In her latest iWantTFC series Misis Piggy, Ria Atayde gets to show off more of her acting genes as she plays the role of the headstrong daughter Lani with siblings played by her co-stars Iana Bernardez and Elijah Canlas and parents Ricky Davao and Sylvia Sanchez.

“Ang sarap katrabaho everybody. It fit like a glove. My character naman is I’m the eldest among the three. This is a story about a single mom and the separation and how the kids actually reacted to the separation. Ngayon lang nalalaman kung ano yung naging reaction namin. Siguro among the three of us, ako yung pinaka against the separation,” she shared during the Misis Piggy mediacon.

READ: Sylvia Sanchez is proud to work with daughter Ria Atayde in ‘Misis Piggy’: ‘Gusto ko itong ipagmalaki, ang galing ni Ria dito’

Although she already had experienced working with her real-life mom Sylvia in her very first teleserye Ningning in 2015, Ria said Misis Piggy was a different kind of challenge for her.

“It was easier than I thought it would be. I was really dreading it at the start. Pero when it happened, yung mga unang eksenang binigay sa amin iyakan. In hindsight I believe it was the best decision our director made for me as an actress. Emotional scenes are the hardest usually and then with my mom pa so I was like, ‘Oh my God can I cry in front of my mom?’ And then nung unang take pa lang, tama naman na. So it made the whole experience easier. And then I didn’t have to think na nanay ko siya kasi nanay ko talaga siya di ba? So mas madali siya in that sense. In my first show Ningning, lola siya ni Ningning and teacher ako ni Ningning. Pero this time, more than being my mom on the set, we’re able to have a professional relationship din. Like she really gave me my space and I really appreciated that. It really helped with what we were doing na. As much as she is my mom, she treated me like an actress more than anything and I appreciate that,” she admitted.

LOOK: Ria Atayde goes daring in 30th birthday shoot

During the mediacon, lead actress Sylvia was all praises for her younger co-stars especially with her daughter. When asked to comment on her mom’s praises, Ria tried hard not to get emotional with her reaction.

“I think kasi as kids you only want to make your parents proud. My mom naman has always been vocal about stuff like that. I guess it’s really different when you work with her already. Iba kasi yung mapapanuod mo. What I see on screen is a collaboration of everybody, the director, editor, lighting. It’s not just me anymore when it’s what you watch. Pero pag ka-eksena mo yung co-actor mo, yun yung pinaka-rawest form of your emotion, the rawest form of your performance. Personally with my mom, gets ko na kung bakit sinasabi ng mga tao, ‘Nakatrabaho ko na nanay mo, ang sarap niyang katrabaho.’ Kasi I’ve worked with her, but never yung anak niya ako. Nung nagka-eksena na kami, sobrang generous ng mom ko as an actress not just in terms of food or whatever but in terms of emotions. And I’m just so blessed to experience that before she goes on whatever hiatus she wants to go on. Nagawa na nila ni Arjo eh, so it’s our turn naman. I’m just so grateful and it’s great to hear that she’s proud of me and my acting,” she shared.

READ: Ria Atayde’s memorable TV projects through the years

Just like with her own family, Ria said she related to her character in many ways. “I think in terms of handling responsibilities with the family, sobrang hits close to home. So nung sinabi ni direk na aligaga ka dito ang sabi ko, ‘Ay no problem! It comes naturally.’ Pero I think in terms of being defiant sa nanay, yung sumasagot talaga, I try not to kasi medyo matindi yung kalaban ko eh in real life. Medyo let’s not try that at home (laughs). Pero in terms of the love for the family and putting the family first, I can relate hard. And I think a lot of Filipino women can relate hard. Our tradition and our culture is that girls serve the family. So medyo ganun,” she said.

Catch the new family drama series Misis Piggy now streaming on iWantTFC. Starring Sylvia Sanchez, Ricky Davao, Ria Atayde, Elijah Canlas, Iana Bernardez, Rubi Rubi, Fino Herrera, Kyle Velino, and Nikko Natividad. Written and directed by Carlo Catu.