The all-around Kapamilya actress for 15 years, Sue Ramirez, is receiving widespread praise once again from viewers as she delivers back-to-back compelling and heart-wrenching performances as Mel Barrera-Montenegro in Kapamilya suspense-thriller series “What Lies Beneath.”
In the tenth episode of BRGY Season 4, host Bianca Gonzalez finds that there is nothing “lying beneath” Sue other than excitement for her shining career. The multi-talented actress shared that she is happier and more passionate than ever, coupled with a matured outlook on the entertainment industry and an unexpectedly deepened love for acting.
When speaking of her gradual growth as an actress, starting from supporting roles before finally bagging leading lady titles, she expressed, “It really humbled me… going through wala talaga. [‘Yung] literal na minsan isa [o] dalawang eksena ka lang sa isang araw, hanggang sa isang buong call sheet ikaw na [pala] ‘yung nandoon.”
Sue embraced her waiting period, describing it as a time when she had gained valuable insights, worked with a variety of personalities, and was able to experiment with her versatility with diverse roles.
She felt the success more intensely when it finally came to her, looking back with fondness at her younger self who once lined up and auditioned outside the entrance of ABS-CBN. “I was 13 years old, but at that time parang something was really telling me na may kalalagyan ako sa industriya,” Sue conveyed.
For the mini-game “PUR-SUE or FORGO,” the actress happily answered questions about acting stereotypes, connecting with complex roles, and her return to music.
Sue simultaneously attracted the fascination and ire of viewers for her sensational performance as Lexy Lucero in “The Broken Marriage Vow.” When asked about playing the shameless mistress role for a second time, she is indeed willing to “pur-sue” the idea. “It’s much of a beautiful challenge… If you’ve done it before, how are you going to switch it up?” she added.
In connecting with her role as Lexy, she felt a lot of pain, particularly in the depth of the character being overlooked. “If you do a role [kasi], kayo ‘yung magkakampi… You need to understand where she is coming from fully… nalulungkot ako ‘pag hindi nila nakikita na biktima din si Lexy nung situation,” she explained.
On the topic of Sue’s interest in music, she quipped that she has actually been ready for an album for 15 years, highlighting that she sang during her first audition and didn’t actually know that she had the ‘actress’ in her.
“Music really was my first love [and] still is my first love… I do it in private more than you guys could ever imagine,” she emphasized. She went on to list her go-to karaoke songs, which include Alanis Morissette, Imago, Moonstar88, The Corrs, and 4 Non Blondes.
For the love-laden segment, “PU-SUE-AN MO,” Sue wholeheartedly detailed more of her personal life, especially her loving relationships with her family and her boyfriend, Dominique Roque.
The first to go beyond Sue’s love meter is, of course, her mother, Chit Dodd. Proven to be her number one fan, her mother brings her name everywhere she goes and even notices the ‘chismis’ Sue doesn’t know about. “Our home growing up was always filled with love, sometimes tough love from our mom, but you know, alam namin na pinalaki kami nang maganda,” Sue shared.
Next to also surpass her love meter are her siblings, who selflessly support their youngest in her acting endeavors. Some of the heartwarming stories include one of Sue’s brothers skipping work just to take her to an early morning taping and one of her sisters choosing to commute to work so Sue could borrow a car for her schedules.
“Outside of our home, if people criticized me… I didn’t really care that much because I went home to a loving home,” she spoke.
Finally, her boyfriend, fellow actor Dominique Roque, also undoubtedly exceeded her love scale, being the one who gives her love and support no matter what she does. “The trust is the good foundation in the relationship… kampante kami sa isa’t isa,” she said.
“Ayaw niya lang manood ng mga films ko. Ang ganda ko kasi, ayaw niyang makita na may partner ako na iba,” Sue joked.
For her current project, “What Lies Beneath,” Sue describes the series as one she’d never done before. “May horror na ako na ginawa, but ito kasi mas internal ‘yung reactions,” she clarified.
Prioritizing professionalism as well as proper representation, Sue carefully detailed her character, Mel Barrera-Montenegro, as an abused wife. “We don’t want to offend anybody [na] magkamali kami sa representation na ginagawa namin sa mga babaeng inaabuso,” she stated.
Her preparation for the series centers on trusting the script and directors, and while every episode is emotionally heavy, focusing on the wrongfully accused, abused women and children, and injustices in general, the main cast never forgets to have fun.
“We owe it to each other na galingan talaga ‘yung project na ito… Alam namin kung gaano ka-talentado ‘yung isa’t isa, and responsibility na namin bilang mga aktress na darating kami doon na handa,” she remarked.
As she concluded her BRGY interview, she effortlessly responded to the day’s question about finding the words that truly matter in an industry where criticism never stops. “Sa industriya na maraming alingawngaw, ‘pag umuwi ka at strong ‘yung foundation mo at hindi ka nakulangan ng pagmamahal, hindi na importante ‘yung sinasabi ng iba pa,” she advised.
Watch Sue’s portrayal of Mel Barrera-Montenegro in “What Lies Beneath,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5, and iWant.