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Sheryl Cruz sits down to talk about the evil character that has become close to her heart.
Every show must have its villain. And no crueler an antagonist was made than Bakekang’s nemesis. We all hate how Valeria can be scheming and devious. We sympathized with her family when Valeria wittingly manipulated their lives to please her whims. But now that Bakekang is nearing its end, Valeria’s human side unfolds. Sheryl Cruz sits down to talk about the evil character that has become close to her heart. Text by Loretta Ramirez. Sheryl Cruz was all smiles when we asked permission to interview her on the set of her new project Sinasamba Kita. Obviously tired from the long hours of taping, still she managed to squeeze us in for a few minutes. She confessed that she came from Bakekang’s taping early that morning. “I left work in Bakekang at 6 a.m. I had to be at my daughter’s school between 9:30 and 11:30 so you could just imagine ‘yung feet ko, puro scar ‘di ba,” shares Sheryl, while being prepped for her next scene. A New Challenge Far from her character in Bakekang, the high and mighty Valeria, Sheryl is truly a humble and approachable lady. We asked her about her character and she launched eagerly about how she loves her role. “Oh I’m very, very happy because it was funny when I was working with Tinig for Now and Forever, the same group of people, kaya lang our director was Mac Alejandre that time and writers were telling me na lahat na halos pinagawa na namin kay Sheryl, andyan na yun ginawa siyang aping api, ginawa siyang fairy, ginawa siyang, bida/kontrabida in Ganti. And then naging battered wife na singer sa Tinig. What else can we let her do? So I guess this is the thing that they wanted me to do, eventually, to be a bitch ‘di ba?” As if enjoying the notion of being bad and naughty, she further described her role as a challenge for her and something that tested her talent as an actress. “It was really challenging…It is just as demanding as being an api (na) cry ka nang cry. Pag kontrabida ka, sigaw ka ng sigaw at ‘yung intensity ng galit sa iyong katawan, it has to show. Pag nagalit ka hindi ka lang basta sisigaw, kailangan ‘yung buong katawan mo, may pressure, kung baga, nakikita yung tension, and it’s hard to always show it. I’m glad na habang tumatagal, parang nasasanay ka…And then after a while biglang merong isang buong week umiiyak ka, dun sa Bakekang, I just found it amazing na ang bilis ko mag-switch ng emotions, which I found hard doing when I was younger…I guess nahahahasa ka,” explains the former child actress. Empathy for a villain She confides that she is also happy with the development of her character. Now that the twist of being a yearning mother is incorporated in her character, she feels more depth has been added to her role. “I think the people just love to hate Valeria, they couldn’t just live a day not seeing her in the show (laughs). Kaya nagkaroon na rin siya ng sarili niyang twist,” says Sheryl. She continues by saying that she is happy that now viewers are able to sympathize with her character. “I’m glad na ngayon nakikita nila na, ‘Ay tao din pala si Valeria!’” exclaims Sheryl. Fondly saying that she will miss Bakekang when the show finally bids its farewell in April, Sheryl concludes the interview with a heartfelt message to her fans. “Thank you. Natutunan nilang mahalin ang Bakekang not because of the stars and not just because of the directors, who worked with it, but because of the story, and the way the people were really showing the love for their work. Kasi it’s not only the actors and actresses, but also the staff.” As Bakekang comes to a close be sure to catch the heartwarming scenes and witness Sheryl in action as Valeria, weeknights only on GMA’s Primetime Block.