After her stint as an antagonist, Kapamilya actress Yam Concepcion finally top bills her teleserye. She shared her thoughts on her latest role, her first lead role in a teleserye, Init sa Magdamag.
During the virtual media conference for the highly anticipated ABS-CBN Star Creatives’ teleserye, Init sa Magdamag, Concepcion said that she felt a sense of fulfillment upon landing the role.
“Syempre parang fulfilling yung pakiramdam. Kasi nga syempre after ten years, tsaka lang ako nagkaroon ng lead role. Ang tagal ko din nag-intay. So parang feeling ko magandang kwento na i-share sa mga bata na may mga pangarap.”
She then shared her piece of advice to aspirants who want to pursue their dreams.
“You know, success or dreams, it doesn’t happen overnight.
“You have to work hard for it. And, along the way, you will experience struggles, rejections, and you will question even yourself, if kaya ko ba? Andami mong insecurities.
“You have to believe in yourself. Fight for your dream. And of course, with prayers and a little bit of luck, you’ll get there.”
As for her role in Init sa Magdamag, Concepcion admitted that it challenged her as an actress and her vulnerability as a person.
“With this teleserye, na-challenge ako with more than just being sexy. Na-test yung vulnerability ko bilang actor, bilang tao din.”
She is also proud of her role, noting her character’s depth compared to her sexy image.
“Sobrang nakakaproud, dahil hindi ko rin inimagine, sa wildest dream ko na makakatanggap ako ng ganitong klaseng role. Hindi lang sya dahil sobrang init, or nagpa-sexy ako, or what. It’s deeper than that.”
Concepcion also pointed out that their new project is a collaborative effort between actors and the creative team.
“Yung totoo, yung nagdala talaga ng kwento para mapaganda eh yung nagsulat ng kwento. Yung writers, yung directors namin. So it’s not just us.
“Honestly, behind the camera, it’s all because of the people behind it, our directors, yung creatives, yung writers, lahat. So, collaborative talaga.”
As for her nuances playing her iconic kontrabida roles Jade Bartolome and Dana Wong, Concepcion admitted that she ‘somehow’ retained nuances from them. She had a hard time letting go of it.
“For two years, puro kontrabida yung pinoportray ko, parang nadala ko ata sa totoong buhay. Yung nuances na rolling of the eyes, para akong nagmumukang mataray na nadadala ko. Kahit dito kay Rita.”
Thankfully, according to her the creative team behind the teleserye assisted her in her top billing role. She also highlighted the team’s honesty as the main factor for her effective portrayal of her latest role.
“Sinasabihan naman nila ako, very honest naman yung directors namin kapag nakikita nila na o parang hindi na yan si Rita, parang nakikita namin si Jade, or parang nakikita namin si Dana Wong. So kino-correct naman nila. Wala pa naman ako sa point na ako lang, kaya ko na. Hindi ko kaya, kailangan ko yung guidance ng mga directors. Tsaka yung mga AP po namin.
“Very helpful, naman sila. And very honest. Which I like, kasi ayaw ko yung tipong “o okay na yan,” “o maganda” pero hindi pala. So talagang alagang-alaga naman.”
Concepcion also admitted that her emotional state does affect her character portrayal but noted she is gradually maturing as an actress.
“It all depends on my current situation sometimes, yung paggawa ko ng mga roles. Nag-iiba eh. Di ba parang iba-ibang mga stages ng buhay natin. Siguro nandito ako sa stage na medyo nag-mature na ko. Medyo naiintindihan ko na yung love in all aspects.”
Finally, she highlighted that she relates to her character on a personal level.
“Nakarelate din ako on a personal level. Sa lahat ng characters na ginampanan ko, I think sya yung naka-relate ako on a personal level.”
Concepcion became one of the iconic antagonists on primetime TV with her roles in teleseryes such as Halik and Love Thy Woman.
Hottest Kapamilya stars Gerald Anderson, Concepcion, and JM de Guzman top-bills the highly anticipated ABS-CBN Star Creatives series, Init Sa Magdamag. Directed by Director Raymund Ocampo and Director Ian Lorendos, the teleserye airs on April 17 on the iWantTFC app and website and WeTV iFlix. It premiers on free TV this April 19 on TV5 and A2Z channel on free TV and via digital TV boxes like ABS-CBN TVplus.
