Angel Aquino’s advice to daughter Iana

Angel Aquino (left) with Iana Bernardez

Actress Angel Aquino finally caught daughter Iana Bernardez’s big-screen debut in Dwein Baltazar’s “Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus” on its last day.

Angel emerged from the theater mighty “proud and happy” after witnessing “how Iana fleshed out her character, Aileen.”

Making Angel beam brighter was the slew of rave reviews that 24-year-old Iana had received for the CineFilipino film.

Impressed

To top it off, the “Hypothalamus” cast won best ensemble at the indie fest.

Mom was impressed.

“I liked…her rawness, vulnerability, the cluelessness and the glint of wisdom,” she said.

“My daughter has the passion and I know that, if she chooses her path well, she will be a great actor someday. I can only wish I were as good as my daughter when I was starting,” she added.

When Iana expressed her wish to join the movies, Angel was “not surprised” at all. “I’m actually glad she saw the wonder, the greatness and the complexity that is show business,” she related.

Piece of advice

Mom gave her daughter a simple piece of advice before allowing her to embark on this grand adventure: “I told her to trust her instincts and to keep herself open to learning; to go easy on herself and stay relaxed; to use tension to her advantage; not overthink and overrehearse but learn her lines and character well.”

“I wish there will be an opportunity to do that,” she remarked on the possibility of acting with Iana in a project together. “I wonder how our dynamics will be and how we will keep it professional.”

Right tools

As a mom, she makes sure to encourage her kids’ talents and equip them with the right tools to face the world.

“I try to give them a sound environment where they can discover who they are, what they want and what they can be,” she pointed out. “I tried to grow up and learn with them. They saw me make mistakes and we would talk about these things together. We made a pact to stay honest and real to one another and see each other as our best friend.”

Angel, who had her daughters at a young age, can very well pass as Iana’s sister. Still, she will never allow the negligible age difference to get in the way of parenting.

“Our family may be ‘unconventional’ in many ways but we’re pretty conservative when it comes to respecting seniority and authority,” she explained.

In a nutshell, she described herself as a “relaxed and democratic” mom. “My two daughters are free to express their thoughts and opinions and share their predicaments with me.”

Only human

But a mom is only human. “Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments too, when I just shut down and choose to not be present…I can be moody! But we’re all very careful not to hurt each other’s feelings.”

She admitted that being a single parent “only gets challenging financially.”
Fortunately, Angel can rely on a steady support group at home whenever the going gets tough.

“My family, my wonderful Nanay (mother) and fantastic siblings never left my side. They all helped me raise my kids,” Angel asserted.
“When I need to be away for a long time to work, Nanay takes over. And my siblings showered my daughters with an outpouring of love that they never felt lacking of it.”