Gelli de Belen returns to acting in ‘Misterless Misis’

CEBU, Philippines – Gelli de Belen remains one of the busiest celebrities in the country. On TV5 where she remains under contract, Gelli is currently a regular cast member of  “Tropa Mo Ko Unli Spoof,” one of the hosts of “Happy Truck ng Bayan,” and a guest host on “Happy Wife, Happy Life.”

But Gelli, who won the 1995 Gawad Urian Best Actress for her riveting portrayal of AIDS victim Sarah Jane Salazar in the film “The Secrets of Sarah Jane: Sana’y Mapatawad Mo,” admits that she misses acting, especially since she rarely did movies after marrying singer and actor Ariel Rivera.

“I still did soaps after that but rarely movies,” she said.

With TV5, Gelli was still able to flex her acting muscles with roles on “Glamorosa,” “Nandito Ako,” a guest stint on “Third Eye,” and most recently, “Confessions of a Torpe” as the third wheel in a love triangle with Ogie Alcasid and Alice Dixson.

“Yun ang last kong soap. Comedy siya pero nung ending, ako na lang ang nagda-drama, sila comedy pa rin,” she quipped.

So when Gelli was offered a new acting project as one of the lead roles on TV5’s “Misterless Misis,” she readily said yes. A new kind of comedy series directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mark Meily, “Misterless Misis” also stars Lorna Tolentino, Ruffa Gutierrez, Mitch Valdes, Ritz Azul and newcomer Andie Gomez.

From the title alone, the show, which premiered Saturday, is likely to draw comparisons to “Desperate Housewives” although “Sex and the City” is also cited as an inspiration.

“The only similarity of our show with ‘Desperate Housewives’ is that our characters live in the same neighborhood and we’re all friends,” Gelli noted as she revealed her role in the series as that of a housewife married to an OFW.

Despite her Urian, Gelli remains best identified with comedy roles owing in large part to her best known film, “Gagay: Prinsesa ng Brownout,” which was a box office hit in the 1993 Metro Manila Film Festival. Her association with gag shows like “Tropang Trumpo” and “Nuts Entertainment” further cemented her reputation as a comedienne.

But Gelli remains open to taking on more dramatic and challenging roles. She recalled that she was, in fact, ready to take on such a project but it was derailed after the untimely demise of her then manager, Douglas Quijano.

“I forgot the story but I was supposed to be a midwife. I really wanted to do it kaya lang hindi na talaga natuloy,” she lamented.

Like her sister Janice who has done several independent films, Gelli is very much open to going the indie route if offered.

“Kaya lang feeling ko ang babata na kasi ng mga indie filmmakers. Hindi yata nila alam na umaarte ako. Kasi lumaki sila, nasa ‘Sis’ na ako,” she said in reference to her long-running GMA-7 late morning show with Janice and Carmina Villaroel that ran for 10 years from 2000 to 2010.

Being a happily married woman and fulfilled mom to teenage boys Joaqui and Julio, Gelli is in no hurry to be back on the big screen.

“For me, I just want to work. I will go where there is work. If and when I get to do movies again, okay na sa akin ‘yung roles which I don’t do on TV,” she declared. – InterAksyon.com