Dimples Romana (left) and Gonzalez
Beauty Gonzalez described “Kadenang Ginto,” which airs its finale on Feb. 7, as her “make-or-break teleserye.” She admitted to have considered transferring from ABS-CBN to rival network GMA 7 had this project not been offered to her sooner.
“I came back; and I was able to prove that I deserve the project that was given to me, that I deserve to be where I am now,” she told reporters on Wednesday during the press conference for the finale of the drama series that first aired on Oct. 8, 2018.“Now, I can truly say that I’m an actress;” added Beauty, whose entry to show biz was via the reality talent search “Pinoy Big Brother” in 2008. “That I still have what it takes to make the audience feel affected and engaged.”
She said, though, that her only wish would be to “make friends with my costars,” adding that she had always kept to herself while on the set because she wanted to focus on being her character, the show’s heroine Romina Andrada-Mondragon. “Yes, we became a family, but we were all busy, especially me. I admit that I didn’t always get in touch with them. This is why I refuse to say that this is the end. It’s just the start of a beautiful friendship with them,” she declared.
Beauty, who grew up in Cebu, also admitted that she was often surly at work, “because I needed to concentrate. I’m Bisaya and am always trying to remember all the Tagalog words I have to say.” She said it’s difficult especially when the scene she would be doing is a catfight between Romina and Dimples Romana’s character, Daniela Mondragon.
“We would slap each other’s cheeks. Ang sakit din! You don’t want to do that again and again, so you have to be prepared on the first take,” she explained. “I’m thankful to Dimples. I wouldn’t be as effective at being Romina if she wasn’t my Daniela.”
To the production team, Beauty said: “Thank you for being understanding. I’m your difficult child.”
She said there were times when she got too tired because of work and would miss her husband Norman and daughter Olivia. “That’s when my being Bisaya comes out. I turn into Annabel Rama—I love her, but I’m talking about her being masungit. I said I was a difficult child because, I admit, ’di ako plastic—I would become too frank, sometimes. If I feel l that I need to say something out loud, I do it.”
As to the lessons she learned from doing “Kadenang Ginto,” she said it was “to be more open; to be more kind; to be more accepting; and to be happy with what you have. Also, that I should spend more time with friends and family, especially those I work with in this show.”
She said there were four things that she considered “golden moments” while doing the show. “First was the opportunity to get to know everyone who’s part of it. Second, that I won my first best actress trophy for my performance here,” she recalled. “Third was when our rating went up to 27 percent (considered the show’s all-time high),” she pointed out. “The highest we got for my previous show ‘Pusong Ligaw’ was only 21 percent.”
Beauty Gonzalez
Another memorable incident for Beauty was when she returned to her home province and was greeted by screaming supporters. “This was only a few weeks ago. Everyone shouted, “Romina! Romina!’ In spite of the ratings, the recognitions, it’s really the people shouting my (character’s) name that touched my heart.”
When the series finally wraps up, Beauty said she would immediately work on another show. “I want to strike while the iron is hot. I won’t look like this anymore in five years’ time, although I will try my best to maintain it,” she told reporters.
“Kadenang Ginto,” which would run for a total of 16 months when it ends, also stars Francine Diaz, Andrea Brillantes, Kyle Echarri, Seth Fedelin, Albert Martinez, Adrian Alandy and Richard Yap. INQ