Maricel Soriano on Being A Working Actress

The Diamond Star of Philippine Cinema has dazzled audiences with her versatility and talent for almost six decades. In an exclusive interview with Vogue Philippines, Maricel takes us down memory lane, reminiscing about her style and beauty moments from her illustrious career.

The 59-year old actress is often described in a variety of superlatives: a legend, the Diamond Star. But to herself, Maricel Soriano is the ultimate working woman. “I started in the industry at six years old,” she tells Vogue Philippines in Filipino. “For me, it was very simple. When I understood that I could help put food on the table by acting, I was ready to do anything.” She has since played all kinds of roles, which landed her various accolades from reputable awards-giving bodies, including the elusive FAMAS Awards.

The nostalgia continues as she is shown a still from the 1992 film “Ikaw Pa Lang Ang Minahal,” directed by Carlos Siguion-Reyna. It’s the final scene in the film: at her supposed wedding, Maricel Soriano’s “Adela” walks in sans-wedding gown, in a full red ensemble and enviable curls, scathingly rebuffing her groom (played by Richard Gomez) who only wanted to marry her for money.

The veteran actress’s memory is as razor-sharp as her gaze in the film still: she knows everyone who worked on this look by name, despite the film being made over three decades ago. “Ern Santiago of Santiago de Manila designed all my outfits for this film,” Soriano recalls. “My hair and makeup were by James Cooper. Diba nalalasing ‘yung mga tao sa beer? Iyon ‘yung pinang s-setting lotion niya, ‘tas nilalagyan niya ng rollers. (He used beer as setting lotion for my hair before he set them with rollers. )And the curls stay forever!” In another still, this time from 1995’s “Inagaw mo ang Lahat Sa Akin” with Snooky Serna, she dons striking blue eyeshadow as the two actresses seemingly stare at a mirror, which Soriano says was a camera trick. “It was so funny. Yung salamin namin ‘yung camera mismo. Wala naman kaming nakikita.“
(We were doing our makeup but we had to look into the camera and pretended it was a mirror, but we couldn’t see anything..)

Across her genre-spanning career spanning both film and television, Soriano has a lifetime of anecdotes. She talks fondly about film director Ishmael Bernal, whom she considers one of her mentors. “I had one-on-one workshop sessions with him,” she says excitedly. “Imagine getting workshopped by Ishmael Bernal. Special!” She reminisces on one of her favorite shooting locations, a resort called Hidden Valley in Laguna, where she shot the film “Babaing Hampaslupa.” Her character Remedios is the titular ‘vagabond woman,’ and she dresses the part. “Naka swimsuit pa ako no’n!” (I was wearing a swimsuit in that scene!) She excitedly says. “That’s where our love affair (with co-star Edu Manzano) started, so that’s why it’s so memorable for me.”

With her experience comes a sizable amount of wisdom and insight, and it would be amiss to refrain from asking her about her perspective on the Philippine film industry. Soriano reflects on people’s changing attitudes towards cinema. “‘Para bumalik na ang tao na manonood ng cine, mag re-relax sila, makampante sila na everything’s going to be okay.” (When people go to the cinema, they want to relax. For people to return to the cinemas, they have to be assured that everything is going to be okay. ) “Sana sabayin ni Papa God ang pag bless. Yung sa ikauunlad naman ng bayan natin, ganoon rin ‘yung sa ikauunlad ng industriya namin na sana, diba.” (That’s why we need to pray for the betterment of not just this industry, but for our country as well. With the development of our country and our economy comes the development of our industry.)

Soriano’s films are now available on a variety of platforms. When asked about her opinion on streaming services, she simply says, “Basta may trabaho ako, hindi ako namimili. Basta may trabajo ako, okay ako. Basta mabayaran nila ‘ko.” (As long as I have a job, and I’m getting paid.) She reflects on her journey so far, reiterating that while it comes from a love for the craft, her eyes are open to the social realities that working actors are under. “We need to get paid. Kasi ‘yung mga ginagawa namin, mapa drama o comedy, pare-parehong trabajo lahat. (Everything we do, may it be drama or comedy, it’s all work.) Hindi kaya tapatan ng pera (ang) ginagawa namin. Kaya matatawa ka nalang pag binabarat kami.” (But if you think about it, money can’t compare to the kind of work we’re doing. That’s why I laugh when people try to pay us less than what we deserve.)

“Alam mo, kahit ‘di ka artista, pwede mo ‘tong baunin kahit saang klase ng trabaho. (Even if you’re not an actress, you can take this with you,”) she says. “Ang pinakaimportanteng number one, kailangan gusto mo ‘yung trabaho mo. (The number one thing you have to consider is that you have to love what you’re doing.) Kapag ayaw mo, anong mangyayari saatin? Wala diba? Ayaw ko ‘yung pinipilit. Gusto ko ‘yung gusto ng anak ko. ‘Yun ang gagawin niyo. Kasi life niyo na yan eh, kayo ang masusunod. Hindi ‘yung dinidikta. Pati ‘yung pag aasawa, pag papakasal. (You can apply this to various aspects of your life, even when you’re dating or starting a family. I tell my kids this too. It’s your life, don’t force yourself to do something you don’t want.”)