Exposing Eloisa

Sunshine Dizon lets us take a peek into Eloisa’s traumatic past, as well as the many reasons why La Vendetta is bound to be a hit. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio and courtesy of GMA Network. Trauma of a lifetime The root of Eloisa’s problems started in her childhood, when she witnessed her father being killed. “She kind of felt guilty about it. Feeling niya it was her fault, and biglang hindi na siya nagsalita,” narrates Shine. Eloisa only started speaking again after several months of therapy—when the spirit of her dead father visited her. Shine notes, “That’s when she started to see the spirits and the family thought she was sick in the head. She had an episode, but she’s not crazy." “Then my mother, [played by] Snooky Serna, remarried, and may anak 'yung pinang-asawa niya, [portrayed by] Ms. Jean Garcia. And she hated me so much. My mother dies, [at] magkakaroon kami ng kapatid (Jennylyn Mercado). [Si] Ms. Jean naman, she’ll do everything in her power to keep me crazy. So instead of giving me the proper medication, she gives me pang-hallucinate. So it gets kind of bad.” Shine adds, “[Si, Eloisa], wala siyang self-esteem, she doesn’t believe in herself, kasi bine-brainwash siya parati na ‘Bobo ka, baliw ka, sira ulo ka!’ so napaka-weak noong character. Walang laban.” Another milestone “I think this is the very first time in Philippine television that we’re having a suspense-drama,” says Shine. “Kasi normally, pag suspense or horror, episodal lang, eh. They don’t really do it as a series. Hindi mahaba. And in a way din, experimental din lahat, because they don’t really know how the audience will react, kung paano tatanggapin 'yung concept. But at the same time, I have high hopes for the show. And actually, mataas expectations ng Network for La Vendetta.” Shine describes the series as “haunting” and “psychological,” saying that the production is lucky to have directors such as Gil Tejada (Bakekang, 2006) and Lore Reyes (Sugo, 2005) at the helm. “Kasi dapat pati ilaw, music, timing ng galaw, malinis. I mean, suspense will not be suspense kung palpak 'yung timing mo, eh. At saka [pag] hindi nagwo-work well 'yung ambience [at] itsura. What’s scary kung maglalakad ka lang pero hindi nakakatakot 'yung ilaw? Things like that. So we’re very lucky to have people in this production na magagaling.” Will they be using prosthetics, like in Bakekang? “Wala. As of now, wala pa akong nababalitaan, pero I read in the script, parang may isang scene na paplantsahin ako ni Ms. Jean Garcia!” Other artists who are part of La Vendetta are Mark Herras, Wendell Ramos, Luis Alandy, Snooky Serna, Lotlot de Leon, Dante Rivero, Caridad Sanchez, Paolo Contis, Yna Asistio, Joseph Marco, Angelica Jones, Chynna Ortaleza, and Rustom Padilla. Aside from working again with her Impostora co-stars Jean Garcia and Luis Alandy, this is Shine’s second TV collaboration with Jennylyn Mercado, the first being Encantadia, 2005. “I’m excited to work with her, and I could see naman that she has grown as an actress. I’m very happy na magkasama kami ngayon, and to see her na may substance talaga 'yung ginagawa [niya]. Syempre pag bagets ka, wala ka pang pain, wala pang masyadong ganoon. When you get older, you experience things and you become better with your craft.” She’ll also be with ex-flame Polo Ravales, whom she was teamed up with during her teenybopper days. The two are fortunate enough to have had a friendly breakup, so they didn’t have qualms about working with each other again. “But he’s not my partner here,” explains Shine. “Actually, ang dami. I’m not sure pa, pero madaming love interest! Haba ng hair ko! Well, I think, may love angle with Paolo Contis and Wendell Ramos’s characters, and Luis Alandy’s. “I can see naman din na great cast, and I just hope that everybody shares my sentiments na I’m very excited about this project, and I’m very passionate about it. [It’s a] beautifully written script, napakaganda! It’s not really scary-scary. It’s suspense talaga.” Share your views about this television milestone. Talk about La Vendetta in the iGMA Forum! More about Shine: Confessions of a drama queen Excerpts of the Live Chat with Impostora’s Sunshine Dizon last July 26, 2007 iGMA Exclusive Live Chat with Iza and Sunshine Live Chat with the ladies of Impostora> Faces of Impostora