Of love and vengeance

The true test of a great actress is the disparity between what you see onscreen and when the cameras stop rolling. In real life, Sunshine Dizon is far from being the underdog, which she mostly plays in teleseryes, but still, we are captivated as we are brought into the fictional world of lies, vengeance, and finding love amidst impossibilities. Be prepared for another riveting ride on primetime television with “La Vendetta.” iGMA visits the set of this soon-to-air drama for an exclusive interview. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Additional interview by Loretta G. Ramirez. Photos courtesy of GMA Network. Becoming Eloisa In La Vendetta, Shine plays Eloisa Salumbides-Cardinal, the weak sister among three girls. Prone to hallucinations and gifted with a ‘third eye,’ she is the means by which her dead sister will attain vengeance. “I see to it that when I’m at work and when the camera rolls, it’s not me anymore,” Shine explains, when asked if having a strong personality gets in the way of playing a weak character like Eloisa. “It’s not hard naman for me to actually separate myself from the thing that I do. Siguro medyo mahirap lang dito is I want it to be as real as possible. Pangit kasi when you’re playing someone sick in the head and it’s boxed up, de-kahon acting na ‘Ah, sira-ulo.’ I don’t want it to be that way…and si direk Gil Tejada (of Bakekang fame) naman is there to guide me,” she adds. Eloisa’s family includes her mother, Janet Salumbides (Snooky Serna) and her sisters Amanda Cardinal (Jean Garcia) and Almira Cardinal (Jennylyn Mercado). La Vendetta vs. Impostora Is her previous character, Sara in Impostora, similar to her role in La Vendetta? “Si Sara kasi, mayroong mga moments pa rin na she has to believe in herself, and stand up for what she believes in,” answers Shine. “Ito, wala talaga eh. Kung baga, she will believe mga ilang minuto lang, tapos pag sinabi na na ‘Bobo ka,’ ‘Oo nga, bobo ako!’” In La Vendetta, Shine gets to work again with Impostora co-stars Jean Garcia and Luis Alandy. “Actually, mas mean siya ngayon! This time, hindi na (siya) 'yung Ms. Betty na comedy, na nakakaasar. Ito talaga, evil-evil,” Shine says of Jean. She also praises her co-actor Luis, who played her lover in Impostora. “I’m excited na makakasama ko siya ulit dito. Nakakatuwa. Intense din yan si Luis, and when he gets into character, magaling. He’s very dedicated [to] his work. I’m happy that I’m working with him here. Magaan siyang ka-trabaho.” La Vendetta starts airing on October 29 during the GMA Telebabad block. “I am very excited talaga! When I read the script, hindi ko mabitawan. This is the first time GMA is offering this—a suspense-drama. Sana po matakot kayo, magulat kayo at maiyak kayo!” she ends. More about Shine: iGMA Exclusive Live Chat with Iza and Sunshine Live Chat with the ladies of Impostora> Excerpts of the Live Chat with Impostora’s Sunshine Dizon last July 26, 2007) Share your views about this television milestone. Talk about La Vendetta in the iGMA Forum! Text SUNSHINE to 4627 to Feel the Fun with Fanatxt! (Each SMS costs P2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, and TALK N TEXT, while it costs P2.00 for SUN subscribers)