We rooted for her as the sweet but tough Tisay in Bagong Umaga. In this episode of Kapamilya Chat, we’d fall even more in love with Heaven Peralejo through her candid stories about the series and co-stars.
Through her breakout role in Bagong Umaga, Heaven proved that she is more than just an angelic beauty on screen. More than the captivating charm, she’s blessed with the acting talent needed to secure her spot in the world of drama. Take for instance the lovable scenes that showed her bigheartedness towards her family. On other days, she’s the assertive young journalist ready to give a fight for the truth. In some episodes, she displayed her inner spunk and romantic side.
This versatility and her overall performance, she said, were achieved through the help of the show’s directors and creative team. On her off days, conversations with Directors Carlo Po Artillaga and Paco Sta Ana will widen her perspective and spark ‘hugots.’ Thus, she will miss bonding with them, her co-actors, and the rest of the team.
Heaven went on to share her top three most favorite taping days. She talked about the last day wherein everyone got sentimental. She also hinted at an explosive scene to watch out for in the finale.
Of course, her first taping day will be one for the books. She was then feeling nervous, amazed, and clueless. At first, Heaven was shy to approach senior artists like Nikki Valdez and Keempee De Leon. She thought to herself, “Ito pala ‘yung taping life!” Heaven had to dabble in acting, taking pointers about the ins and outs of drama, and building rapport with her co-stars.
Shooting Tisay and Dodong (Yves Flores)’s birthday scene is also one of the happiest and it was immortalized on her vlog.
Moving on to her top three memorable scenes, Heaven mentioned Tisay’s drama-heavy scene with Monica (Nikki) and Jose (Keempee) as she learned about her true identity. It was perfected in a single take, thanks to their bond. “Ramdam ko lahat. The whole time, walang kumalas. After no’n, magang-maga ang mga mata namin kasi lahat ng luha namin, binigay na namin.”
Next, review that scene of Tisay and Maggie (Sunshine Cruz) searching for Cai (Barbie Imperial) in a bar. It was easy to deliver the required emotions of anger and pain because of Sunshine’s moving performance as well. “Sabi ni Direk Paco, ‘Huwag kang iiyak. ‘Pag umiyak ka, punasan mo agad ‘yung luha mo.’” So Heaven bitterly wiped away her tear, giving that scene an extra punch.
Her third most favorite is another dramatic encounter with Keempee for the finale week. She can remember they were feeling tired that day, so re-take is the last thing they wanted. Aiming for a single good take, they loaded up on emotions by telling each other parting messages. They expressed how much they’re going to miss each other, and it got so easy from there.
Here’s another trivia: Heaven was supposed to play Barbie Imperial’s Cai Veradona. But, two days before the shoot, she got the biggest plot twist of her life. “Inaral ko na ‘yung script tapos, hala, may meeting daw. Sabi ko, ‘Baka tanggalin ako.’ Then, that’s when the big bosses told me, ‘Heaven, you got the role of Tisay. Ikaw ang napili namin bilang Tisay.’” She was speechless at first. When it started to sink in, Heaven just let out a celebratory squeal.
Heaven did not know how to react. She was happy but scared at the same time because she only had two days to prepare for her big break. “Iba ‘yung inaral ko tapos iba din ‘yung nakuha kong role. I only had two days to prepare, so parang naging 180 degrees ‘yung change ng buhay ko. Never kong makakalimutan ‘yun,” shared Heaven.
She had to work double time, so she spent those two days memorizing the script and studying her character. They also had script-reading on the lock-in set and that’s when she got to know Tisay in the directors’ perspective.
Heaven also shared her acting techniques. She’d begin the day dressed as her character. Especially during the early cycles of taping, she impressed everyone with her dedication to prove that she’s worth it.
The good thing is she can relate to Tisay’s big love for her parents and family, “Kahit anong mangyari, ipaglalaban ko ‘yung magulang ko.” While family members are there to support each other, Heaven stressed that they’re not supposed to tolerate mistakes.
Also, they are both ‘palaban.’ Just like how Tisay handles problems, Heaven blooms amid trials. One attitude of Tisay she doesn’t agree with is her stubbornness. There was a time when she’d tend to react first than empathize with other people’s feelings but she has already grown from there.
If she can talk to her character, Heaven would like to tell Tisay that she’s so loved, and that her family will be there to guide her in any challenge, “Marami ka pang haharapin pero huwag mong kakalimutan na nandiyan ang pamilya mo nagagabay sa’yo, dalawang pamilya pa nga. Well-loved ka. Laban lang sa buhay at huwag mawawalan ng bagong umaga.”
Tisay’s journey reminded Heaven of battling COVID-19. Looking back on her days in isolation, she said there was a friend who told her that life may be difficult but her family is there to give her strength. She learned to just live in the moment and refrain from overthinking the future. This way, she’s able to lessen and fight anxiety.
Don’t miss Bagong Umaga’s “Tagos Sa Pusng Pagtatapos” this Friday, April 30, after It’s Showtime, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.