MANILA, JUNE 3, 2007 (BULLETIN) By WALDEN SADIRI - Film and television director Wenn Deramas explained it best regarding allegations that Jericho Rosales has become "laos" in show business by saying, in Filipino: "If you have much talent like Jericho, I don抰 think you抎 ever become a has朾een. Actors like him could take a break and resurface again and again."
These words aren抰 enough though to express the director抯 confidence on Jericho Rosales as an actor. He cast him as the lead role in the new month杔ong episode of "Love Spell" entitled "Ellay Enchanted" which starts airing this afternoon on ABS-CBN after "Your Song." And Jericho抯 role here is as a woman, not a cross杁resser or a gay-woman-wannabe, but as a real woman!
"First of all, I got Jericho because we know he is a very good actor. I actually just gave him instructions but I gave him the freedom to interpret his character. I only added the comedy part because I know he could portray a woman well. I just have to remind him that he was a girl and not Echo," explained Wenn.
"Ellay Enchanted" is about Elloy (played by Jericho), a band leader and a womanizer. Aside from his bandmate抯 (DJ Durano) sister Mayette (Candy Pangilinan), he is also dating other women. When his womanizing ways was discovered, both Mayette and her brother wanted to exact revenge on Elloy. They sought the help of their cousin, who抯 a witch (Eugene Domingo), to turn him into a woman. Elloy becomes Ellay but through some unfortunate events, the witch or Madame Keller becomes a man at the same time!
Sort of a fairy tale romance, the only thing to break the curse is for a woman to fall in love with Ellay.
Also in "Ellay Enchanted" is Iya Villania, the woman whom Ellay was mesmerized with and whose heart he hopes to win; Dino Imperial, Princess Ryan and Debraliz.
"This time around it抯 more challeging because my role here is really a woman. I really had a hard time but it was very exciting to do," shared Jericho Rosales during the recently held press conference for "Ellay Enchanted." "It抯 about time that I did something like this that抯 why I抦 excited and at the same time I抦 very thankful to ABS朇BN for their support and for giving me this chance. I really had some adjustments to make coming from just performing with my band."
Sharing the good news of a new TV series with his girlfriend Heart Evangelista, Jericho抯 touched with her support. According to him, he was advised to do good, to take it seriously and not turn it to look like a slapstick. He was also advised to give his role a different approach.
"As Ellay, the only woman I could pattern her to was Heart because we抮e always together," Jericho smiled.
For the actor, "Ellay Echanted" is the answer to his prayers. He admitted to having prayed hard to the Lord for what he should do next. He left acting for music and since then was wondering what抯 next for him.
"He was good enough to give me a show during which I can still do gigs with my band. Now I can sing and I can act...I抦 happy and excited with this project because I抦 working again. I do have a lot of questions in my mind like what were the things I missed when I just pursued my music. Well, everything抯 good and I抦 happy. I抦 sure I disappointed a lot of people when I left and they must have felt I took everything for granted. But now I抦 back," he confided.
How does he feel about being pegged as a "laos?"
According to the actor there were instances wherein someone would approachand tell him that he is not already "sikat" or "wala na raw." And these were phases in his life that he had to pass through in moving on.
"It hurts but those were the consequences when I decided to focus on my music and my band. Although it抯 okay, it does hurt sometimes...I just have to re-establish my relationship with the people I worked with," he said.
The actor also stressed that if he decided otherwise and continued his acting career, after doing the TV series "
anday," he would grab a role of a woman anytime. His character in "
anday" wasn抰 a standard he set that succeeding roles must either equal or surpass it. For him being an actor means being able to portray as manydifferent roles as possible and that included being a woman!
So if you see Jericho as Ellay and couldn抰 see any sign of the actor in her, that抯 the result of the director抯 meticulousness in transforming Jericho into a woman.
The director explained that he packed-up a taping day for a mall scene because when Jericho was made杣p as a woman, and some fans passed by, they said "Hi, Echo." This disappointed the director and prompted him to call management about the situation.
"I wanted people to look at her and wonder if they抮e seeing Jericho or would ask themselves if she抯 a man. I told management I wasn抰 happy and that if I couldn抰 achieve that then I抎 rather not do it because it would just ruin our names. Despite the expenses involved we had a number of test make-ups done until we achieved what we wanted," shared Wenn who even had a size 40-D boobs made for Jericho for a good cleavage effect!
What抯 Jericho抯 thoughts on playing or being a woman?
"This was very challenging. I must admit that my acting rusted a little bit when I took a break. I had a hard time delivering my lines because sometimes my voice would sound inaudible. But as Ellay I would always be amazed at how I looked. I would look at myself and even pout my lips卋ut thank God I抦 a man because it was really hard being a woman, being Ellay!"
As for his being called "laos," that spell never happened sos it need not be reversed. With "Love Spell抯" "Ellay Enchanted" Jericho Rosales would once again show why he is one of television抯 formidable actors. But for this matter, why he is a formidable actress!
(Additional trivia from the director: "Jericho is really a man. Whenever he wears his fake boobs you抎 feel him thinking of touching them.";)
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Post time 11-6-2007 07:55 PM
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Post time 12-6-2007 01:00 AM
