Diana Zubiri became emotional during the media conference for ‘Mga Batang Riles’, her first television project after five years, as she reflected on her personal experiences.
In the highly anticipated GMA Prime drama-action series, Diana portrays Maying, the mother of Kidlat (Miguel Tanfelix), the leader of the ‘Mga Batang Riles’ group. Her character faces the loss of her husband, a storyline that brought back painful memories for the veteran actress.
During the media conference, Diana admitted that the scene where her character’s husband dies was particularly difficult for her. She shared that it reminded her of the loss of her first husband, Alex Lopez, who passed away in 2010. “Siguro po, ‘yung pinakamahirap na naging eksena ko is ‘yung namatay ‘yung asawa ko dito,” Diana said, visibly emotional. “Parang ayoko siyang, kasi parang nangyari siya sa akin before, so parang ayoko na siyang balikan, ayoko na mag-internalize about doon sa nangyari sa akin dati.”
Diana, who has since remarried to Andy Smith, with whom she has two daughters, Aliyah and Mimi, finds herself relating to the struggles of her character Maying as a mother, especially since her own son, King, is now a teenager. She also works alongside Miguel Tanfelix, whom she has known since he was a child, creating a strong, relatable dynamic on screen.
“Sinasabi ko sa kanya minsan na nakikita ko talaga na parang anak ko siya doon sa mga eksena kasi medyo doon sa character namin as mag-ina, medyo marami kaming mga hindi pinagkakaunawaaan,” she explained. “Minsan talagang ganun ‘yung nararamdaman ko kapag pinapagalita ko ‘yung anak ko, tas lalaki pa, lalaki ‘yung panganay ko, ‘yun talaga ‘yung magandang hugot ko dito sa show with Miguel, relatable talaga kami.”
‘Mga Batang Riles’ will make its world premiere on January 6 at 8:00 p.m. on GMA Prime.
