SHARON PLAYS A COMPLEX CHARACTER IN 'MAGKAPATID'
by Edmund L. Sicam, Inquirer News Service, June 11, 2002

SHARON Cuneta has done over 50 movies, but she states that her new movie, "Magkapatid," has been one of the most difficult in her entire career. "It was rare that a day would pass without a scene where I would get angry, or cry. We did the movie in 20 shooting days, so you can imagine how dramatic and draining every shooting was. I said nga, parang I'd rather do 'Madrasta' over again.

Study in grief

"Not to say that 'Madrasta' wasn't difficult. But she's more complex, this character. Because it's a study in grief. It's all about the stages she goes through, and the fact that she's not only grieving over a loved one, but also the fact that it was another loved one, her sister, who she feels caused the loss of this other one. So, how do you heal all that?"

"Nakakaloka naman ito, lahat ng klaseng iyak ginawa ko - may maingay, may quiet, may galit, ano ba yan! It's the first time ever, in over 50 movies that I really actually dreaded going to dubbing . Because I knew how difficult the scenes were that we had shot! Because you would have to get back into the emotion, and then synch your voice and your dialogue... your voice has to convey a lot of things, not just follow the movement of your mouth... it took me over five days...one of the hardest things I've ever had to dub."

But Sharon also admits, "When a movie's very demanding it's usually also very rewarding. I enjoyed the challenge-not that I'm a masochist."

Joel Lamangan, director of the movie, remarked that Sharon is more mature this time around-compared to eight years ago, when he directed her in "Kapantay ay Langit." Sharon's comment? "I think so, too. I think it has to do with this whole range of experiences you gather in eight years. I've remarried, had two miscarriages, had a baby, raised a teenager, lost a father... took over some of his roles, taking care of my mother, looking out for my nephews, being on top of my work, on top of the things I have to do...

"It's a constant struggle to keep things balanced. I'm blessed with a husband who understands and knows that it's not a job that requires me to be out of the house 24 hours a day for the whole year, it's just a couple of months at a time. I've proven it already, that movie with Richard was my first movie in two years, but after that, it took me two years to do the one with Robin.

"So basically for four years, I was really just his wife and mother to KC and I carried Frankie to full term and had her. So siguro, I'm in a better place also in my life that directly influences and affects my work in that I'm not struggling to prove anything anymore."

Since she brought it up, how are the marriage and the family? Everything seems to be hunky-dory with her. "It's hunky-dory because I work hard at it. It takes a lot to make a marriage not just work, but happy. It's been six years. It takes a lot to be a mother to a 17-year-old in this day and age and at the same time, mother to a one year, five-month-old baby.

"Frankly, sometimes I feel I have to get in touch with me. Parang, ay, teka, you're a wife, a mother, a daughter, here you're an actress, a singer--wait a minute, where's Sharon? I have not had time alone since 1999. Sometimes we need that. But it would break my heart to leave my baby even for just a few days."

Good exposure

Add to that the fact that not only Sharon's in the limelight, but her children, too. "I think it's good exposure, hindi naman pilit. Like KC, you probably know already, had to turn down maybe 10 offers for other commercials even if it meant big bucks for her. Yung katwiran ko, I've worked hard all these years para hindi siya maghirap. You should concentrate on what is important, when you're able to give me good grades as well as do the other things, fine. But let's not sacrifice like I did, because you don't have to.

"With Frankie, it's more like, oh, that's a nice thing, so 10 years from now, she'll see, this is how you were when you were one year old... they're really two different cases, because KC from the day she was born, kasi love team kami ni Gabby, parang, so much of her privacy was violated.

"Si Frankie, was the opposite, because Kiko's not a matinee idol I did movies with, and when I had two miscarriages, I practically asked the entire country to pray for me, and they did, and the baby was born, I think by the strength of their prayers. Hindi ko naman puwede ipagdamot, lang, di ba? So iba ang case niya. You just want to keep a healthy balance there."

How about Sharon's career, has she got a healthy balance? Well, she's got another movie with Viva coming up; a possible movie with Richard Gomez under Star Cinema; she's still got her talk show in ABS-CBN; in August, she's going to celebrate her 25th year in showbusiness with a big celebratory concert (even though her actual anniversary is in January next year), and her album is still out in the market-it's even reached Hong Kong. Something tells us that the answer is in the affirmative!