Judy Ann dedicates 80 percent of her time to her family.
Award-winning actress Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who is in the middle of doing both a film and a TV series, said she preferred not to be tied down by any network contract, “because work would now depend on the amount of energy I have.”
Judy Ann’s contract with her home network ABS-CBN expired in early 2019. “This is something that I’m OK with because I also need the chance to rest my mind. I can’t keep thinking about work all the time,” the actress told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview. “I’ve always had a very honest and open relationship with ABS-CBN when it came to doing a teleserye or any project they gave me. Yes, we’ve had misunderstandings along the way, but we always resolved them eventually. In fact, I was no longer under contract with them when I did ‘Starla,’ [which ran from 2019 to 2020].”
The actress continued: “When the pandemic hit, I was thankful that my network bosses still gave me ‘Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan.’ With my life today as a wife and mother, I’m very much content. I can’t ask for anything more. I’m very much settled where I am.”
As an artist, however, Judy Ann admitted that she wanted more creative freedom and control over her personal time. “I want to be in charge of the projects I’m doing. I want to be the one calling the shots. This is not because I’ve now turned into a diva, but because work would now depend on the amount of energy I have,” she explained.
Per project basis
“I prefer working on a per project basis now. Eighty percent of my time is dedicated to my family. I love my job as a mom and a wife. The remaining 20 percent is for my passion, such as acting, as well as cooking and managing (her restaurant) Angrydobo,” Judy Ann said.
She clarified, though, that she still misses acting, but would make time only for projects she considered worthwhile. “I grew up in this business. I’ve been acting since I was 8. I guess, I now deserve to be picky with projects. For most of my life, I was surrounded by people who would dictate to me what I should do. I also had no say over the coactors I got to work with. I’m done with all of that now. These days, I only choose projects that I feel will help shape my career as an actress.”
She recently returned from Toronto, Canada, where she shot Rahyan Carlos’ horror film “The Diary of Mrs. Winters,” alongside Sam Milby. The film is scheduled for commercial release later this year.
Judy Ann Santos- Agoncillo
Prior to working on the film, Judy Ann started taping for a series produced by Reality MM Studios. Sadly, she isn’t allowed to talk about the project at the moment. “It’s not done yet. It’s not by ABS-CBN, but I called up Tita Cory [Vidanes, Kapamilya network COO] to tell her about it. I did most of my TV series with ABS-CBN, so I felt guilty about doing this one without them. Tita Cory thanked me for telling her even if, she said, I didn’t have to.”
New faces
Meanwhile, the actress said she welcomed the chance to work on a “refreshing” TV project once again. “While I’m glad to be seeing very familiar faces on the set, I also liked the fact that there are new faces around. They are lucky to work with the likes of Gina Alajar and Edu Manzano because they now have a background on the kind of good relationship and right attitude they have to have on the set,” Judy Ann observed.
“They should always be on time and ready with their lines. They should not make their coworkers wait for them like divas. They have to be ready like boy scouts on the set. That’s how I am as an actor,” said Judy Ann. “I grew up in this industry, and I love it so much. I guess this was why the production team understood when I said I wanted to take a break from taping first while I shoot the movie.”
Judy Ann also pointed out that she would never retire from acting, and has simply decided to lay low. “In fact, I don’t mind doing cameos. They only require a few days of taping. I have no problem with that,” said Judy Ann when asked whether she would also want to appear in the new action-adventure series “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” as a guest actor.
“I just didn’t foresee that the taping of my series and the shooting of the movie would overlap. Iraraos ko ito. I will not let any of the producers down. I will be true to my word,” she promised. INQ