Kapamilya actress Angel Locsin revealed the reason why it took her so long to return to primetime.
It can be remembered that the last TV program she top-billed was “The Legal Wife” in 2014 and it took almost five years for Angel Locsin’s big comeback in her new upcoming TV series “The General’s Daughter.”
The 33-year-old actress has made no secret of what she has been through before leading up to her first lead role in a series since 2014. She went through some series of challenges that had triggered speculation in relation to her hiatus on the big screen.
Angel suffered from a spine injury, she also went through a bitter breakup with her ex-boyfriend Luis Manzano, and she also revealed that she nearly resigned from the ABS-CBN network.
“Noong gagawin ko po dapat ‘yung ‘Darna,’ mayroon kaming agreement ng ABS na hindi ako tatanggap ng ibang project hangga’t ginagawa po ‘yung ‘Darna.’ Dahil inabot tayo ng lampas limang taon ata ‘yung preparation ng ‘Darna,’ na-delay nang na-delay,” Angel said.
In 2014, it was first announced that Angel would portray the iconic superhero role of Darna of Star Cinema film, but in 2017 they have come up with the final decision that she would no longer have the said role.
This is after considering her condition, and the actress has developed a disc bulge on her spine that prohibits her from doing stunts that will be needed for the film.
According to her, “Though nakakagawa ng ibang guestings, ng pelikula, ‘yung teleserye not allowed,” Locsin explained. “May agreement naman po kami sa ganu’n, kasi mahirap at very physical. Pati ‘yung schedule na kailangan doon sa ‘Darna,’ medyo challenge. Natagalan po talaga.”
Although she did not take on acting roles on TV for five years, the actress appeared in several television shows from 2015 to 2018, such as a two-part episode for “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” and a guest appearance in the fantaserye “La Luna Sangre,” starring long-time couple Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.
These were aside from her judging stint in “Pilipinas Got Talent.” In 2016, she starred in two non-action Star Cinema films, since Angel had just started treatment for her spine injury during that time.
In the recent grand press conference of “The General’s Daughter,” the Kapamilya actress revealed that even though she had no lead TV roles in those five years, she still received a full salary as per her contract with ABS-CBN.
This topic was highlighted when she was asked whether she felt the Kapamilya network was making it up to her, given the Dreamscape series being dubbed as the “biggest” of 2019 and the scale of production of “The General’s Daughter.”
Angel revealed during the press conference:
“Honestly, hindi naman po, kasi sumusuweldo naman po ako kahit wala akong ginagawa. So OK lang po sa akin. Kumbaga, mas favor sa’kin ‘yon!” she said, laughing. “So ngayon, kailangan ko na raw po mag-work kasi five years na po akong sumisuweldo!”
“I think ito ‘yung perfect moment na babalik po ako ng teleserye, kasi nandito po lahat ng dream kong makatrabaho. Kung alam niyo lang po ‘yung excitement ko noong nagkita-kita kami sa story conference, hindi po ako nakapagsalita talaga,” she also added.
‘The General’s Daughter’ was directed by Manny Palo and Mervyn Brondial and will premiere on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida evening block on January 21, 2019, replacing Ngayon at Kailanman. The story revolves around the life of Angel as Rhian Bonifacio, a soldier raised to kill her own father, leading to conflicts both emotional and physical.
Aside from Angel, joining her in the series are big-name screen veterans: Albert Martinez, Tirso Cruz III, Janice de Belen, Eula Valdez, and Maricel Soriano. Also part of the cast are Paulo Avelino, JC de Vera, Arjo Atayde, Ryza Cenon, and the breakout tandem of Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte.
“Sa mga kasama mo sa show, doon pa lang makikita mo na na napaka importante ng teleserye na ‘to, so kailangan mong mag-set up talaga,” she said.
Because of her track record of performing her own action stunts, Angel was dubbed as the “Action-Drama Queen,” a title that’s been long associated with her by fans and supporters.
The Kapamilya actress admitted that she is not comfortable about the said “royal” tag.
According to Angel: “Ako lang po yata sa batch namin na walang title. Dalawa pa ‘no? Medyo naninibago po ako, honestly. Nasanay ako na walang title. Kahit ‘yung pagtawag sa’yo na ‘queen,’ ayaw ko po kasi talaga ng ganu’ng title. Maraming, maraming salamat po, kung tingin niyo na pasok ako doon sa ganoong genre. Thank you so much, kasi ginagawa ko po talaga ‘yung trabaho ko para ma-please kayo.”
Source: abs-cbn