Sue Ramirez diligently studied her character as a mistress in The Broken Marriage Vow and embraced all that comes with it – the sacrifices, hard work, commitment, adulation, and even hate.

“Si Lexy Lucero ay isang babaeng nagmahal at hindi niya inaasahan na gan’un ‘yung magiging takbo ng buhay niya pagkatapos niyang magmahal,” Sue described her new role, adding that Lexy is a sweet and loving girl inside, idealistic to the point of wanting to always get what she wants.

Based on the series’ original version, “Doctor Foster,” and all other adaptations, Lexy’s character is bound to be the focal point of ‘gigil.’ Well who wouldn’t hate the mistress? But for Sue, Lexy is actually a victim. The real villain, she believes, is the husband who cheats and plays with other women’s vulnerability.

The impassioned bashing, however, didn’t stop her from accepting the role. She also turned pressure into excitement, sure that Filipino talent and creativity can keep up with the success of all the other adaptations.

“Sumemplang lang si Lexy sa love. At ‘yung guy naman, keeps on feeding her mga pambobola na ‘Hindi na ako masaya. Iiwan ko na talaga’ pero hindi naman ginagawa,” she said. Sue understands where the ‘gigil’ comes from because she herself can relate to the viewers’ reaction.

She accepts all the ‘gigil’ as badges of honor but she doesn’t want to take all the credit, giving props instead to the people behind her effective portrayal – from directors to glam and creative team.

So hate the character all you want but Sue would only take it as validation of her good performance. Besides, she’s secured of her motives and core. She knows she’s different from her onscreen persona. And if you’re her follower, you’ll know how to draw the line, too.

“Hindi ako natakot na tanggapin ‘yung role na Lexy kasi nga kilala naman ako ng mga tao.. Very open naman ako sa social media, sa mga interviews ko. Hindi ako nagtatago. Hindi ako nagsisinungaling. Thirteen years old pa lang ako, nakita na nila akong lumalaki. Hindi ako natakot tanggapin si Lexy kasi alam ko hindi nila ako ija-judge based sa character ko. They know me and they have seen me before. Hindi ako natakot ma-bash kasi expected ko ‘yun at ‘yun ang goal,” she further shared in this episode of Kapamilya Chat.

She even loves it when people call her Lexy in public places. But she won’t appreciate you siding with Team Lexy, “Hoy, huwag kayong Team Lexy! Nanggigil ako sa inyo. Team Sue na lang tayo,” she said, laughing.

Sue went on to talk about her co-stars, starting off with Zaijian Jaranilla, whose training as a former child star was evident in his scenes. She said it would be impossible not to cry with Zaijian and that he always brings something new to veer away from his saint boy image. “I think si Zaijian, 5 years old when he started, at walang kupas si Zaijian Jaranilla. Dito, sobrang galing niya as Gio. Ramdam na ramdam ko ‘yung innocence, ‘yung angst niya, at struggles ng mga bata na dumadaan sa pinagdadaanan ni Gio,” she said, adding that Zaijian will impress more in the coming weeks as he slowly discovers his father’s betrayal.

Working with Zanjoe Marudo, she didn’t have to pretend liking him, vocal about having a huge crush on the actor. And now she’s able to turn her ‘kilig’ into motivation for her scenes. “Always naman in every character, we give a piece of ourselves in the same manner that we also take away lessons doon sa mga characters na ginagawa namin. So, sana nagre-reflect naman du’n ‘yung pagka-in love ni Lexy kay David. ‘Di ba, ‘pag tumingin ‘yung Lexy kay David, parang talong-talo, ‘Ay! In love na in love siya!’ Nakakaloka! Kawawa naman ‘yung bata,” she explained.

She had the nicest things to say about Jodi, the busiest of them all but one who never runs out of ways to help. She admires her professionalism that’s perfected since her teenage days in showbiz. “Nakita ko talaga ‘yung positive outlook niya in life, how she’s willing to help everyone one set, how kind she is. Very inspirational,” shared Sue.

Jodi not only motivates co-stars during takes but helps them relax during free time using her knowledge in acupuncture. “Parang naging stress-reliever na rin niya ‘yun. Kaya wala akong masabi, sobrang saludo ako kay Ate Jodi. Ate Jodi, mahal na mahal kita, alam mo ‘yan. I’m so blessed to work with her.”

She is such a huge fan that it feels like a big, big honor to be sharing scenes with her. She recalled meeting her for the first time as a fan girl. She was around 12, not yet an actress, when Jodi’s teleserye taped in a location near her family’s house. Then-boyish Sue biked to the location and caught Jodi coming out of the van carrying little Thirdy. Shy to ask for a photo op, Sue simply took a candid shot of Jodi. Looking back, she never thought that one day, she’d be acting side by side Jodi, let alone be friends with her. She added that while Jodi is so finesse and full of wisdom, the seasoned actress has a funny side as well.

