My Only Love, the Second Time Around

We sighed and swooned along with the nation when we saw Sharon Cuneta’s hit movie with then real-life sweetheart Gabby Concepcion in My Only Love. Twenty-five years later, GMA’s doing this generation a favor--by remaking it with today’s hottest stars! Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Released on November 12, 1982, My Only Love will also be released this year on the same date. This time, though, the creative team of Sinasamba Kita and Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap will give it a different twist. A new love triangle Rhian Ramos, Mark Herras, and Bianca King form the newest love triangle in the Dramarama slot, something that Rhian admits she had a hard time adjusting to. She explains, “Noong unang eksena, hindi ko makalimutan [kasi sweet na kaagad]. Honestly, naiilang ako nang solid, kasi first taping day at that time, at hindi pa kami close ni Mark. Pero at the end of the day, comfortable na kami sa isa’t-isa!” Mark imparts that after he and Rhian got to know each other better, they even ended up calling each other names-- “Tibs” (for Rhian) and “Bans” (for Mark)! He explains, “Boyish si Rhian, [kaya] binigyan ko siya ng palayaw [na] ‘Tibs!’ Parang ‘tibo’ o ‘tomboy.’ Siya naman, ang tawag sa akin, ‘Bans’--malaki si Rhian sa akin, eh, kaya parang ‘bansot!’ Sa age niya, matangkad siya. Lalaki pa yun! Pag nag-heels siya, naku, kahapon nga, debut [yung] eksena [kaya] ang [tangkad niya sa heels]!” “Si Bianca, nakatrabaho ko na siya before, sa Love to Love. With Rhian naman, first time namin [magkatrabaho]. Okay naman,” adds Mark. Bianca King, who’s fresh from her stint as Natalia in MariMar, says that she’s enjoying “playing the mabait and mahinhin na character” now. “Kasi it’s different emotions for me--when I watch myself onscreen, it looks different from the characters I have played in the past.” Reviving the old In the story, Cindy Moreno (Rhian) is the daughter of a rich cosmetic surgeon and the stepsister of Trixie (Bianca) and Tiffany (Stef Prescott). Trixie is the welcoming and kind stepsister who will fall in love with Cindy’s friend, Billy (Mark). Tiffany, on the other hand, is the ‘evil’ stepsister, a rebellious daughter and considered the black sheep of the family. Tiffany will connive with her auntie from her father’s first marriage to make Cindy and her mother’s life miserable, while Trixie will give in to her jealousy brought about by Cindy and Billy’s relationship. Stef jokingly imparts, “Wala pa akong ginawang scene na mabait ako!” But Rhian defends her character, saying, “Hindi ka basta-basta evil! Ang mga nang-aapi dito, may dahilan, hindi lang for fun!” Rhian shares what it’s like to cry all the time in her role: “Madaling umiyak pag iniisip mo 'yung ginagawa sa character mo; mafi-feel mo talaga 'yung role. It’s not hard for it to hurt. Emotionally, it hurts, kasi 'yung nananakit sa akin sa scenes, pamilya ko sila.” When asked if Rhian had any problems portraying such a weak character despite her strong personality, she answers with a grin, “Nagta-translate nga 'yung script sa real life, kasi inaapi ako [ng mga tsismis]! Haha!” On a serious note, she says, “GMA Artist Center provides workshops and just about everything I might ever need to do a good job. I didn’t just walk into the project. Pinag-aralan talaga naming lahat ito.” Mark agrees, and says that they were made to watch the original movie so they’d be more familiar with the over-all feel of the story. “[Although] we added more than there were in the actual movie,” clarifies Rhian. An example of an added character is Alfred Vargas’s role, a gym enthusiast named Emman who gets smitten by Cindy’s charm. Alfred jokes, “Pag tiningnan niyo 'yung picture ko sa tarpaulin, malalaman niyo ang role ko! Tingnan niyo, ako lang naka-sando! Hahaha! Meaty role--talagang meaty!” He adds, “It’s a very exciting character. People will see a different Alfred Vargas.” “After a series of heavy dramas, this one has a lighter part,” Alfred says. “What I’m looking forward to here, actually, for my fans, [is] to see me in a gray area type of character. Medyo offbeat kasi 'yung character [ko dito]. Magugulat sila.” GMA-7 Assistant VP for Entertainment Lilybeth Rasonable explains, “When you say ‘very special role,’ it means inaangat namin dahil kaangat-angat. It’s a short-lived role, but very memorable. Pampalapot sa story. That’s why we gave this role to Alfred.” She adds, “We’ll try our best for it not to pale in comparison with the original movie.” Also part of the cast are Rita Avila, Llyod Samartino, Sherilyn Reyes, Ruby Rodriguez, Gladys Reyes, Marco Alcaraz, Kevin Santos, and Tess Bomb. My Only Love is directed by Louie Ignacio, who says that he’s so proud to be working with such a talented cast. “Napakaganda at proud po ako sa cast! Actually, sa totoo lang, bihira ako tumanggap ng soap, namimili ako ng artista. Noong first day, napaka-professional at on time nila. Yang si Rhian, ang daming baong luha!” Catch My Only Love on November 12 after Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig on GMA-7’s Dramara sa Hapon. Talk about My Only Love in its iGMA Forum thread!