Yayo Aguila on love teams, being Belle Mariano’s look-alike
(LEFT) Yayo Aguila and Belle Mariano
She’s a pretty girl, so why not?” said seasoned actress Yayo Aguila, who just laughed off comments by netizens that she could be the long-lost mom of teen star Belle Mariano.
“I’m actually a fan of DonBelle,” said Yayo of the on-screen partnership between Belle and Donny Pangilinan. “I’ve played mom to Belle before, in the series ‘He’s Into Her.’ Although I didn’t have a scene with her. My picture was just in the locket she was wearing.”
Yayo continued: “Even my kids noticed the resemblance. They would look at her Instagram photos, then show me those that remind them of me. I’m happy about it. Gandang bata! It makes me proud.”
During the media launch of her latest sitcom, “Team A: Happy Fam, Happy Life,” Yayo was asked to share her views on love teams in local show biz, in general, and about her being a part of one when she was younger.
“A lot of actors turn into celebrities because of love teams. They are there because the audience patronizes them. There are actors who have gone solo, but didn’t do very well compared to when they were in a team. We give credit to these on-screen partnerships,” she pointed out.
Business element
In reference to the issue of some artists admitting to being forced to do work that makes them feel unhappy or curtails their creative freedom, Yayo has this to say: “Show business is called as such because there’s also a business element to it. As an artist, you should also have a say in the career path you want. That’s why you have a manager or handler to help you voice out your opinions. You just have to be able to clearly state what you want and communicate this with them well.
“When young talents ask me for advice, I tell them, ‘You first have to know what you want. Then, be ready to articulate this to the people you closely work with. If they make you do something you’re not comfortable doing, be sure to say so. Then maybe, you can all work around that. In the end, you won’t feel as if you were forced to do it. You always have a choice. No one can force you to do anything you don’t want,’” she said.
In “Team A,” Yayo works closely with the popular love team of Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles, collectively known as KimJe. She was all praise for the two, who are also a couple and business partners in real life.
“I’m very vocal about it when I like a person. I enjoy working and hanging out with KimJe. I’ve never heard them complain, even though they’re already very tired. We’ve been taping for days and we’re all just very happy on the set. I guess that’s really something that we should all work on since we’re doing comedy.”
Working with real-life partner
In “Team A,” Yayo plays Violeta, the snooty mom to Janet, Kim’s character. She disapproves of her daughter’s decision to marry Ian (Jerald), whom she thinks is an underachiever and does not deserve Janet’s love.
“I’ve gone through what they’re experiencing now—working with a real-life partner. This requires so much professionalism from both parties,” said Yayo, who used to be married to actor William Martinez, with whom she has four children. “KimJe is unique because they are also business partners. On the set, they would sit far apart from each other sometimes. I guess this is their way of handling it. Couples don’t have to be together or hold hands all the time. They are handling their partnership, in all aspects, pretty well,” Yayo said.
When it was Inquirer Entertainment’s turn to ask her about the current status of her heart at the moment, Yayo said: “I’ve posted about it a few months ago. I said I’m in a happy place. I didn’t say anything concrete. I’m right there in the middle. I guess that’s just OK because I’m only human, and I also know that William has already found another person to be with.”
By being in the “middle,” Yayo meant that while she has already allowed herself to date other men, she still wanted to prioritize her acting career. “For the longest time, I kept telling everyone that I didn’t want to remarry anymore. However, I’ve also reached a point in my life when I also long to share happy moments with somebody, to get pretty and go out on dates. Even my children, who are all adults now, would encourage me to go out but I’m torn because I love my work so much and I want to give it the attention it deserves.”
She continued: “I’m happy that I’m still being offered jobs at this point in my career. I’m so grateful, especially to Viva Entertainment, that I don’t want to turn down any project even though I already feel tired sometimes. For me, it’s not just the money anymore, it’s the trust given to me. There are other actors out there, but my bosses keep requesting for me. Who am I to say ‘no’ to them?”
Yayo is also a cast member of the GMA 7 drama series “Underage.” Meanwhile, “Team A,” directed by Mervyn Brondial, started airing on March 18 on TV5.
