Aside from it being another advocaserye (or advocacy series) of ABS-CBN Studios and being starred by some of the most talented and most celebrated actors in local showbiz, what makes “Sins of the Father” truly special is that it serves as the teleserye comeback of some of its cast members.
And two of them are Jessy Mendiola-Manzano and RK Bagatsing, who graced a recent episode of the TFC The Filipino Channel’s online talk show “Are You G?” wherein they talked a bit about their personal lives, showbiz careers, and their experiences in working for “Sins of the Father”—while coffee painting with host and Kapamilya showbiz correspondent MJ Felipe.
Jessy related one of the behind-the-scenes conversations she had with RK on the set of “Sins of the Father,” wherein she opened up to him about what motherhood had done to her over the past two years. She imparted how being a mother really helps her become more open by being able to put her emotions out there.
While some moms out there probably struggle to exert their 100% towards the other things that they do—like work—since their hands and minds are already full of “mommy duties,” the Kapamilya actress said that it’s actually the other way around for her. It’s because she noticed how she’s able to unleash more of herself now that she’s already a mother.
“I’m really grateful to Rosie kasi talagang siya, ‘yong anak ko, ang nagturo sa akin na mayroon palang range of emotions na pwedeng mailabas,” she stated.
Since it had already been two years since the last time that he appeared in a teleserye, RK also considers “Sins of the Father” as his TV comeback. Besides, he also mentioned that his character, Johnny Policarpio, is actually his first villain role following his unforgettable portrayal of Mayor Arnaldo Ardiente Torillo in the iconic series “Wildflower.”
And he’s apparently doing a good job as a kontrabida, as he revealed receiving hate messages from random people online who got to watch the show and witness how two-faced, gaslighting, and manipulative his character is, especially towards his wife Agnes, played by Jessy.
“It’s a realization for me na in every show, mayroon kang responsibilidad. May responsibilidad na binibigay sa’yo ang direktor mo, ‘yong character mo, and wala akong ibang iniisip every night and every scene [kundi] ma-hit ko ‘yong mga responsibilities na ‘yon. So far, may mga nagme-message sa aking gano’n [kaya] thank you,” RK shared.
As MJ mentioned during their coffee painting session how Jessy’s life has evidently changed and already revolved around Rosie over the past two years, Jessy confessed that she actually didn’t have plans to return to show business since she’s already happy and content with her life outside the spotlight.
“Dapat kasi talaga hindi na ako babalik sa showbiz. Kumbaga, I'm okay na, I'm happy na with my life, with myself,” she imparted. “Siguro si God talaga may ibang plan for me kasi itong show namin nina [Gerald Anderson at] RK, last year pa dapat ‘to. [Pero] siyempre, I had to step back muna kasi I had to think about it kung magtutuloy ba ako kasi I needed to be there for Luis, ‘di ba? But then, God had other plans tapos nagtuloy siya. Hindi ko in-expect na magiging warm ‘yong welcome sa akin ng mga tao sa pagbabalik [ko].”
Then she added, “Sa showbiz talaga, pana-panahon lang din talaga. For me, [it’s] super important na buo ka sa sarili mo, you’re happy and content with yourself before pursuing anything else again.”
When asked how she’s able to juggle her responsibilities as a mom and wife with her work commitments, Jessy said that “time management” is indeed the key. She firmly believes in balancing everything out, which also includes prioritizing her overall well-being and her happiness towards what she does. She went on to recall how her being unhealthy and unhappy with what she was doing prompted her to step back from showbiz before.
Their characters, Agnes and Johnny, may tend to always fight onscreen, but Jessy shared that she and RK are actually close behind the scenes, as they talk a lot off-cam, especially when they are in the standby area waiting for their take. And one of the topics they tackled was about the main reason behind her exciting return, which, according to her, was to finally win an acting award.
“Sabi ko, kung ang goal ko dati is just really earn kasi breadwinner ako. [But] now that iba na ‘yong purpose ko, iba na ‘yong priorities ko rin, may sarili na akong pamilya, for me, it’s more of like for Jessy naman. Gusto kong manalo ng award. So, ‘yon ang goal ko talaga,” she elaborated.
Moreover, she also doesn’t have any regrets about leaving showbiz, saying, “No regrets kasi I was healing, and now that I'm healed, I get to share that with others.”
Meanwhile, when asked by MJ if there’s still something he is thirsty for regarding his craft as an actor, RK confirmed he indeed has. As “a fan of contrasts,” he makes sure that no two of his characters are similar to each other, as well as that the personalities of his consecutive characters are very different from each other, which allows him to showcase his different facets and capabilities as an actor.
According to him, he’s now thirsty for another version of a villain, as he admitted how difficult it was for him to shake off the mark that his iconic “Wildflower” character Arnaldo has left on him and the people who got to watch the show many years ago.
“Challenge ‘yon for me na ano pa ba ang pwede kong ipakita in terms of range. As we age, nagkakaroon tayo ng iba’t ibang definition ng anger, happiness. Iba-iba siya e, so ‘yon ang challenge for me, ‘yong variety of feelings na nararamdaman natin sa araw-araw na buhay natin, ma-translate ‘yon sa trabaho natin,” he remarked.
The host then veered their conversation to their dream roles, to which Jessy enthused about wanting to play roles similar to Margaret Qualley’s relatable character Alex Russell in the heartfelt American drama series “Maid” and Kaya Scodelario’s character Susie Glass in the British action-comedy series “The Gentlemen.”
In her return to showbiz, Jessy wishes to try and explore a lot of things and characters, especially now that she and her contemporaries are not into competition anymore but growth and sharing what they’d learned through the years.
Meanwhile, being a huge fan of good sports movies, in which the main character is an underdog who went through a lot of ordeals and defeats in life in the beginning of the story and then eventually redeems himself in the end against all odds, RK aspires to star in one. It may be something like the 2006 classic biographical drama film, “The Pursuit of Happyness” but make it sports.
Catch Jessy and RK in “Sins of the Father,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5 and iWant.