Maxine and Thia get tips from two other former beauty queens
TWO beauty queens, Maxine Medina and Thia Thomalla, are happy to be part of GMA-7’s hit primetime series, “First Lady.” Maxine is Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2016 and she plays the role of Lorraine Prado. Thia is the Miss World Philippines who represented our country in the Miss Eco-Tourism Pageant in Cairo, Japan in 2018 and she won the title. She plays the role of a female presidential security guard, Valerie Canete.
Both Maxine and Thia are happy to have started their roles in “First Yaya” and they were elated when they learned that they will also be in the show’s Season 2, “First Lady”.
“Sa ‘First Yaya’, contravida ako kay Sanya Lopez kasi ako ang unang girlfriend ni Gabby Concepcion as then Vice President Glenn Acosta, but Gabby chose to marry her,” says Maxine. “Now, ako na ang head ng PR ni Sanya as First Lady Melody Acosta.”
“Ako naman, may sariling love interest dito, played by Pancho Magno as Conrad, the head of the presidential security,” says Thia. “In Season 2, tuloy pa rin ang relationship namin at itatakda ang aming kasal pero something will happen na dapat nyong abangan.”
Both of them enjoy being with the big cast of “First Lady”. “We have had several lock in tapings in La Union and in a resort in Rizal at naging close na kaming lahat sa isa’t isa,” says Maxine. “We’re like a big family at kahit tapos na ang taping, we keep in touch.”
“I turned 27 on February 25 and I thought it’d be a quiet birthday,” says Thia. “But the whole cast surprised me with a party, complete with so much food, birthday cake and birthday gifts. It’s my first time to be away from home on my birthday but my new ‘First Lady’ family really made the celebration so memorable. They surely set the bar high and I’m extremely grateful to all of them.”
Are they aware that two members of their cast are senior beauty queens. Pilar Pilapil who plays Blesilda, the mother of Gabby Concepcion, was the country’s Bb. Pilipinas universe in 1967. Alice Dixson was Bb. Young Pilipinas in 1986.
“Yes, we are aware,” says Maxine. “And both of them later joined showbusiness and had successful acting careers. They’re both very nice. Nagpapakuwento nga kami kay Tita Pilar and she’s generous enough to share her experiences as a beauty queen and her being a durable actress.”
“We now pray na we can follow in their footsteps at maging matagumpay rin kami sa pagpasok namin sa showbiz,” says Thia. “Both of them won acting awards, so sana, mabigyan din kami later ng challenging roles like what they got, to show that we can also be good actresses.”
Glenda finds a new ally in Alice
GLENDA Garcia is also a returnee in “First Lady”. She reprises her role from “First Yaya” as the manipulative reporter, Marni Tupaz.
“I am so glad when they told me kasama uli ako sa Season 2,” she says. “Kasi it’s so nice to be a part of this winning team. Ang saya-saya namin sa locked in taping namin. Reunited kami rito ng good, good friend ko from way back, si Samantha Lopez, who plays one of the former First Ladies. We treat each other not just as best friends but more like sisters. Tapos, ‘yung isa pang dating
First Lady, si Isabel Rivas, is my cousin, so reunion din namin ito. Ang roommate ko naman sa resort where we shot it was another good friend, si Shyr Valdez. Lahat sila, lalong napalapit sa akin.”
What will be the role of Marni Tupaz this time, when she was already declared persona non grata in Season One?
“Wala na ngayon ang dati niyang kaalyado, si Gardo Versoza as Speaker Prado with whom she connived para pabagsakin si Gabby Concepcion as Pres. Glenn Acosta. But now, she finds a new ally in Alice Dixson as Atty. Ingrid Domingo, dating girlfriend ni Gabby na kinuha niyang political adviser without knowing na balak lang nitong maghiganti sa kanya at pabagsakin din siya bilang presidente. Abangan nyo dahil magaganda ang twists and turns of plot dito sa Season Two.”
Shyr says it’s hard to bully Sanya
SHYR Valdez plays an additional character in “First Lady” as she is not part of “First Yaya”. “Tuwang-tuwa ako nang malaman kong magiging bahagi ako ng ‘First Lady’ kasi it’s overwhelming to be a member of the number one show,” she says.
So what’s her role in “First Lady”? “I play Manang Sioning, na dati nang nasa staff ng presidential palace. Pero wala ako sa First Season kasi nag-leave ‘yung character ko. Now, bumalik na ako dito sa ‘First Lady’ at dahil sa sobrang higpit ko, makaka-enkwentro ko ‘yung ibang mga alalay sa palasyo like sina Kakai Bautista and Cai Cortez. Pati si Sanya Lopez as Melody, aapihin ko rin dito.”
Is it easy to bully someone like Sanya? “Naku, mahirap mang-api kapag ang aapihin mo, sobrang bait like her. Una kaming nagkasama ni Sanya in ‘Cain at Abel’ three years ago at doon pa lang, nagkasundo na kami agad. Okay na okay kami roon, pero dito, iniismiran ko siya tuwing makikita ko.”
She enjoys her role as it’s more of comedy. “Usually kasi, sa drama shows ako kina-cast. But dito comedy ang atake, so natutuwa ako kasi I got to prove na puede rin pala ako sa comedy. Kami nina Kakai and Cai, nagbabanatan kami rito, pero sa salita lang. Sa locked in taping, masaya kaming lahat kasi all generations are represented in the cast and I’m so happy that all of them are my friends.”
