Grace Under Pressure

A mainstay of the fashion and beauty scene, well-recognized on TV soaps, professional model, versatile actress, and adept TV host Angel Aquino rises to every occasion. 
By Angel Constantino
Cover photo by Jay Tablante

Published: Women's Health, October 2010
Section: Cover Story

Angel Aquino couldn't be any more different from the character she plays on ABS-CBN’s popular primetime show, Magkaribal. Vera Cruz is a mean and conniving model-turned-fashion mogul who stops at nothing to get what she wants. Her piercing stare and shrill scream are enough to make you run in the opposite direction.

Angel, in real life, is friendly and down to earth. Dressed in a plain black button-down, shorts revealing toned, kilometric legs, and sandals, she warmly greets everyone when she arrives at the cover shoot. Her smile lights up the room as she candidly talks about her career and personal life.

The fact that she can portray a character so different from her is a testament to her skill as an actress. Angel admits she enjoys playing the villain. “I was excited about the role,” she says. “It’s fun because the show is about fashion. I get to dress up, play Barbie, and be a bitch without having to feel sorry about it. It’s a pat on the back when people tell me I’m doing a good job.”

Though she never had any formal acting lessons, she gets inspiration from her idols, veteran actresses Cherie Gil and Sharon Cuneta. “I watched a lot of Pinoy movies when I was younger. I know the silhouette of a kontrabida, what their head and neck movements are.”

One aspect Angel finds challenging about the role is when she has to cry. “It’s emotionally taxing; it doesn’t come easy for me,” she admits. “I’m not a Bea Alonzo or an Erich Gonzales,” she says, referring to her younger co-stars. “When I do scenes with them, I’m surprised that they can make their tears fall without batting an eyelash," she adds. "It’s easier for me to be angry because I can draw energy from the environment and the people around me. The emotional investment is not that much compared to crying, which you have to draw out from the deepest part of your soul.”

Angel says part of being an actress is being vulnerable. “If you just open your mind and heart to the situation and to your co-actors, the perfect emotion comes out of you," she says. "I used to process a scene too much. I didn’t want to expose myself before, but now I can handle myself better. I’m less afraid and more self assured.”

Read more...
Copyright © 2010 Goddess of Light v.2

  © Blogger templates Sunset by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP