A new racket for me

(Conclusion)

As I wrote in my Tuesday column, yes — incredible as it may sound — I’ve appeared in quite a number of soap operas in the past year or so. However, I have to admit that I got extra excited and even challenged about the offer of Narito ang Puso Ko to appear as myself (a talk show host, but what else?) in about a couple of episodes of this nightly drama series.

It was exciting to me because the people involved here (Rosa Rosal, Eddie Garcia, Amy Austria, Jolina Magdangal, James Blanco, etc.) are people I like very much. Challenging because the role was long and the dialogues difficult. The names of the characters here — to begin with — are already tongue-twisters. Nope, they’re not your usual Juan, Pedro and Maria. How I wish! But no, the characters here answer to the names Antonina, Avancena and Amoroso San Victores.

Mercifully, that was the only difficult part because the location shoot turned out to be a paradise for everyone — especially for me — because they set it in Studio 3 of the GMA 7 complex. (Locations for most soap operas are usually in Fairview or in those subdivisions behind Ever Gotesco along Commonwealth Avenue.)

Studio 3, of course, is not a strange place to me since Startalk uses that for special occasions — like Rosanna Roces’ birthday, for instance. It’s a huge and nice studio, except that it gets colder than Siberia there once the air-conditioning units are turned on.

The original call time they gave me was 8 p.m. on a Thursday. It was then changed to 6, then moved back between 7 to 8. On my way there, however, I got a call from Narito’s executive producer Angie Castrense who told me that they were still shooting a scene at the New Era Hospital in Commonwealth.

Could I wait for another hour? Sure, but I wasn’t going back home anymore since traffic was particularly bad that evening. Besides, I wanted to be early in Channel 7 because that was a Thursday and I didn’t want to compete for parking space with Debate’s politico guests and their hangers-on.

When I reached GMA 7, I passed by the studio cafeteria (which serves the best cheese pimiento, I swear) and saw Jay-R, the newest cast member of Narito (along with Sarah Geronimo). He said he was bracing himself for a long night of shooting because he had some scenes scheduled to be shot at 4 a.m. the following day.

I sequestered one of the dressing rooms and studied my lines some more, all the while thinking of what Tessie Tomas told me one time when we did a sketch together in ABS-CBN: The only way to learn your lines is to memorize them like you memorize a prayer. At that point, I imagined myself to be Marlon Brando preparing for his long monologue in On the Waterfront.

At a little past 8 p.m., everyone started filing in: James Blanco, Karen de los Reyes, Amy Austria and Jolina Magdangal. I immediately thanked Amy (I call her Esming — which is short for her real name Esmeralda) for all the food she sends Lolit Solis, who – in turn – shares the loot with me. What a great cook Amy is. She makes excellent ham, jamonado and what tastes like osso buco.

I made small talk with James, Karen and Jolina, but excused myself after a while to go over my script once more. When I looked around me, everyone was texting, talking and in front of the dresser. Amy Austria was helping fix Jolina’s hair like she was the young star’s mother. (Yes, even off camera, they’ve really like mother and daughter — with Amy ever so protective of Jolina.)

Gosh, there was no one there studying his lines like I was doing. And yet, when we were called to the set for blocking and camera rehearsals, they all knew what to do and what to say.

Narito ang Puso Ko is alternately directed by Eric Quizon and Gina Alajar — with Allan Noble serving as assistant director who stays on the floor. The one assigned to us was Eric, who must be the only director in this country who doesn’t have a temper. He gives his instructions ever so gently and is careful not to embarrass anyone on the set.

That was the second time I was handled by Eric Quizon. The first time was when I was still doing Showbiz Lingo and our regular director, Laurenti Dyogi, was in Italy studying and the directorial job was farmed out to actors who wanted to try directing. Eric was given one episode and even then, I knew he had a bright future in the field of directing.

In the sequences that we shot for Narito ang Puso Ko, the scenes were quite difficult to do because there was going to be the cliffhanger. But Eric Quizon is so innovative and clearly knows what he is doing and is able to get the best performance from his cast members — minus the tension.

By 1:30 a.m., my scenes were done and they let me go. But Jolina and company? They had to stay until 6 a.m. for more shoots.

Driving back home in the early hours of the morning after the Narito ang Puso Ko taping, I began to realize what an easy life we have in Startalk.

Sure, it’s a hell house on the floor — with everyone "killing" each other — when it goes on live from 2:30 to 4 every Saturday afternoon. But once the clock strikes 4, we’re done and we begin loving each other again and we start to relax in the talent room — except, of course, if there was a major booboo that happened during the live telecast. Then, we grab each other by the throat.

But this isn’t the case in soap operas where the shoot can go on and on and on. Yes, it’s so much easier to be a talk show host. No more soap operas for me!

Ooops! Is that my cell phone ringing? Oh, you want me for another episode of Narito ang Puso Ko?

Ok, direk, I’m ready for my close-up.