Dannyka Manangan

Susan Africa says her viral 'ubo-ubo acting' image is a Mandela effect

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>Veteran actress Susan Africa has finally addressed one of the internet&#x27;s favorite running jokes about her career: the belief that she is always cast as a character constantly coughing. </p><p>Known online as the &quot;Star for All Ubo,&quot; Susan candidly said the long-running joke is a case of the Mandela effect, insisting that she does not recall portraying any character who was always coughing throughout her decades-long acting career. </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DaKYZ1IGmkr/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A4965328.299999997%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Earlier this year, Susan once again became a trending topic after joining the cast of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/blood-vs-duty"><em><strong>Blood vs Duty</strong></em></a> as Dr. Teresa Reyes, the mother of Richard Gutierrez&#x27;s character, Marcus. </p><p>Netizens jokingly celebrated her &quot;career upgrade,&quot; saying she had finally moved on from her usual roles as a sickly mother, house helper, or someone from a poor family to portraying a doctor. </p><p>During the finale media conference of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/blood-vs-duty"><em><strong>Blood vs Duty</strong></em></a><em><strong></strong>,</em> as seen in a video uploaded by Kapamilya Online World, Susan laughed off the viral label and explained why she believes it is simply a Mandela effect. </p><p>&quot;Yung sinasabi kong ubo-ubo, ang interpretation ko diyan is it&#x27;s a Mandela effect,&quot; she said. &quot;Kasi kung pag-aaralan niyo, hindi naman ako umuubo sa mga roles ko eh. I don&#x27;t remember any teleserye na umubo ako actually.&quot; </p><p>According to the Cleveland Clinic, the Mandela effect is a social phenomenon in which a &quot;group of people incorrectly remember very specific details about a person, place, situation or event as if it were a reality.&quot;  The term was coined by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome in 2009 after she realized that many people, including herself, incorrectly remembered former South African president Nelson Mandela dying in prison during the 1980s. In reality, Nelson was released from prison in 1990, later became South Africa&#x27;s first Black president, and died in 2013. </p><p>Susan admitted she has portrayed characters suffering from illnesses, but maintained that constantly coughing was never part of those performances. </p><p>She recalled playing Susan Davis in the iconic 1992 series <em>Mara Clara</em>, where her character suffered a stroke, but never actually had scenes of repeatedly coughing. She also cited that the only time she was specifically instructed to cough for a role was in the 2019 comedy film <em>The Mall, The Merrier,</em> where she played Aling Mae, the owner of the herbal medicine shop called Saquit Store. </p><p>&quot;Sa <em>Mara Clara </em>nagkaroon ako ng stroke, nagkaroon ako ng sakit, pero never ako umubo. Siguro, ang naalala ko lang is &#x27;yung sa<em> The Mall, the Merrier</em> ni Vice Ganda, &#x27;yung pina-ubo niya ako talaga. Pero the rest, hindi talaga po ako umuubo, every role.&quot; </p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1327255132809628%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>She then jokingly challenged viewers to prove her wrong. </p><p>&quot;Pakitaan niyo ako ng video na umuubo ako sa teleserye and I will give five-thousand pesos,&quot; she joked. </p><p>Several netizens commented on how, for years, they have also believed that Susan had actual coughing scenes.  </p><p>&quot; Hala totoo ba? Akala ko lahat ng role nya umuubo sya?,&quot; one wrote.  </p><p>&quot;Huwag mo na silang hamunin madam baka gawan ka pa nila ng AI na umuubo ka 😆,” another added.  </p><p>Whether or not the famous &quot;ubo-ubo acting&quot; really happened, the joke has become one of the most recognizable internet memes attached to Susan&#x27;s career. </p><p>Throughout the years, the veteran actress has appeared in numerous hit television series and films, including<em> </em><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/batangquiapo"><em><strong>FPJ&#x27;s Batang Quiapo</strong></em></a><em><strong></strong>, Dirty Linen, The Broken Marriage Vow, The Hows of Us</em>, and many more. </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-3" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DV0AD4lETGR/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A3%2C%22os%22%3A4966430.299999997%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-3" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Susan has even embraced the viral image, starring in a cough medicine commercial where she humorously demonstrated different styles of coughing, highlighting the pacing, pauses, and breathing techniques behind each one.</p>

<p>Veteran actress Susan Africa has finally addressed one of the internet's favorite running jokes about her career: the belief that she is always cast as a character constantly coughing. </p>

Veteran actress Susan Africa has finally addressed one of the internet's favorite running jokes about her career: the belief that she is always cast as a character constantly coughing.