Entertainment

Marya is not for the fainthearted

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You won’t find sugarcoated truths in this corner. If you were expecting them, then you certainly have wandered into the wrong place.

While we may have our little biases and pet peeves, we set out always to look at showbiz occurrences and traditions from a broader viewpoint.        

This should have long been done. The time is now.    

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It was perhaps why Carmen Rosales did it in the early ‘60s or after her, Lolita Rodriguez in the late ‘70s. Those two remarkable ladies of the silver screen knew better than to prolong their stay even when much of the applause and mania has died down.

This comes to mind on the heels of the big Maricel Soriano, seasoned star and Gerald Anderson, homegrown Kapamilya prized property altercation. What really transpired on the set of “Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin,” the soap that was to be the ABS-CBN comeback of its former drama queen Maricel Soriano and a showcase for one of its favored finds Gerald Anderson is open to different interpretations, depending on whose camp you are on.

The aftermath of the real-life confrontation between Soriano and Anderson who play mother and son in the said soap is even more interesting to examine. In a matter of a day after the news leaked to media, a decision was reached, with Soriano eased out of the series and Anderson retained.

Was Maricel adamant not to work with Gerald again? Or was it Gerald who asked to be taken out of the series if Maricel were to stay around? We could only second-guess.

There are, however, summations that crystallize out of the whole brouhaha. Had this been the ‘90s when Marya – as admirers and colleagues call the decidedly mercurial actress – was raking in the money for the Lopez-owned media conglomerate, it is foregone conclusion that Anderson would have been shown the way out.

But this is the here and now, and in the eyes of ABS-CBN, Marya is yesterday’s star without whom a “serye” with a lamely-acted lead part would still bring in the ads and the ratings.        

Yes, we fully concede that Soriano should have exercised more sobriety in dealing with a perpetual non-actor whose mother studio’s drumbeaters have made him believe that he can actually act and that he will one day join the ranks of the truly great thespians in the industry. But then again, reality is staring Maricel Soriano right in the face. As an editor-friend intones: “Showbiz worships on the altar of youth.”

The incident can only be best described as “unfortunate” but there are underlying implications that need to be addressed. For instance, a showbiz scribe who goes un-credited in the “Seen Scene” section of a tab pointed out that Maricel Soriano’s followers are no different from Nora Aunor’s supporters because these groups of fans choose to turn a blind eye to the fact that the stars they venerate have chronic attitude problem.

Now, we would totally understand someone like Soriano who is as much famous for her scintillating gifts before the cameras as she is notorious for her temperamental and tempestuous nature to value the time and labor of lowly underpaid workers in the industry (read: TV crews and staff) and so she sees to it that she comes to the set prepared, focused, at times possessed with a maniacal insistence at perfection.

Artists are a quirky lot. And we are spelling that out for the sake of those who are light years away from ever being named “an artist” in their line of work.

“She behaved (in this particular incident) as she is known for,” says someone who has worked with Soriano in previous projects. “True-to-form. Hindi ba nasabihan din niya si Diet (Diether Ocampo) dati when they did the movie ‘Soltera’? O si Roxanne Guinoo when they did Maricel’s last TV project with ABS-CBN na ‘Florinda’? Ang ending naging ninang pa ni Roxanne sa kasal si Marya. Pero bakit sina Diether at Roxanne took it good-naturedly? Hindi nila pinersonal. At nagtanda na sila after that.”

Our source then drops the bomb: “She really cannot stand lousy actors.” Indeed, Anderson should have known better. Or should have been told what to expect in the company of an acting legend. If this were Hollywood, he would have gotten worse from say, Katharine Hepburn.

Being current fair-haired boy of the studio (these titles flit from one recipient to the next) does not in any way give you license to be lax. Acting is not for those who treat it as a source of amusement and financial gains. You have got to give back as much as you are able to get.

We can personally vouch for Anderson’s lack of focus and attentiveness, and in this case, as an interviewee. Two years ago, we were interviewing him for a story and from the get-go, his eyes were wandering off at different directions, giving us nothing but stock answers.  

A veteran director swears by the reality show discovery’s “cockiness.” “May kaartehan talaga iyang batang ‘yan.”

What we aim to arrive at is the chance to put this whole mess in proper perspective. That things be presented to the public with a sense of fairness. We can never expect Soriano to defend herself even in the eye of a maelstrom. She would characteristically keep mum. She has made her point and that’s that. Those holier and more righteous than her can do all the nitpicking they want to their heart’s content.

But then, it does not at all surprise us, the subtle maneuverings from Anderson’s camp to draw sympathy towards him. With the vast ABS-CBN resources to back him up, that feat is as easy to accomplish as solving the simplest mathematical equation. But is it in any way just?                    

We would like to quote, at this point, a post on an online forum from someone who goes by the user name isabel_felix: “It’s hard but Maricel has to accept that she no longer works in an environment where the craft and the art is still truly appreciated and held high.

“She should understand that this is the AGE OF MEDIOCRITY. I could imagine how sad and frustrating this has been to her, growing up in an industry where professionalism was valued and upheld. 

“It doesn’t matter whether Gerald was protected by ABS-CBN. He needs that more than Maricel. Kung tutuusin, lopsided ang laban e. An institution by herself versus an overstaying upstart. Maricel has survived it all. And she will continue to do so, because she has nothing but TALENT, a rarity in this industry today filled with mediocrity.

“This is a blessing in disguise. Better assignments are up ahead or perhaps retirement. Either way, I would be very happy for Maricel. She deserves peace. She’s given me four decades of excellence and true passion for her craft.”

And indeed, times may have changed, the changing-of-the-guards inevitable but then the likes of Maricel Soriano and yes, fellow perceived enfant terrible La Aunor serve as reminders of an era when the greatest of performers were the hardest to comprehend.Soriano, so not unlike one of her idols, the late drama great Charito Solis, would never hesitate to cut someone down to size when needed and provoked. That flimsy account from an ABS-CBN source who says that it was really Soriano who flubbed her lines at the taping is very telling of the kind of damage control that Gerald’s employers would undertake even at the expense of a star whose legacy will outlast a million Gerald Andersons.

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