Ayen on her royal past

MANILA, Philippines - It was nice to see again Ayen Munji-Laurel after she took a break from TV following her nine-month stint on the GMA 7 teledrama Amaya. I had a one-on-one interview with her at the grand presscon of Kapuso Network’s adaptation of the Korean drama Temptation of Wife, which began airing last Oct. 29.

Temptation of Wife topbills Marian Rivera with Dennis Trillo, Rafael Rosell, Glaiza de Castro, Rio Locsin, Cherie Gil, Michelle Madrigal, Raymund Bagatsing, Antonio Aquitania, Rez Cortes, Bettina Carlos and yes, Ayen herself playing the role of Lady Yolanda Armada with a dark secret from the past. The theme of the teleserye is about dealing with temptation and loving someone who is already committed to someone else.

I asked Ayen if she experienced a temptation that she wasn’t able to resist and her quick reply was: “I guess in the field of showbiz, if you’re not strong as a woman, if your foundation as a person is not solid, it’s easy for you to be tempted. I guess in the showbiz industry, whether you have a spouse or not, I think it’s a normal temptation, na magkaroon ng ganu’n in any situation. But you must have a strong character for you to surpass it. Alam kong nandiyan lang sa tabi-tabi yung puwedeng ma-tempt ka pero hindi ako lumagpas dun sa alam mo na. Yung you do something about it pero andyan lang siya natatanaw mo lang, hahaha!”

Was there a tempting offer from her first husband Prince Jefri Bolkiah, younger brother of the Sultan of Brunei, when she married him?

“I don’t think the word is temptation. Because there wasn’t really a temptation, it was a proper, you know, courtship. And when I went there, I went there as a singer so my mindset was to really work so there was fear na magtratrabaho ka for someone na ganu’n … It was more fear than temptation I guess because I was one of the singers who viewed him as the boss, of course. And then he courted me and when you see naman na it’s worth it... hindi naman just because yung tipong he was a Prince, ganu’n.”

Why did they separate?

“I knew I was just the fourth wife so I knew there was a possibility so I wasn’t surprised but I guess, other than nagkaroon pa ng iba, I think you can say that we grew apart because I was living in another place na alam mo na nag-iba yung natural na ginagawa ninyo… We slowly drifted apart. But we had a son who is 22 years old now.”

Getting up close and personal with Ayen, you wouldn’t think that she is past 40. I told her she looks 30-something only.

“Oh, thank you. I guess, we only need to have the right mindset,” she said with soft laughter.

At present, she is happily married to her second husband Franco Laurel. They have two kids and the youngest is 10 years old.

“As I’ve said, you have to have the right mindset because I guess you grow with your children. Siyempre alam mo yung pag nakikita ka ng mga anak mo na masaya ka I guess it follows that you maintain your, well, being youth-looking, hahaha! And it’s a must in the industry we’re working in.

“Franco knows very well where my passion lies that’s why he allowed me to do acting and he’s a theater actor. It’s important that we understand what we both like. That’s the beauty of it — that we have the same line of work. I guess, if he had a different job, I would be having a hard time. And I guess, no amount of temptation would drift us apart as husband and wife.”

Not even with another, shall we say, tempting Prince?

“No. I’m happy now with my husband and three children.”