AUNOR. Mediocre portrayals should be anathema to icons like her.
For many years now, we’ve resolutely “defended” screen icon, Nora Aunor, from her many critics, who dismiss her as a has-been. Now that she’s made her nth successful comeback, therefore, we hope that Nora’s fans will forgive us for pointing out that she could now be frittering away her key advantage, due to some of the questionable roles that she has agreed to play of late.
When she launched her successful comeback a couple of seasons ago via her “Sa Ngalan ng Ina” drama series, we praised her portrayal.
When she won accolades for her intense performance in “Thy Womb” both here and abroad, we similarly cheered her achievement.
Of late, however, we’ve seen Nora playing roles “undeserving” of her talent and stature, and we’ve been saddened by this, because not even a great actress can mitigate or survive a mediocre or downright bad portrayal.
We started getting worried when we caught Nora doing a drama that was poorly conceptualized and written. Later, things went from bad to worse when she guest-starred in an episode in a horror series that was more sorry than scary. More recently, we even saw her essay a phlegmatic character in a fantasy teleserye!
It’s great that producers are excited about casting Nora in their shows again. Time was, after all, when most of them wouldn’t even touch her with a 10-foot pole. But, we’ve been boosting Nora’s career all these years not just to see her acting again, but for her to play roles commensurate to her exceptional talent.
What good to anyone is that great gift if it is put to paltry use in mediocre roles? Yes, even great actors have to earn a living, but we daresay that Nora is doing relatively well financially these days, so she can “afford” to be more selective about the parts she agrees to play.
She may have contractual obligations to comply with, but producers should cast her not just because she’s available and will add to their show’s cachet, but because the roles they conceptualize will bring out the best in her. What good is a screen icon’s comeback if it results in less-than-noteworthy portrayals that other and lesser talents can also come up with?
We know that exceptional roles and performances don’t come that often, but mediocre and downright bad portrayals should be anathema to icons like Nora, because they are so undeserving of their special gift and vast experience.
We trust, therefore, that our few authentic screen icons realize that they have a gift that should be properly showcased.
If they continue to do less than outstanding work, their prized reputation for excellence itself could end up being irreparably damaged—and we would all be the poorer for it!