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Arci Munoz reveals the most challenging scenes she has done so far with Coco and Julia Sigabo

Article (news)

Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>After taking a five-year hiatus from teleseryes, fans of Arci Muñoz are surely delighted to see her back via the hit ABS-CBN Studios primetime action-drama series &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Coco Martin&#x27;s Sigabo</strong></a>.&quot; She portrays Police Lieutenant Maxene &quot;Max&quot; Jacinto—a fearless, disciplined, and highly skilled police officer from NLEA and the influential Jacinto family.</p><p>As we all know, Max is the older sister of Julia Montes&#x27; character Samantha &quot;Sam&quot; Jacinto, who—just like her, their father former PMGen Ricardo Jacinto (Edu Manzano), and their late brother RJ—serves in the law enforcement as one of the top agents of the National Crime Investigation Agency (NCIA).</p><p>While viewers are only beginning to witness Max&#x27;s journey unfold, ABS-CBN Studios recently had the chance to catch up with Arci via this exclusive interview, where she talked about her stint in &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sigabo</strong></a>.&quot;</p><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz8gWM8iRADsJr&amp;cid=AB-_7sloB7JVWBGT"></script></div><p>The talented actress began by sharing how much she enjoys working alongside Julia and the show&#x27;s lead star-director, Coco Martin.</p><p>&quot;Julia is my little sister and we get along too well, too much. We&#x27;re having so much fun on set. With Direk Coco, such professionalism that I am striving to achieve as an actor. Kaya, I look forward to every single day that we shoot and I always tell that to my manager,&quot; she related. &quot;We all just have fun but when it&#x27;s time to work, we really work. Gano&#x27;n talaga.&quot;</p><p>With regard to her preparations before stepping into the scene, Arci revealed that she has been doing martial arts training by herself nowadays. However, she hopes to eventually return to boxing and undergo training with the stunt people from the show once their schedules align. While building strength and endurance is essential for her action sequences, Arci related that her approach to dramatic scenes is much more instinctive, explaining that she&#x27;s &quot;more of the moment or the emotion.&quot;</p><p>Although getting into her character and executing the scenes have come naturally for her since she has been surrounded by an exceptional powerhouse cast, Arci confessed that the biggest challenge of returning to teleseryes has actually been adjusting her body clock.</p><p>She further admitted that she used to have a hard time getting out of bed at around 4 in the morning after being accustomed to waking up whenever she pleased for quite some time. While it took some getting used to, she has since embraced the routine, saying it has instilled not only discipline in her work but in her everyday life as well.</p><p>Asked about the most challenging scenes she has filmed so far, Arci recounted three scenes—one with Coco and two with Julia. She initially mentioned the scene where Max visited the home of Gabo&#x27;s family in Ginintuang Lupa as she tried to settle the issue surrounding the alleged involvement of the NLEA and the Jacinto family in the shooting of Gabo&#x27;s father, Rudy (Joey Marquez), who remains in a coma. But instead of directly telling Gabo and his family, Max offered them financial assistance while making it appear that the donation came from a non-government organization she supposedly represents.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/15/sigabo-gabo-nahalata-ang-tangkang-pakikipag-ayos-at-areglo-ni-max-episode-18-2246" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH | Gabo, nahalata ang tangkang pakikipag-ayos at areglo ni Max | Sigabo</strong></a></div><p>What made the scene especially unforgettable for Arci, however, was Coco&#x27;s compelling performance. She confessed to feeling intimidated by his acting, conveying that simply looking into his expressive eyes was enough for her to genuinely feel the emotions of his character.</p><p>Meanwhile, with Julia, the first scene that came to her mind was the recent heated spat between their characters, as Max—being the ate—reprimanded Sam for once again disrespecting their dad, Ricardo, after he criticized the way her team handled the case of notorious gold-smuggling syndicate leader Victor &quot;Tigre&quot; Zafra (JM de Guzman). </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/14/sigabo-sam-napaluha-nang-mabanggit-ni-max-ang-nakaraan-episode-17-2228" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH | Sam, napaluha nang mabanggit ni Max ang nakaraan | Sigabo</strong></a></div><p>She recounted how she found it difficult to scold Julia because she genuinely loves her and treats her like a younger sister off-camera. But Julia reassured her that it was definitely okay since it was all part of the job, allowing Arci to fully immerse herself in the emotionally charged scene.