MANILA, Philippines - She’s often seen playing tweetum roles that appeal mostly to teenagers. But at 21, Melissa Ricks no longer limits herself to daring roles.
She now takes the challenge of slipping into the character of Elisa Altamira which requires not just dramatic talent but also reveals a “seductive” charm fitting for her young adult image on ABS-CBN’s latest afternoon offering, Nasaan Ka Elisa?, the Pinoy adaptation of Telemundo’s family drama Donde Esta Elisa?
“It is something I never imagined I would do and it is something I never expected to be given to me,” Melissa says. “It’s totally different from my personality but this is really a blessing because as I mature, my acting also grows.”
Did it take her long before accepting the project?
“I accepted it right away. I realized it’s about time that I showed televiewers the different side of me, that I’m not a little girl anymore and I’m ready for the challenge,” Melissa answers.
She adds no acting workshop took place before actual taping started. Thus, anxiety was all over her during initial shoot of her sexy dance scene. But she later felt comfortable, thanks to director Jerome Pobocan who never failed to remind her not to hesitate to tell him if she feels uneasy with the scene. Televiewers will also see her in a two-piece bikini in the show’s first episode.
“It took hours to shoot that scene where I’m dancing on the ledge. Feeling ko nasisilipan na ko but I just continued dancing on six-inch heels. Sobrang hirap, imagine it was 4:30 a.m. when we did that! Sayaw lang ako ng sayaw.”
And just to get the feel of going on a night out, she and her friends like Beauty and Bianca went to Republic. There, she danced and drank vodka just “to know what it tastes like. ”
She, too, shed some weight for the role and watched the show’s original version but “I wasn’t able to finish because it’s so long.”
Asked if she’s a perfect daughter just like how her role Elisa is perceived by her parents Mariano and Dana, played by Albert Martinez and Agot Isidro, Melissa replies, “I try to be a good daughter to my parents. Yes, I’m a good daughter and you can ask my parents about that.”
The “baddest” thing she’s done so far was when she went to Kitkat’s house for a sleepover. She denied heading to Jake’s place when she reportedly left home.
“My mom met Jake several times and everything is fine between them. My mom is not here that’s why they never get to talk. For the past two years, do you think galit pa din mom ko? It’s just normal my mom will worry for what might happen to me once I enter into a relationship. I’m the youngest.”
She relates how she initially frowned on Jake “because I thought he’s boastful but he proved me wrong. I learned a lot from him.”
But Melissa doesn’t have to ask for his permission about the project saying, “I just told him it’s different and it’s okay with him. We support each other. I know he’s happy that I have a good project.”
Is she ready for more challenging task?
“For now, this is the most daring I can do but whatever the role calls for, gagawin ko.”
Nasaan Ka Elisa?, to premiere March 21, also stars Vina Morales, Eric Fructuoso, Mickey Ferriols, Allen Dizon, Joem Bascon, Desiree del Valle, Christopher Roxas, Isabella de Leon, Franco Daza, Aldred Gatchalian and Alexa Ilacad.