Young stars would often joke that to be slapped by veteran actress Maricel Soriano is such a big, big honor. The Diamond Star herself reacts to such ‘sampalan’ moments and more heavy scenes from Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin in this edition of Kapamilya React.
One of the most highly-anticipated events in the series was Marissa (Jodi Sta. Maria)’s comeback, now fiercer and bolder as the owner of La Sierra. It was explosive and downright epic. To make it more striking, Maricel’s character, Nanay Lucing, made a grand entrance as she stormed to the resurrected Marissa and welcomed her daughter with a killer slap. Drama multiplied by two!
Watching that scene, Maricel says there are qualities of Lucing she doesn’t resonate with. She can’t hurt and be that mad at her own kid in real life. “Noong ginagawa ito, ayaw ko munang magpaapekto kasi sobra akong nasasaktan. Nakakainis for me. Naiinis ako kay Lucing kasi hindi man lang niya binigyan ‘yung anak niya ng pagkakataon na magpaliwanag,” she opens up. However, she knows it’s her job to deliver the required emotions regardless of what she feels about it.
What about her slaps that make them so iconic and enthralling to the viewers? The award-winning actress laughs and wonders as well. She thinks it’s because people can relate to the scene and the character’s ordeal. Maricel, everyone’s beloved ‘Inay,’ stresses that a mother’s hands are not meant for hurting her children, thus such incidents upset the parent more.
“Siguro bilang Nanay, nararamdaman din ng isang ina talaga ‘yung hindi naman alam ng kabataan kung gaano kahirap magpakawala ng isang sampal para lang masampal sila dahil gusto nilang ituwid ang mga bata. Kasi hindi naman mag-iisip ang magulang ng ikasasama ninyo,” she adds.
The next scene shows Lucing coming uninvited to an administrative meeting headed by her nemesis, Belen (Rita Avila). The Diamond Star laughs over Lucing’s entrance. She says it was a challenging scene because her character felt half-hearted and clueless yet she had to make her appear tough.
Viewers started to witness Lucing’s transformation from being saintly-mannered to a bolder mom ready to fight for her daughter. Maricel roots for her character, saying it is just right that Lucing learned to fight back, “Kasi niloko siya ni Belen, inagawan ng asawa once upon a time, so hindi natin maaalis kay Lucing ‘yung galit niya kay Belen.”
Lucing unleashed her inner beast in that scene where she snarled at Belen and Ellice (Iza Calzado) as they forbade her from seeing Hope (Kira Balinger.) The superstar highlights the teamwork behind such heavy scenes, saying they have good directors as well. And as an actress, it’s her job to live up to her directors’ expectations, “’Pag nakita ko na naka-smile na si Direk, happy na rin ako dahil ibig sabihin nagampanan ko ng tama ‘yung gusto niya na gawin ko.”
When pushed to her limits, Lucing will never raise the white flag. The last scene shows Lucing backing up Marissa in a clash against Belen and Ellice as she learned about the enemies’ attempt to kill her daughter. “It was full of hatred and revenge. Ito kasing eksena na ito, sagad na sagad na si Lucing sa mga ginagawa ni Belen at Ellice. Ito ‘yung parang do-or-die,” Maricel describes the scene, which they perfected in a single take.
Maricel shares a bonus trivia. Her most unforgettable take is for that scene wherein she tried to run after Marissa’s vehicle. She had a bad fall and sustained wounds on both knees but the show must go on.
On the lessons imparted by the series, Maricel highlights a parent’s responsibility in shaping a child’s character, “Bilang magulang, gabay tayo ng mga anak natin kaya dapat nag-iingat din tayo. Dahil kung ano ang nakikita sa atin ng mga anak natin, ginagaya nila.”
The showbiz icon further relates the value of self-love and compassion in sorting through misunderstandings, “You always have to leave some for yourself. At the same time, hindi lahat ng bagay dinadaan sa gulo o away. Naniniwala ako na lahat ng bagay pwedeng pag-usapan. Huwag sarado kasi hindi tayo makakapunta sa pupuntahan natin.”
Check out this video and look back on the actress’ grandest scenes in Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin.
Don’t miss the Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin “Heart-Stealing Ending” on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z. Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin was created by Dindo C. Perez and Julie Anne R. Benitez and directed by FM Reyes and Avel Sunpongco.