Bianca Umali and Ken Chan (foreground)
While some actors find the transition from comedy to heavy drama difficult, the opposite is true for Bianca Umali and Ken Chan. Because they have spent most of their respective careers doing heavy soap operas, the two Kapuso actors admitted that they had to feel their way through “Her Big Boss,” the comedy-themed second installment of “Mano Po Legacy.”
For Bianca, playing the bubbly executive assistant, Irene, is one of her most difficult acting assignments yet.
A different experience
“I was trained in heavy drama, so that became my comfort zone … If you see Irene, she’s always happy, smiling, restless and bubbly. It’s my first time playing a character as energetic as her. She’s different from what I’m like in my personal life,” she said in a virtual conference for the said television anthology produced by GMA 7 and Regal Entertainment.
Directed by Easy Ferrer, “Her Big Boss” revolves around Irene, a headstrong woman who thinks she already has her life all planned out. But just as she’s about to tie the knot with her longtime boyfriend, Nestor (Kelvin Miranda), and start a new life in Australia, Irene finds herself working for the Chinese businessman, Richard (Ken Chan). And the more they spend time together, the more Irene gets romantically confused. “It’s my first straight comedy role so I didn’t know how to execute it. I made sure to talk to my director. Playing someone who’s so energetic was tough. Sometimes, after the scenes, I find myself catching my breath,” she said. “But while it’s physically taxing, I try to draw inspiration from my costars. But it was fun because it’s a different experience.”
Chan
While Ken Chan loves watching romantic comedy films and series, doing one is a different story. “It’s my weakness… Doing comedy is difficult for me as an actor, like the way you have to deliver your lines. We had to rely on our director, who tells us if we’re giving too little or too much. We both came from heavy dramas, iyakan, so this is all new to us,” he said.
Part of his preparations include watching the Korean drama “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” and the American sitcom “The Big Bang Theory. “That’s what I did when I learned that I would be part of ‘Mano Po.’ It’s a first time for me to play an introvert who’s a perfectionist and very meticulous,” he said. After the taping, Bianca developed a deeper sense of appreciation for comedy and respect for comedians, including Pokwang, who plays Irene’s mother, Becca.
What comedy means
“I may have underestimated what comedy really means. It’s not a break from doing drama. It’s something completely different—a different animal. I used to think that if you smile, laugh, make jokes, that’s it. But comedy is challenging and requires just as much effort—if not more—than other genres,” she said, adding that working with Pokwang was a learning experience.
Umali
“I have been watching her for a long time, and ang sarap-sarap niya katrabaho,” Bianca added. “Being with her I have learned that comedy isn’t just about making people happy oncam, but also offcam.”
Meanwhile, Pokwang had nothing but good words for the two young stars who, despite their relative inexperience in comedy, still managed to give instinctive performances.
“They’re both naturally talented. They had guidance from the director, but their instincts come out because they have the innate talent. They’re also very good at adjusting or adapting to the situation,” Pokwang said. “The best thing about them is that they’re not bida-bida. They’re already good, but they still want to learn more. I’m lucky I was able to work with these two.” INQ