel important and never making them go hungry on the set. To have a positive aura. To be accommodating to fans, no matter how tired you are.
How does your son feel, now that you’re a full-time actress? He’s happy for the good breaks coming my way. He’s also sad—my hectic schedule will lessen my time with him. But, he knows I’m working hard for his future.
Whose career path would you like to follow? Madam Sharon, of course. Although that might seem too ambitious for me (laughs).
Are you worried that you might be typecast in household help roles? Not at all, because there are only a few of us who are “regulars” in that kind of role. If it’s meant for me, then it’s for me—and if it’s meant for my co-actors, then it’s for them. There’s room for everybody.
What’s your dream role? Since it’s just a “dream,” which will never happen in real life, I’d like my character to be the most beautiful girl (with the help of makeup and styling, everything is possible) who will be pursued by all the handsome guys around her!