Sue Ramirez (left) and Jodi Sta. Maria
I’m just the actor who delivered the lines,” said Jodi Sta. Maria when asked for her reaction to the fact that some of her memorable scenes in the drama series “The Broken Marriage Vow” (TBMV) have gone viral and are now the subject of memes, parodies and spoofs.
One of the most popular among Jodi’s lines was: “Papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part,” which she delivered after her character, Jill, has decided to exact revenge from her husband, David (Zanjoe Marudo), whom she discovered is having an affair. This line has become so popular that it’s now being used in political campaigns.
“I would say it’s fun. Who would think that a simple line like that would go viral? I guess I have to give the credit to the show’s writers. They thought of that line, I was just the actor who delivered it. It’s really theirs,” Jodi pointed out during a recent virtual media conference.
Positive reviews
Another TBMV scene that has gone viral was the dinner confrontation between Jill and David’s mistress, Lexi (Sue Ramirez). Jodi’s line that goes, “Your daughter is sleeping with my husband…,” is now featured in a remix that’s being uploaded by hundreds on Tiktok.
“This all started with AC (Bonifacio, social media superstar and fellow Kapamilya talent). She did her own remix. She sent me a message asking me to watch her show when the tune premiered. I saw her performance and realized that she really did great. I congratulated her because she did everything on her own. It was a one-man show. She did the costume changes by herself, the music and editing of videos were all hers. I told her to keep making people happy with what she’s doing,” recalled Jodi, who even gamely gave her “sample” of the remix during the media conference.
Jodi said she was aware of the positive reviews that the show has been receiving since it premiered in January on the Kapamilya channel. “The goal was never to copy what you see in the original version (“Doctor Foster”) but to really make it our own without veering away so much from the original. I consider the good comments as validation for all of us, that what we did was something right,” Jodi pointed out.
Sta. Maria (right) with Ramirez and Zanjoe Marudo
“Also, we know that the theme of the show is very serious and heavy, but Filipinos are very creative. They always find a way to make themselves laugh even during difficult situations. They created memes and spoofs. For me, this is a good thing. They help spread awareness that a show like this exists,” she added.
Sue agreed by saying, “I think the writers really plotted it in such a way that it will relate to audiences of all ages. I’m grateful to those who posted spoofs online. If not for them, people would feel that our serye is too heavy. We don’t want that because there’s already so much going on in real life. Napapagaan nila. Thank you, because you are helping the show so much.”
Dinner scene
For Sue, the dinner scene, where she had to hit Jodi on the head, was the hardest one to shoot. “It’s also the most-talked-about scene of the teleserye, although more intense scenes are yet to be shown. Gumuho ang mundo ni Lexi after that scene. Her secret was revealed in front of her parents. Lexi was just waiting for the time when David finally leaves Jill and she would already tell her parents about their relationship, but David’s wife beat her to it. Lexi became a big disappointment to her parents, something that she never wanted to happen.”
Sue claimed that Lexi’s being a go-getter is the trait that she loves, and hates, the most about her character. “She will try to get what she wants. This is a good trait—if you want to accomplish something, you will do your best to get it—but the extreme side of it is that you no longer realize that what you’re doing is wrong. There has to be balance. This can be a very dangerous trait for a person,” she explained.
Asked what her go-to song is whenever she’s brokenhearted, Sue replied: “I don’t listen to happy tunes. I prefer songs that help me cry. I want to just experience the emotion hoping the pain will disappear soon enough. I have this specific song that I liked listening to when I was going through a heartbreak. It’s called ‘Walang Hanggan’ by Quest. One line goes, ‘Sabi mo walang hanggan pero ‘eto tayo sa dulo…’”Jodi said she behaves like Sue when she’s heartbroken. “If I’m sad, I listen to sad songs, too. I want to be able to release the pain as quickly as possible. Iiyak mo na ‘yan! That’s why I listen to Aiza Seguerra’s ‘Anong Nangyari sa Ating Dalawa.’” INQ