Dream project marks Marian’s return to acting after 5 years

Marian Rivera

“As long as it airs on GMA 7,” said actress Marian Rivera in response to a question on whether or not she would be open to appearing in a noontime show to promote her latest projects.

The question was related to the highly publicized reshuffle in the noontime slot on channels GMA 7, TV5 and GTV.

“I’m an exclusive talent of GMA 7. I will follow whatever the network tells me because I respect my bosses,” said Marian as a way to answer questions from show biz scribes related to the controversy.

Brothers Tito and Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon (collectively known as TVJ)—the former hosts of “Eat Bulaga,” a show that’s currently airing at noon on GMA 7—now appear in a program that airs In the same time slot but on TV5.

Meanwhile, when the blocktime agreement that TV5 had with ABS-CBN for the program “It’s Showtime” expired on June 30, the program transferred to GTV, a “sister channel” of GMA 7.

Marian, on the other hand, is a talent of Antonio Tuviera’s APT Entertainment Inc. Tuviera is part owner of TAPE Inc., which is producing “Eat Bulaga.”

Happy

Marian, however, said she is happy that TVJ has returned to television sooner than expected. “Everyone missed them. We all wanted to see what they would be doing on the new platform that they were given. I congratulate them. Everyone is happy to see them again,” the actress said.

Marian added that everyone should be happy that the network war seems to have finally ended. “Our goal as entertainers has always been to provide happiness and enjoyment to viewers. We will be able to achieve this goal now that we are more inclined to do collaborations,” she said, adding that while she’s “very open” to appearing on “It’s Showtime” as a guest, there’s no definite plan just yet.

Speaking of collaborations, Marian admitted that she is both excited and nervous about her film with husband, Dingdong Dantes, under ABS-CBN Films, titled “Rewind.”

“It’s a dream come true for me. It’s my first time with Star Cinema, as well as with Direk Mae [Cruz-Alviar]. It’s been 10 years since I worked on a movie with Dong. It’s a great opportunity. It just makes me extremely uneasy because I have not acted in front of the camera for five years. I know there will be adjustments. It’s like going back to zero. Mangangapa talaga ako, that’s for sure. But I’m positive that with the help of people I will be working with, I’d be able to easily get my groove back,” she said.

Marian is also set to do a soap series titled “Against All Odds” with Gabby Concepcion. “This is long overdue. We were supposed to start working on this two months ago. I’ve always said that I only want to make a project that I’d be proud of that my children could watch. This is one of those projects,” she declared.

Acceptance

“Right now, my priority is to be the best wife to my husband and mom to my kids. Dong and I want to raise kind and God-fearing children,” Marian told reporters during a media gathering to launch her as the female endorser of Beautederm’s affiliate company, BlancPro. She is the face of BlancPro’s Jeju White line of moisturizing lotions.

“Since Zia is quite mature for her age, I now have heart-to-heart talks with her. I always remind her to love herself. As a parent, you need to accept your child wholeheartedly, including her imperfections and insecurities. Of course, may kulit pa rin, after all, they’re kids, but if they see that you’re accepting of who they are, they will grow up to be confident and spirited individuals. Zia and Sixto know that Dong and I will be by their side no matter what happens,” the proud mother said.

Zia, who is now 7, is already being trained to be a responsible big sister to Sixto, Marian said. “When I’m out of the house, she updates me about what her brother is doing. She takes the role of an ‘ate’ very seriously and proudly. I’m also starting to train her to be responsible in keeping her own room tidy. She knows that she’s supposed to turn off the lights and the TV when they’re not in use. She also washes her own underwear. She’s a very sensitive kid. She knows how to carry herself well,” Marian shared with reporters.

When it comes to maintaining love and passion in her eight-year marriage with Dingdong, Marian said: “It’s important that we put God at the center of our relationship. It also helps that we have open communication. We sit down and talk about our day. Lastly, it’s also important that we respect whatever decisions the other makes for our family.”

Marian claimed that she is now living the dream: a loving family and a long-lasting acting career. “I am grateful to God for all that He has given me. I am not the type who would aim for material things. What’s important to me is the happiness I feel within, as well as those shared with me by my husband and kids. For me, those are priceless.” INQ