</p><p>Apart from that, Arci also found the bus robbery sequence remarkable because she was amazed by the sheer scale of the production and the massive crowd involved in filming it. More importantly, it was during that shoot when it finally sank in to her that she was officially back to acting after years away—and she couldn&#x27;t be more grateful.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/6/22/sigabo-gabo-hindi-napigilan-at-hinalikan-si-sam-episode-1-2255" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH | Gabo, hindi napigilan at hinalikan si Sam | Sigabo</strong></a></div><p>As for what&#x27;s in store for Max, Arci playfully said that people should watch out for the upcoming episodes since even she doesn&#x27;t have any idea about what&#x27;s going to happen next, and she&#x27;s actually just as excited as the viewers are to find out.</p><p>However, she teased that fans could expect more scorching confrontations between Max and Sam, as well as more encounters between Max and Gabo. She also hinted that viewers should brace themselves for even more intense scenes not only in Ginintuang Lupa, but inside the Jacinto household, too.</p><p>The exclusive interview concluded with Arci inviting everyone to continue following &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sigabo</strong></a>,&quot; saying, &quot;Sana subaybayan n&#x27;yo po ang susunod na episodes dahil very exciting &#x27;to!&quot;</p><p>Don&#x27;t miss the thrilling action, kilig romance, lighthearted moments, and gripping drama in the next episodes of &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/sigabo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Coco Martin&#x27;s Sigabo</strong></a>.&quot; Catch it weeknights at 8:00 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), or stream anytime on <a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>iWant!</strong></a></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>More on this story:</strong></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/20/sue-ramirez-tropang-gabo-tease-more-action-drama-and-excitement-in-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0105" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sue Ramirez, ‘Tropang Gabo’ tease more action, drama, and excitement in “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/13/behind-the-scenes-of-the-action-packed-face-off-between-gabo-and-victor-in-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0053" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH: Behind-the-scenes of the action-packed face-off between Gabo and Victor in “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/12/chanda-romero-efren-reyes-jr-talk-about-working-with-coco-martin-anew-in-sigabo-0035" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Chanda Romero, Efren Reyes Jr talk about working with Coco Martin anew in “Sigabo”</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/7/2/fun-chaos-and-kulitan-fill-the-filming-of-macho-dancing-scenes-in-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0050" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Fun chaos and kulitan fill the filming of &#x27;macho dancing&#x27; scenes in &quot;Coco Martin’s Sigabo&quot;</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/2026/6/29/look-unfiltered-off-cam-moments-on-the-set-of-coco-martin-s-sigabo-0856" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LOOK: Unfiltered off-cam moments on the set of “Coco Martin’s Sigabo”</strong></a></div>

<p>In this exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Studios, Arci Muñoz opens up about working with Coco Martin and Julia Montes, as well as the most remarkable scenes she has done with them so far, in "Sigabo."</p>

In this exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Studios, Arci Muñoz opens up about working with Coco Martin and Julia Montes, as well as the most remarkable scenes she has done with them so far, in "Sigabo."

EXCLUSIVE: Arci Muñoz reveals the most challenging scenes she has done so far with Coco Martin and Julia Montes in “Sigabo”

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EXCLUSIVE: Arci Muñoz reveals the most challenging scenes she has done so far with Coco Martin and Julia Montes in “Sigabo”

Mary Ann Bardinas

Published July 22, 2026 02:03 AM PHT

Read More:

Arci Munoz

Max Jacinto

Coco Martin’s Sigabo

Sigabo

Coco Martin

Julia Montes

Edu Manzano

Carmi Martin

Sigabo Max

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