Producers still remember – more with amusement rather than bitterness – how she would storm out of movie sets if there was something that annoyed her and checked in at five-star hotels where she was to be redeemed.
Production companies, however, didn’t have much of a choice, but to play along with her mood swings because not only did she bring in money to the tills, but had also developed into a fine actress and for them it was basically worth bearing with her occasional tantrums.
Of course, some equally headstrong directors stood up to her – like Chito Roño, for instance. But generally, she was always treated with kids’ gloves and pampered in a grand, grand way. And this was because she was Rosanna Roces.
But the changing fortunes have a way of bringing us back to life’s harsh realities. Personal problems and an almost complete halt to her showbiz career have taught her not about the birds and the bees (which she had learned a long time ago – oh long, long, ago), but about the painful bird beak pecks and sharp beestings in this world.
She has learned, too, that life is a continuing lesson.
Working on a new soap with Judy Ann Santos for ABS-CBN. Rosanna had an instant refresher course on artist’s discipline late last week when they began the shoot.
First location was in Sta. Cruz, Manila and from there, they moved to Intramuros. It was 3 a.m. when they called it a day and Rosanna still had an early morning shoot for the same soap at the Mandaluyong City jail. One option was for her to drive home to Commonwealth Ave., which is really at the other end of the world. Bad idea.
Besides, if she saw grandson Gab and he starts to charm her like he always does, there was the danger of her not reporting for work anymore because she might be tempted to just play with the adorable boy the whole day and let the soap go hang.
Rosanna thought it was best for her to just get a room in one of those drive-inns in that Sta. Mesa motel row. Unfortunately, that area doesn’t have a signal and she was on-call – waiting for instructions from the ABS-CBN production staff regarding the exact time she was supposed to show up on the set.
When she realized that she could not be contacted by the rest of the world, she reached for the ever-reliable landline and called up her manager to coordinate with the ABS-CBN people.
But it was too late – actually two hours late. By the time she got to the set, it was already 10 a.m. and her director, Rory B. Quintos, was raring to give her a good scolding – and did. Rosanna, from her end, gave the lame excuse about having difficulty removing the prosthetic fingers she had to wear in one hand as part of her character. There was truth to that. "But I guess that’s not really an excuse," admits Osang. "And the fact that I was late was all my fault. Wala akong puedeng sisihin du’n kundi sarili ko."
Gathering her thoughts now, she’s amazed at how calmly she was able to take all that dressing down. "I’m a changed person now," she tells me. Kung pina-iral ko ang ugaling showbiz ko, pinatulan ko siya. But then, kasalanan ko kung bakit nangyari ’yon. And I appreciate ’yung mga pangaral ni direk Rory," she adds. Kailangan ko `yun. All in all, it was a humbling experience, not humiliating."
This is how she sums up that supposedly untoward incident between her and director Rory: "Parang magulang na namalo ng anak kasi mahal niya yung bata."
Rosanna appreciates the fact that director Rory didn’t let this ugly episode get in the way of work. In all her scenes, Quinto showed her respect for Rosanna as an artist (she is after all already an accomplished one) by not breathing down her neck and letting the Urian winner attack the role – "ayon sa diskarte ko." It was a beautiful experience all in all. Never had she valued her work this much until that run-in with Quinto – so claims Osang.
At the end of the shoot, Rosanna tapped Quinto on the thigh and apologized again for her tardiness. All’s well between them now.
Rosanna’s change of attitude may, of course, spark nasty remarks about how she has no other choice at this point, but eat humble pie.
As a showbiz observer and friend, I don’t look at it this way. She may have her quarrels in showbiz, but you cannot deny the fact that she was also able to spread a lot of goodwill at the peak of her career. She may have inconvenienced people at some point at work, but she was also able to help a lot of others along the way.
From my end, I have her, Lolit Solis, Wilma Galvante and the GMA management to thank for giving me another chance to do television. Osang and Lolit could have said no to the idea of my joining Startalk since they were ahead of me. But bless them, they didn’t. I will never forget that and I will always be grateful to them for welcoming me to the program. At this point, I am willing to run to Osang’s side if she needs me and I don’t think Lolit would mind because – after all – it was on her (Lolit’s) lap that I learned all about gratitude… that very Filipino trait called utang na loob.
At the moment, Rosanna Roces may not be on top of the showbiz world (who is – aside from Judy Ann Santos, Angel Locsin and Richard Gutierrez?), but she is still accorded respect because of her previous accomplishments in this business. When she made her Startalk comeback (for the 11th anniversary), in fact, it was still the royal treatment for her: flowers, fruits in a basket (no cash please – money is hardly ever an issue with her if she can help it), fancy restaurant and a three-camera setup. Fetching her from her car in front of Annabel’s, I saw how the whole of Tomas Morato Ave. stopped to look at her and ogle.
Swapping stories with her in between takes, she can still naughty. But I sensed a distinct change in her. Was it maturity? She had always had that – having faced a tough world at an early life. Maybe it’s wisdom – having gone full circle.
Most remarkable was how she carefully dished out her every word – so unlike the feisty Osang whose every tart comment you savored when she was on the warpath. But the new Rosanna Roces isn’t any less interesting. Now you still listen to what she says because what you hear is the voice of experience.
But she’s not done with the learning process yet and from a recent conversation, I realized – thanks to her example – that in this life it’s never too late to become a better person.