Gloria Romero remembered: Boots Anson-Roa, Amy Perez share fond memories with veteran actress

Boots Anson-Roa and Amy Perez had nothing but good memories to share as they remembered Gloria Romero following her passing.

On Tuesday's episode of "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda," Boots recalled that she first met Gloria when the Queen of Philippine Cinema starred in "Monghita" alongside Boots's father, Oscar Moreno.

Boots said that she was mesmerized upon seeing Gloria, "kasi hindi lang maganda, pero makita mo na galing sa loob. As within, so without."

She agreed that Gloria had a radiant presence.

"Without effort ha. 'Yung hindi trying hard," she said.

Meanwhile, Amy first met Gloria in 1987 in a restaurant in Greenhills for a project.

"When I saw her, medyo madilim ang Casa Marcos eh, pero kita mo 'yung radiance ni Tita Glo, 'yung liwanag at aliwalas ng mukha niya na wala kang ma-fi-feel sa kaniya na yabang, na, 'Ako si Ms. Gloria Romero.' Wala siyang gano'n," she said.

When asked to tell their most memorable encounter with the veteran actress, Boots shared a memory from when they did a commercial together for a wellness product.

Boots said that despite Gloria being 10 years older than her, she was still so game to do the poses instructed to them.

"Walang reklamo kahit na puyat. Wala, wala talagang reklamo," she said.

Amy also remembered Gloria as an expert at mastering her script.

"'Pag kami lahat, may hawak pang script, Tito Boy. Babasahin namin 'yung mga linya namin, gan'yan," she said, adding that Gloria will just wait for her co-stars to say their lines and effortlessly respond with hers.

"Tapos minsan, hindi pa 'yan sasagot. 'Nakalimutan mo 'yung linya mo, iha. Ito 'yung sasabihin mo. Alam niya!" Amy said. "So ako talaga, 'yun ang unang-unang natutunan ko kay Tita Glo when it comes to like taping, whether that's TV show na hosting or acting, is you really have to read your script and memorize it by heart."

Gloria passed away on January 25 at 91 years old.

Her family said that until her last moment, "she was still trying to give pa rin."

Hailed as the "Queen of Philippine Cinema," Gloria has won various acting awards throughout her 70-year career in showbiz. Among her memorable performance in film are "Magnifico," "Dalagang Ilocana," "Tarima," "Tanging Yaman," and "Rainbow's Sunset."

She was given a star-studded tribute in February 2024. In April of the same year, she was named by the Film Development Council of the Philippines' among its Lifetime Achievement Honorees.

In the wake of her passing, celebrities and personalities like Barbie Forteza, Vilma Santos, director Mark Reyes, Charo Santos, and more paid tribute to the veteran actress.