'MAKA': Zephanie, Shan Vesagas, and more stars share how the show changed their lives

“MAKA,” GMA Network’s coming-of-age series, has aired its stories through the years, and with each chapter, it has brought together a group of stars, whose lives have undoubtedly changed thanks to it.

GMA News Online interviewed some of the stars of “MAKA,” who shared how the show transformed them.

John Clifford said “MAKA” made him “sobrang happy and blessed” because the series gave him a family.

He said, “I met these wonderful and I’ve learned a lot from them, ang dami na rin po naming pinagdaanan.”

Similarly, Bryce Eusebio is thankful for the "deep connections with people my age" as he got closer to his co-stars.

“Halos once a week magkaka sama kami. Bukod dun, lumalabas pa kami, like kumakain kami sa mga restaurants. So nagkaroon talaga ‘ko ng tropa dito sa GMA.”

Olive May, who hails from Cebu, also said she found new friends in Manila. 

“And ang dami kong natutunan gawin, kunyari ‘yung hiking. ‘Di naman ako nagaganun before but I learned that dahil sa kanila,” she said.

Olive added she learned life lessons from her fellow actors through deep conversations. 

“Very thankful ako and really, really happy to have them in my life.”

Zephanie agreed that she gained a family through “MAKA,” but a significant change is her growth as an artist.

“We’re able to really explore different stories kahit na sa iisang character siya and kahit kami, may natututunan kami sa mga characters namin,” she said.

The actress and singer said she also grows through the cast’s bonding moments.

Shan Vesagas meanwhile said that “MAKA” gave him an opportunity to improve his acting skills given the challenging scenes.

“Binigyan ako ng ‘MAKA’ talaga ng platform for drama, which really expanded my skills,” he said.

“Very challenging kasi relatively new palang ako, one year, and that changed my life in a sense na-open ‘yung door for different kinds of roles or shows,” he added.

As for Sean Lucas, he said that before the series, he had a long period of not acting and was focused on hosting.

“Binuhay ako ng ‘MAKA’ talaga, legit,” he said. “Binuhay niya ‘ko for a bit and naalala ko why I love acting, why I love working on a series.”

He added, “At the same time, it also showed me the importance of community talaga. Not only sa MAKA Barkada but also with the prod, also with everyone on set.”

May Ann Basa, or Bangus Girl, turned emotional as she thanked the show.

“Ito kasi ‘yung first teleserye na nagtiwala sa ‘kin. Mahal ko ‘yung ‘MAKA,’” she said through tears.

“Dati kasi, pumasok ako dito nang nahihiya, pinagtatawanan pa ‘yung acting ko pero habang tumatagal, parang nag-go-grow na rin ako sa craft ko and parang napapansin din ‘yun ng mga katrabaho ko, ng boss,” she added.

The Roxas City-native said that she lives alone in Manila, but her newfound friends from the show are always there for her even during the difficult moments.

Finally, Mad Ramos said “MAKA” changed a large part of his life, thanks to his co-stars and the production crew.

“On the skills side naman, ang gagaling din kasi umarte ng mga kasama ko, and tinitignan ko talaga sila paano sila umarte. And tine-take ko ‘yun as an advice para sa mga future shows and projects,” the Sparkle Campus Cutie said.

“I’m just so happy,” he added. “Sa discipline din, sa patience, and sa personality, ‘yun ‘yung mga nabago sa buhay ko.”

“MAKA Lovestream” airs on Saturdays at 4:45 p.m. on GMA Network. —JCB, GMA Integrated News