Eula Valdez said that she has big shoes to fill in reprising the role of Selina Matias (originally played by Princess Punzalan) in the upcoming remake of the phenomenal hit teleserye of the late 90s, Mula Sa Puso that starred Claudine Barretto, Rico Yan, and Diether Ocampo.
Eula’s last teleserye with ABS-CBN was The Wedding in 2009, while her most unforgettable character was Amor Powers in the 2000 teleserye Pangako Sa ‘Yo.
The character actress recalled how she got the part for the highly anticipated remake slated to air this March.
“Tinawagan ako ni Direk Wenn (Deramas, director and writer of the original teleserye), sabi niya, ‘Gawin mo itong Mula sa Puso, ikaw si Selina. Kunin mo ‘to, paglalaruan kita.’ Okay, game, ha-ha-ha,” Eula laughed.
Eula’s role is the same character that catapulted Princess to fame and made her a runaway winner as the “ultimate villainess in a TV series” in many surveys and polls.
Eula added that she knows that her portrayal will be compared to the original one, and although she is not sure if she can top Princess’s performance, she promised that she will give her best.
“Andun ‘yung fear [to be compared] pero challenge ‘yun sa akin. Ayoko siyang masyadong isipin kasi kung ano ‘yung andyan, kung ano ‘yung ipagawa sa akin, kung paano ko siya ma-visualize, ‘yun ang gagawin ko. Kung makulangan si direk, hindi mo naman mapi-please lahat ng tao, mga manonood. Ngayon kung sabihin nila na gusto nila ‘yung Selina before, may magkakagusto rin sa bago. Kanya-kanya lang ‘yan,” she said.
She continued that instead of giving in to the pressure, she will just deliver what is expected from her and she hopes to give justice to her role with Direk Wenn’s help.
“Role lang naman ito, eh. Kung magalit sila, eh ‘di okay lang di ba? Unang-una hindi na mahirap i-introduce ‘yung character dahil sikat na siya via Miss Princess Punzalan na pagkagaling-galing. Sigurado naman ako at kampante naman kay Direk Wenn na hindi naman niya pababayaan na mangyari ‘yon. Sana magustuhan nila, hoping din ako na magustuhan ng mga tao na ako naman si Selina ngayon.”
The actress is also grateful to Direk Wenn who thought of her as the perfect choice for the part.
“Masaya ako. Sino ang makakahindi kay Direk Wenn? Matagal na kaming magkaibigan. Kilalang-kilala na niya ako, alam na niya kung paano ako pagalawin, tsaka bilib ako sa kanya as a director, and as a writer din.”
Eula also added that a villain role is also a welcome change because her previous roles often lean to “soft” characters. “Nakakatawa naman ‘yung palaging pinaiiyak, na palaging inaapi. Para naman mas ma-relax naman ako ngayon na hindi lumuluha,” she said smiling. (report from Bernie Franco, Push.com.ph)
