Sunshine Cruz and Snooky Serna find joy in working with new breed of stars

Actresses Sunshine Cruz and Snooky Serna form part of the ensemble cast of Underage, a GMA Afternoon Prime drama series. They bring to the table their own brand of acting and time-tested work ethics, plus years of experience, that young stars must discern and learn from.

For working thespians like them, it’s a blessing to hop into another acting project and practice the craft.

“I was very excited when I was considered to play Lena Serrano, from Mano Po (Legacy: The Family Fortune where) I played a CEO,” said Sunshine in a recent virtual press conference that also featured Snooky. “(My role) here (I find it) medyo very challenging because my character’s family is going through a lot.”

As the Underage viewers have seen so far, Lena single-handedly raises her three daughters, Celine, Carrie and Chynna, played by Lexi Gonzales, Hailey Mendes and Elijah Alejo, respectively, who are dealing with the repercussions of a video that went viral.

As for Snooky, who portrays Velda, a character who comes from a well-off and political family, shared, “I thank God for the blessing of being part of Underage, the television version. You know what my feeling initially was when (the) role was offered to me, nagkaroon ako ng takot, actually parang kaba kasi sabi ko, ‘Will I be able to live up to the role?’ (I got scared and was nervous to play the part) yung pagka-kontrabida ni Tita Bella Flores nung araw.

“But at the same time, (I had) mixed emotion(s). I was also happy and sentimental siyempre yun yung kauna-unahan kong pelikula nung aking kabataan (because Underage was my very first film in my youth).” Underage the movie was directed by Joey Gosiengfiao, produced by Regal Films and launched the careers of now veteran actresses Snooky, Maricel Soriano and Dina Bonnevie.

“I have very good memories about the film and now they translated it (in)to (a drama on) television,” added Snooky, “of course, it was a big honor also for me to have been chosen by my bosses at GMA 7 for this project.”

On the set of their latest show, Sunshine and Snooky had fun time collaborating with everyone.

“Ang babait lahat ng mga kasamang artista dito kaya para kaming isang pamilya, nag-ti-TikTok kami, kain and everybody’s just super nice (Every actor was kind and nice, we were all like one family. We would do TikTok videos and eat together),” recalled Sunshine. “That’s why I’m so grateful to my Underage family that I have become part of this teleserye.”

“It was my first time to do TikTok with my fellow stars,” said Snooky, “Medyo mahiyain din ako, na at ease na ako sa set, napakabait lahat ng aking mga kasamahan (I’m a bit shy but I got at ease with everyone on set). They made me feel like I belong, I did enjoy the Underage taping.”

As the viewers can relate to some characters as well as to the situations they are in at some point of the narrative, Sunshine and Snooky, in some way, see themselves in Lena and Velda as mothers, who care for and only want the best for their children. The family-and-coming-of-age drama will also show a mother’s protective side, especially when the child becomes a subject of an intriguing video circulating on a social media platform. Given their profession, the two stars are aware that celebrities (and their family members) are not also spared from this kind of content.

“I always tell my kids, ‘Choose your battles, and at the same time, just don’t get affected,’” said Sunshine. “Nandito ang mommy ninyo if I need to say something. Let your mom do it for you, forever naman akong nag-de-defend sa mga anak ko, especially, of course, as a single mom, nakasanayan nila na ako lagi yung, pinaglalaban ko talaga sila.

“But I’m 45, parang yun nga ang motto ko in life now (to) choose your battle(s), hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon kailangan mong sagutin ang mga bagay, bagay na lumalabas sa social media kasi eventually lalabas din naman ang katotohanan. (You don’t always have to answer things, things that appear on social media, because eventually the truth will also come out).”

For Snooky, one of the takeaways viewers can get from the show’s theme is to know how to use the social media platform properly. “Siguro the moral (of) the story here is not let it overcome you or overtake you, overtake our lives, but let’s use the social media to our advantage.” The latter means that the platform should be an avenue to help connect people and promote camaraderie.

Snooky added, “You have to be so responsible when using social media and we all really have to have the moral responsibility, a sense of moral responsibility, yan ang kailangan nating attitude about social media, but we can use it to our advantage definitely.”

Aside from the behind-the-scene creatives, what makes a family drama work is also the collective talent that established and new actors provide.

“Sobrang parang mga gripo (they can easily cry),” Sunshine praised the show’s lead stars Lexi, Elijah and Hailey, “‘pag iyakan talaga, grabeng umiyak, ang gagaling. What I can see in them is, silang tatlo parang magkakapatid talaga (they really act like sisters), they would help and support each other.

“There was a moment that required (the production to change) lights and cameras, nandyan yung nagyayakapan sila para hindi mawala yung moment nila (they continued hugging each other, so they wouldn’t lose that moment),” Sunshine said and added that the young stars were also very good at portraying their characters and delivering their lines.

Snooky, for her part, said, “It was really such a joy, for me, to work with these three beautiful young ladies kasi lahat sila ay mga mature, very level-headed and it’s so refreshing to be able to work with young people, who are so humble… they were so kind to me, very understanding, very professional, I tip my hat to them.”

It’s safe to say that Sunshine and Snooky are on the same page that work is a breeze when everyone commits to professionalism and respect.

Let’s follow the individual yet interconnected stories of the Serrano sisters, weekdays at 4:25 p.m.