Marian Rivera and Gabby Concepcion. Screenshot from Gabby Concepcion’s Instagram
It has been quite a while since Kapuso actress Marian Rivera graced the teleserye scene, but the “Super Ma’am” star is ready to make an out-of this-world showbiz comeback as she is set to play two characters in her upcoming series, one of which was that of an alien.
In her interview with GMA reporter Lhar Santiago, which was shown in “24 Oras,” the actress shared her excitement over her dual role for the series, especially as this is her first time playing the role of a being from outer space.
“Nae-excite ako kung pa’no ko gagawin ‘yung character niya as [an] alien. Siyempre, bago ‘to sa’kin, first time kong gagawin so pag-aaralan naming mabuti kung pa’no ‘yung magiging itsura niya as an alien,” she said.
(I’m excited about how I’ll be playing the character as an alien. Of course, this is new to me, it’s my first time to do it so we’ll be studying how the character will look like as an alien.)
The upcoming project, which already held its story conference, will also mark the first-time pairing of Rivera and Gabby Concepcion, who she was supposed to star opposite in the 2021 GMA series “First Yaya.”
The “Encantadia” actress shared how Concepcion teased her when they met at the story conference, confirming with her if their project will finally push through. “O, eto ha, totoo na ‘to ha?” Rivera quoted Concepcion as telling her.
In his Instagram post, the “First Lady” (the sequel to “First Yaya”) actor snapped a photo with Rivera with the caption, “Matutuloy na din sa wakas!!!” He also added the hashtag #againstallodds. (It’s [the project with Rivera] finally going to happen.)
Aside from Concepcion, Rivera will also be working with a mix of experienced and up-and-coming actors, which include Max Collins, Buboy Villar, Kiray Celis, Josh Ford, Caitlyn Stave, and Gabby Eigenmann, who has worked with Rivera in previous Kapuso dramas.
“[‘Y]ung casting, konti lang ‘yung nakatrabaho ko before. Siguro dahil sa four years akong hindi nagtrabaho. So ang daming mukha na bago para sa akin na looking forward ako na makatrabaho sila,” the actress shared.
(With regard to casting, I’ve only worked with a few of them before. I guess, it’s because I have not worked for four years. So there are a lot of new faces for me that I look forward to working with.)
While the actress firmly claimed that she is truly “game na” (I’m game.) to do the project — which would mean time away from her two kids — she revealed that on her way to the story conference, she found herself questioning the truth of her coming back to do a teleserye. She even uttered to herself, “Itutuloy ko ba?” (Will I push through [with the series]?)
With both her and husband Dingdong Dantes working, Rivera emphasized the importance of making adjustments in their schedules.
“Kailangan kapag ako may work, adjust siya. Kapag siya, adjust din ako,” Rivera said, adding that in the event that both of them can’t be with the kids, the grandmothers are there to help them. (If I have work, he needs to adjust. If he has work, I’ll also adjust.)
Rivera previously bared that she decided to give up her lead role in “First Nanay” to prioritize her family, especially her kids, amid the pandemic. The role was eventually portrayed by Sanya Lopez, while the project was renamed “First Yaya.” EDV