What viewers see onscreen is intense rivalry between the mistress and legal wife but off-cam, Sue and Jodi work as a team. Great scenes are never mounted just by a single person’s effort. It takes a village. Case in point: the trending scene where Sue hit the back of Jodi’s head over dinner at the Lucero abode.

Sue admitted she wanted to fake the scene to avoid hurting her co-star. Jodi, however, wanted to make it appear real. It further elevated her already high respect toward the award-winning actress. “Nakakatakot siyang gawin pero para sa inyong lahat, tinanggap po ni Ate Jodi ‘yung batok. Well, artista kami for a reason at siguro naman ‘yung mga gan’un, kaya naming i-jerk o dayain na lang ‘yung mga sampal. Pero ‘pag kailangang-kailangan talaga, we really make sure na ‘yung audiences will get the quality ng emotion at acting. So makakatulong talaga kung totohanan,” she said.

Also one of the most lauded scenes from the series, so far, is the birthday party where Jill finally unearthed a solid evidence of her husband’s affair. Adding more bite is Jill’s dream sequence where she imagined herself striking at Lexy with a scissor, then, Lexy’s scream brought Jill back to her senses. Her reaction, according to Sue, wasn’t part of the script but an impromptu command from Director Connie Macatuno.

The scene is also praised for Jodi’s no-dialogue acting, using only her eyes, tears, and facial reaction to express how devastating it felt. Sue is satisfied when viewers comment about such elements because their main goal in the series is to make the scenes subtle. Maybe Filipinos are used to seeing ‘kabit seryes’ that focus on the mistress and legal wife going at each other’s throats; as if the more scandalous, the better. The Broken Marriage Vow, however, aims to depart from the traditional confrontation extravaganza.

“Hindi kami dito nagwawala. Dito sa teleserye na ‘to, hindi kami ‘yung explosive. Malala na nga ‘yung batok na ‘yun, eh. Ang maganda dito, ‘yung explosions hindi n’yo nakikita. We’re like volcanoes under water. ‘Yung explosions, you cannot see but you will feel via tsunami of emotions,” she explained.

As for her takeaways from her character, Sue would like to see Lexy’s go-getter attitude as empowering, although it went borderline toxic later on. She said Lexy inspired her to also pursue new things including meditation, which she often did in the series playing a yoga instructor.

She also realized that the first rule of ‘adulting’ is to listen to your parents, “Sobrang importante pala talaga because your parents want what’s best for you. Kahit naman si David na nagloko, ang gusto niya talaga is what’s best for Gio. At the end of the day, si Lexy siguro ang pagsisisi niya hindi siya nakinig sa magulang niya.”

Talking more of Lexy’s mistakes, Sue believes no woman would want to be a mistress, “Kung ginusto nila, eh ‘di sila ‘yung nakakagigil.” But sometimes love can be blinding, “Pero iwasan n’yo, guys.”

Sue is also certain she will never be a Lexy in real life, “I don’t think I’m one to destroy a relationship. And of course I’m also in a happy relationship right now. So I don’t think and I hope na hindi na ako magkaroon ng chance pa in the future. Pero hindi talaga. Very hopeless romantic kasi ako. I’m the type na ‘pag in love, in love talaga ako. Binubuhos ko lahat ng time, effort, at pagmamahal ko sa taong mahal ko. But I don’t think I’m one to destroy a relationship,” said the Kapamilya actress who’s happily in love with boyfriend Javi Benitez.

And to philandering men, here’s what Sue had to say: “’Yung mga lalaki diyan, hoy, nakakahiya kayo. Nang-eeskandalo kayo ng ibang babae. Ine-eskandalo n’yo ‘yung pamilya ninyo. Sinisira ninyo ang buhay ng mga anak ninyo.”

She continued, “Marriage is a commitment. It is a contract. Kapag nag-settle down ka, make sure that you are ready to settle down. You have to love your partner every day. Alam mong nagbabago siya. Alam mong may nade-develop siyang ugali na baka hindi mo nagustuhan pero sumumpa ka at dahil pumirma ka ng kontrata, paninindigan mo ‘yun at dapat mong mahalin ang lahat tungkol sa partner mo.”

Near the end of the interview, Sue was asked her reaction to her trending guesting on ASAP Natin ‘To wherein she was introduced as her character along with the other cast members. Sue stunned everyone when she walked on stage imbibing every inch of Lexy’s persona. She said it’s more than just a ‘pasabog’ but rather to show viewers how committed she is to her role. And since they’re committed, she also hopes viewers will also devote their time watching the series.

Catch Sue as Lexy in The Broken Marriage Vow, weekdays, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.