Sophie Madrigales is bound to re-emerge in Aidan (Zanjoe Marudo)’s life. And based on teasers and her short debut in the series alone, she is fierce and dangerous, one who always gets what she wants.
Since everyone is thrilled about this returning-ex plot that will surely add more spice to Dirty Linen, Kapamilya Chat invited the actress behind Sophie, Elisse Joson, to know more about her role.
“It’s something different,” said Elisse of her character. Preparation is as much of an actress’ job as the performance itself. For her new assignment, Elisse dons a new hairstyle with bangs that she cut herself before heading to their lock-in location. When she arrived on set, the directors noted that her hairstyle suits her on-screen persona well.
“The look is very important for me kasi doon ko na-i-imbibe ‘yung character, so kailangan hindi siya ‘yung tipikal na nakikita sa araw-araw… Dapat iba talaga and fit sa role,” she added.
After poring over the script, she took it upon herself to build Sophie’s backstory and nuances, injecting details that make the character human. She wanted Sophie to be colorful yet real, “Kasi ayaw naman natin na we’re acting someone superficial. Kahit gaano pa ka-kontrabida si Sophie, she is a real person. She has to become alive.”
In her almost a decade in the industry, though she doesn’t consider herself a seasoned actress yet, Elisse has picked up techniques that help her create a relatable character. She meticulously crafts even the smallest detail of her portrayal such as the manner of walking and hand gestures.
Elisse took a long break from doing teleseryes after giving birth to her daughter with FPJ’s Batang Quiapo star McCoy de Leon, thus she’s thrilled to be back, let alone work with acclaimed actors.
“’Yung mga cast natin sa Dirty Linen talagang walang tapon. Siguro doon sa part na ‘yun, doon ako mas merong na-feel na pressure,” she admitted. She turned the jitters into power tools to shape her portrayal and make sure she is on par with her co-stars’ performance. At the end of the day, she knows her only competition is herself.
Though it’s her first time working with Zanjoe, she never felt awkward with him even in filming their kissing scene, which they re-shot thrice for camera angles. She said it’s easy to feel comfortable around Zanjoe, thanks in part to his gentlemanly ways. She also mentioned that Zanjoe gives compliments after a good take, and he’s so chill on set.
“Makikita mo how professional he is sa work, so ganu’n na lang din ‘yung gagawin mo. Hindi mo naman din mafe-feel na ang awkward,” she answered when asked about their kissing scene.
Elisse recently debuted in the series as Doña Cielo (Tessie Tomas) needed help in expanding her business. It turned out Elisse’s character Sophie belongs to a wealthy family that has connections to the Fieros, and as we all know by now, she is Aidan’s ex-girlfriend.
Elisse hinted at Sophie’s "dirty secrets," which add to our reasons for not missing an episode of Dirty Linen, airing weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5 and A2Z.