Nicole fights back, takes Kenneth too

Do nice girls finish last? Iza Calzado proves with Nicole na hindi lahat ng mababait na babae, puwedeng api-apihin na lang. Some of them fight back—and even win the guy in the end. Text by Jason John S. Lim. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Dalawang linggo na lang ang itatakbo ng All About Eve, pero marami pa ang maaaring mangyari, according to Iza Calzado. Pero between Nicole and Erika (as portrayed by Sunshine Dizon), it would seem na wala nang catfights na mangyayari. "Lumalaban naman siya," Iza says of Nicole. "Actually, I call her the girl with [the] split personality eh. Kasi she's supposed to be very refined and educated—I mean, not super fine, but lady-like. And then, all of a sudden, she goes berserk." When it comes to Nicole, walang middle ground: "When your buttons are pushed, your buttons are pushed!" Though, si Iza din ang nagsabi na after Erika's past gets blown up into scandalous proportions, Nicole takes it upon herself to be the better person: "Lalo na towards the end, when she saw how troubled Erika was." Aminado ang aktres na nagustuhan niya ang progress sa character niya. Mula sa weakling na Nicole sa simula ng show, Iza saw her character transform into someone more aggressive. "At least, I got to fight back," natatawang pahayag ni Iza. But now, Nicole is more mature, more grounded. "It's like, when she sees how desperate Erika is, I think she just chooses to understand Erika." And with this understanding, and a generally more accepting way of dealing with people, Nicole ends up getting the Prince Charming. Sa kasong ito, si Kenneth (portrayed by Mark Anthony Fernandez) ang prince niya. And the fans love it! "Talaga?" hindi makapaniwalang sagot ni Iza nang mabanggit namin ang feedback regarding her chemistry with Mark Anthony. But then, siya na rin mismo ang nagsabi, "Impostora pa lang, there was really something there." Though, according to Iza, they're anything but romantically sweet sa likod ng camera! "Mark and I fight all the time!" she shares. Pero it's not really fighting, Iza explains, "it's funny fighting. Malakas kaming mag-asaran, inaasar ko siya lagi." That day though, sa set ng All About Eve, si Mark Anthony ang nakarami ng pang-aasar—or at least, habang nandoon ang iGMA sa set. Unfortunately, mukhang on hold na naman ang tambalang Iza-Mark Anthony. Iza says, "It will always be up to GMA because, you see, I have no say in those things. Bahala na sila." And sa mga susunod na TV project ni Iza, mukhang hindi kasama si Mark Anthony. "I don't know if I'm allowed to disclose [anything]," Iza says of her new shows. Pero para makasigurado, we'll leave that one hanging. Pero, for sure, iGMA will be reporting about them once ma-announce na. Iza did give us a clue, though—one of them is for Q Channel 11, and they start taping this June. Before we left Iza sa kanyang pagbabasa ng script, we asked kung meron ba siyang messages for her fans. An eager Iza told us: "Actually, I haven't seen the Ions (Iza's fan group), I feel so guilty na. Kaya lang kasi nga I'm busy with [endorsements]. If I wasn't busy, I was in Marie France or I was running or ganyan—I'm doing so many things. So maybe after this, I'll find time to meet up with them. "Again my message to my fans, it's just a 'thank you so much' for the love and support all these years. It's my seventh year in the business, and I hope that I have not been letting you down. Rest assured that I will do my best in all the projects given to me, and I hope that you keep watching Nicole in All About Eve, and I hope you’ll be looking forward to the roles that I will do in the future." We certainly will, Iza. The last two weeks of All About Eve continues to air every weeknight before One Litre of Tears. And don't forget that if you want more of Iza, you can subscribe sa Fanatxt service niya! Just text IZA to 4627 for all telcos. Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for Globe, Smart, and Talk N Text, and PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers. (This service is exclusive for the Philippines only.)