The funny side of Sharon

MANILA, Philippines – She has not done a straight comedy for quite sometime, so Sharon Cuneta welcomes doing the hilarious story of best friends fighting over the same man in Best Friends Forever (BFF) with Ai-Ai de las Alas.

“I’ve done comedies, like Megamol with Andrew E, pero ang tagal na. I was doing only dramas, like last year’s Caregiver. Here in BFF, at first, ang feeling ko, I’m just like a salimpusa kasi my co-stars Ai-Ai, Chokoleit, Joy Viado and director Wenn Deramas, they’re really identified with comedy. But later on, na-feel kong I fit na rin with the movie sa husay nilang makisama. They became my teachers pagdating sa comedy. We became so close that I felt I’d cry on our last shooting day. I really enjoyed their company and I feel na blessing sa ‘kin ang movie na ito as it shows my funny side. Whoever thought I’d get to make a movie pa with my excess weight? Pero heto, pinagkakitaan ko pa ang pagiging mataba which fits my role in BFF.”

Sharon plays a housewife married to John Estrada. They have three kids: Miles Ocampo, Nash Aguas and Carl Camo (son of songwriter Lito Camo). She has gained much weight that she’s no longer attractive to her husband, so she goes to work out in a gym where the instructor is the slim, sexy Ai-Ai. They strike it off well and quickly become the best of friends. Ai-Ai has a hunky boyfriend. What she doesn’t know is that her boyfriend is already married to Sharon. Hell breaks loose when Sharon learns the truth.

What did Sharon discover about Ai-Ai while they were shooting BFF?

“Si Ai-Ai, very simple siya,” says Shawie. “Maybe she’s always tired because of work, kaya lagi rin siyang tulog. But when you need her na on the set, gising na gising. I saw her two sons visiting us sa shooting and I saw yung love niya for them in her eyes. I also saw their respect and love para sa mommy nila. At si Ai, totoong tao siya, hindi siya plastic. She’s also generous at hindi nang-aagaw ng eksena. She helps you shine in your scenes with her.”

In the movie’s trailer, she allowed the script to make fun of her being overweight. “At first, Direk Wenn Deramas was cautious when he was telling me it’ll be incorporated in the story. So I told him right away, okay lang, totoo naman. But while we’re shooting the film, I also started dieting as I have a concert tour in the US with my daughter KC this month so I need to slim down. Also, I’m supposed to do a love story after BFF and meron pang isang offer before the year ends, so I really have to keep my weight down. While I’m in the US, I’ll also work out kahit sa treadmill lang. Hindi salamat po doktor itong pagpapayat ko. Diet lang talaga. I want to look the best I’ll ever look, that’s my promise to myself.”

Direk Wenn says they’ll show a picture of Shawie in a two-piece bikini. “It’s on the screen saver of her laptop and I saw it,” he says. “I told her, let’s show it in the movie. She agreed, so for the first time, makikita ang picture niyang naka-two piece siya.”

“It was taken noong payat pa ako,” says Sharon. “Kinunan ni Kiko. That’s without retoke or photoshop, ha. That’s when I realized nga, I have curves naman pala in the right places. After that, I got pregnant na. Natatakot nga ako, baka ’pag pumayat uli ako ngayon, masundan na si Miel,” she laughs.

Doing a movie with Ai-Ai is a dream come true for her. “Isa talaga yan sa dreams ko, e. Also working with Tito Dolphy and Ate Vi. You know naman, I’ve been a Vilmanian ever since. I really learned a lot from her on how to be a good idol, yung pakikisama at pag-a-appreciate sa tao. Hopefully, by next year, makagawa sana kami ni Ate Vi ng drama.”

She celebrated her 13th wedding anniversary with Kiko on April 28, which happened to be the wedding day of her sister, Judy Ann Santos. They became very close and considered each other as real sisters when they did the movie Magkapatid. “We celebrated our anniversary with a dinner the night before Juday’s wedding. Then we went to Batangas for the early morning wedding.”

It’s going to be election time next year and Sharon admits Sen. Kiko will run for vice president. For sure, there will be talks again that he’ll just be using her to win. “I guess that cannot be helped, but as he told nga sa isang nagtanong ng ganyan, 13 years na kaming magkasama as husband and wife, mas pangit naman kung hindi ko siya ikakampanya dahil ako ang asawa niya.”

Ate Vi is said to be pressured to run as vice president. What will she do then? “Ate Vi is also a wife and I think if it’s her husband who’d run, then it’s only to be expected na kampihan niya ang asawa niya as that’s the right thing to do. It wouldn’t take a genius to understand that you should support your own spouse. Pero siempre, nanghihinayang ako kasi kahit sinong kaibigan kong tumakbo, kung puede lang na hatiin ko ang katawan para suportahan sila, I’ll do it.”