Amy Austria-Ventura shared that she is having a great time on the set of her new teleserye Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin. “Napakasaya sa set. Para lang kaming naglalaro. Pero siyempre ‘pag action na seryoso kami lahat. Pagsigaw naman ng cut ng direktor, enjoy uli kami.” The primetime series, which is scheduled to premiere on March 7, also stars Lorna Tolentino, John Estrada, Tonton Gutierrez, Maja Salvador, Andi Eigenmann, and Coco Martin.

This project marks Amy’s return to acting after a four-year hiatus. Her last teleserye was ABS-CBN’s Walang Kapalit top-billed by Piolo Pascual and Claudine Barretto. So why did the award-winning veteran actress decided to take a break from showbiz? “I chose to stop. Gusto ko lang magpahinga. Sabi ko one year lang. Pero na enjoy ko, hanggang naging two years… three… tapos, four years na pala akong hindi umaarte. Naisip ko nga kung babalik pa ako. Plain housewife lang ako nun.” Amy is married to businessman Duke Ventura.

It was after she got a call from Lorna Tolentino about doing a role in Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin did she decide to return, especially since she will be working with her good friend. According to Amy, her friendship with Lorna deepened when Rudy Fernandez, the husband of Lorna, passed away in 2008 after a battle with cancer. “Nung nagpaalam na si Rudy sa mundong ito, I know how it feels na mawalan ng asawa (Amy’s first husband, the acclaimed actor Jay Ilagan, passed away after a motorcycle accident in 1992).”

Amy stood by her friend’s side as she coped with the tragic loss. “Sabi ko kay Lorna, 'I'm here for you. Samahan kita, gusto mo lumabas tayo? Mag-abroad tayo? Gusto mo samahan kita sa bahay? Gusto mo samahan kita pag nagtrabaho ka? Aalayan kita. Or, gusto mo magbakasyon tayo?’

"Sabi niya, 'I'm okay, 'andito naman yung dalawang bata [Lorna and Rudy’s sons Rap and Renz].' Sabi ko, ‘Ay, oo nga pala, may dalawa pala siyang anak na lalaki.’ Sabi ni Lorna, 'Pero pag kailangan kita, tatawagan kita, sasabihin ko sa 'yo.'”

When Lorna told Amy that she wanted the latter to play her character’s half-sister in Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin, Amy figured the project was the perfect opportunity to spend more time with her friend. “Kinausap ako ni Lorna at sabi niya sa akin na gusto niya akong makasama sa soap na ito. Medyo nagulat ako, nasabi ko na lang. 'Sige!' Tapos ayun, tinanggap ko na 'tong project na ito. Hindi na ako nakatanggi na gawin ang teleseryeng ito kasama si Lorna."

Related Link and Articles