Judy Ann Santos (right) and Angelica Panganiban in “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes”
Actress Judy Ann Santos, who in the comedy flick “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes” plays a wife who discovers she is married to a gay man, said this experience would shock and destroy her if it happened to her in real life.
“You would not be able to talk to me properly for about three days; after that, I’d start looking for evidence,” said the actress, who has been married to TV host Ryan Agoncillo since 2009. “Luckily, I don’t see any signs in Ryan. He is definitely not gay!”
The couple has two biological children, Lucho and Luna, and an adopted daughter, Yohan.
“Mind you, this story is something that happens in real life…At some point, you will ask yourself, ‘Is this for real, or am I just in a teleserye?’ Whether your husband cheated on you with a man or another woman, you would still feel hurt because you were deceived,” pointed out Judy Ann, or Juday as she is fondly called in show biz circles.
What’s important
As to whether she could fall in love with a gay person if Ryan wasn’t in the picture, Juday replied: “It really depends. I see couples who appear to be happy with this setup. It doesn’t matter if the person is gay, as long as he truly loves you, takes care of you and treats you with respect. You will no longer question his gender identity.”
She added: “Problems start to surface once respect becomes absent in a relationship, once a person starts to cheat on you. What’s important is that your love for each other is real.”
“Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes” is a journey of two women, Lianne (Juday) and Cindy (Angelica), who have the same surnames and are both pursuing their erring husbands. Conflict arises when they discover that their husbands have an affair with each other. This leads them to a series of misadventures in the hope of foiling their husbands’ relationship.
Angelica, meanwhile, said she was thrilled to be able to work again with Juday, whom she treats as her big sister. The two were last seen together in the TV drama “Sa Puso Ko’y Iingatan Ka” on ABS-CBN.
“Back then, I hardly spoke with Ate Juday on the set. I was so starstruck. I would just listen to her stories and laugh at the side. Now, I’m more confident to engage in conversations with her,” Angelica shared with reporters at a recent media gathering.
Deep friendship
“I can say that we’ve developed a really deep friendship while working on this project. You might see me hanging out at Ate Juday’s house for a while once we’re done with this film because I’m sure to get separation anxiety,” Angelica said.
Juday only has good words for her younger costar.
“I’ve known Angelica for quite a while. It’s true that she used to be the quiet type. Now, she has blossomed into a beautiful flower,” Juday noted. “I see that she has gone through so much in her life and this made her more mature. She went through different painful breakups and survived them all.”
Asked what pieces of advice, particularly on mending a broken heart, she gave Angelica recently, Juday said: “I didn’t have to (give any). She has things under control.”
Jun Robles Lana directs “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes,” which is a story he developed from a screenplay he had written with Elmer Gatchalian. The film, a coproduction between IdeaFirst Company, Quantum Films and Star Cinema, will start showing in cinemas nationwide on Jan. 17. It also features Joross Gamboa, JC de Vera, Carmi Martin and Nico Antonio.