New narrative possibilities in Love of My Life?

“The ending is not what I personally expected it to be.”

That was Carla Abellana speaking of what one will look forward to the narrative of Love of My Life in a recent media call. The Kapuso Telebabad drama-romance’s airing and taping were interrupted by the pandemic last March. Following health protocols and production lock-in guidelines, the Love of My Life cast and crew were able to resume work. Good news is new episodes will be aired after the show’s recap of previous episodes, which has already commenced. Watch it weeknights at 9:20.

“If (viewers) thought that the story would end with Stefano’s (played by Tom Rodriguez) death because it is about the love of his life,” added Carla, “…ang dami pa palang pwedeng mangyari, ang dami pa palang pwedeng puntahan nung kwento (There was more to it. There were many possibilities the story could explore and go). Definitely, ako at first, sabi ko, ‘Wait, bakit parang papunta dito yung kwento (I told myself, ‘Why does the story seem to go this way?’).”

Like any compelling drama, Love of My Life will surprise viewers. Following Carla’s line of thought, one may think that the series will not conclude the way most expect it to end.

Aside from wrapping her head around the new normal on-set working, the actress had to revisit and be reconnected with her character Adelle.
“(It) was a bit difficult for me,” Carla said, “I didn’t look back anymore. I focused too much on the remaining seven scripts in what I had to do. Reading the seven remaining scripts took me several days, it was really overwhelming. But thankfully, our scripts were easy to read.”

The actress in Carla can easily shed tears in emotionally-charged scenes with or without preparation. However, there was one scene shot in her first taping day when she could not cry. “I don’t know why, baka siguro effect na rin ng pandemic,” she shared. Everything went smoothly after that.
The pandemic is a disruptor but thespians like Carla are resilient to embrace the changes it has brought to the fore.

“A lot of the characters either had to be changed or adjusted in a way we no longer see them,” said Carla. “We would mention them in our lines.” This is true because some actors are children while some adults were not able to secure the medical clearance. She added that the look of some characters and the continuity were also affected, for instance, “we could no longer tape at the mansion or at the house which was established to be our (characters’) home.” One thing is for sure: The intertwined personal stories of Isabella, Adelle, Nikolai and Kelly (portrayed by Coney Reyes, Carla, Mikael Daez and Rhian Ramos) will continue to unfold.

Being able to work again is one of the blessings Carla has received during this unprecedented time.

“May work kaming binalikan,” she said. “Thankfully, Love of My Life is still there. We were able to come back and finish the show. That’s one of the things I am grateful for this year. There was work waiting for us. We are grateful to our network and everybody else behind the show. (It is) a good way to end the year.”

The actress also acknowledged the reflective space these trying times have given everyone to be appreciative of the people around them and the life they have.

“Definitely, (there is) a lot of reflecting (going on),” Carla said, “not just about ourselves, but honestly ako more on everybody else around me. I’ve become more sensitive towards others. I may not know how they feel, but I am more conscious about the way I behave, I act and I speak around them… parang during this pandemic naging pantay-pantay tayong (lahat), walang special… walang hindi nahirapan… pare-pareho tayong lahat.” With its “equalizer effect,” the global health crisis has humbled everyone. Perhaps Carla will add these new insights to her acting tools for future assignments.