Jo Berry, thankful to represent differently-abled people on screen

On January 5, Kapuso artist Jo Berry expressed her gratitude for the chance to represent differently-abled people on screen.

During the media conference for Little Princess, Berry said her role in the teleserye resembles her real-life personality. 

“Thankful and blessed po ako. Actually, ‘yung pinakamalapit pa lang po sa real life ko when it comes to personality ay si Princess. Kasi nga po ‘yung mga previous role ko nga po with O’Nay and as Straw sa The Gift, so medyo malayo-layo po sa akin. Ito po si Princess malapit.”

She then thanked the creative team for taking a risk on her to represent differently-abled people. 

“So thankful po ako sa risk na tinetake lagi ng creative team na bigyan ako ng very inspiring roles. Naging representative po ako ng hindi lang little people kung di ng other differently abled people.

“Isa po ‘yun sa kino-consider ko lagi kapag may ginagawa ako na mapapanood ng lahat. Kasi alam ko po nandito ako hindi lang for myself, kung di para na rin sa kanila. Since hindi naman po laging nabibigyan ng ganitong role ‘yung katulad ko na differently abled.”

She then admitted feeling anxiety with her portrayal, given her emotional state when she recently lost three of her family members in 2021.

“Ito po ‘yung pinaka-favorite ko. And proud ako na masasabi ko na, nabigay ko ‘yung puso ko sa kanya kahit ‘yung time na ‘yun alam ko hindi buo puso ko.

“‘Yun po ‘yung worry ko noong ipoportray ko siya. Natakot ako kasi everytime na may role po ako na gagawin. Binibigay ko talaga ‘yung buong puso ko. ‘Yung time na sana, ‘yung ipoportray ko, sobrang wasak ‘yung puso ko.

“So natakot ako na baka hindi ko siya magawa. Noong binasa ko nga po, sobra ‘yung pananaw niya sa buhay. Kailangan ko ‘yun ‘yung moment na ‘yun.”

Berry then recalled how her father fought for better representation of differently-abled people like her on-screen.

“Actually po, isa po ‘yan sa mga inilalaban ng Papa ko. Mula pa noon, wala pang COVID na mabigyan naman ng chance ‘yung little people not just funny roles or ‘yung binabatukbatukan sa TV. Thankful nga po ako na binigyan ako ng chance ng GMA na mag-portray ng ganitong roles kagaya ng kay Princess.”

Series directors LA Madridejos and Don Michael Perez shared their thoughts on the importance of authenticity in portraying a role.

“Ang dami nating magaling na actors eh, ang dami nating magaling na artista na sobrang dedicated once binigyan mo sila ng role na talagang prior sa pag ganap, talagang nag-aaral, nag-reresearch. Hands down to them dahil nabibigyan nila ng justice ‘yung role. Pero I agree to some extent na mas authentic kapag ganon. Pero take in consideration pa rin ang ibang factors,” said Madridejos.

“No amount of preparation, or no amount of training for any actor can equal the ability that somebody who’s the person portraying the character can provide. Kahit gaano pa kahusay ‘yung artista, iba pa rin talaga ‘yung kayang ibigay noong totoo,” Perez added.

Perez then recalled feeling homesick when he took over the second locked-in filming of the series.

“‘Yung kasi namang pagma-mount, hindi naman sa madali no, kumbaga kaya ‘yan eh. I would say ang pinaka mahirap i-over come, ‘yung homesickness. Kasi you’re away from home for a long period of time, you don’t have your loved ones with you. 

“Nag-aalala ka sa bahay, ikaw alam mong safe ka, alam mong safe ‘yung ginagalawan mo pero ‘yung mga naiwan mo sa bahay, nag-aalala ka sa kanila every single day. So salamat na lang sa social media, sa zoom we still get in touch with them.”

As for Madridejos, he lauded the unsung heroes of their series, the creative team.

“Pero kung meron akong– ang unsung heroes diyan ay ‘yung creative team eh kasi sa pagbuo pa lang ng script iniisip na nila kailangan ganito, hindi pwedeng ganito karami, hindi pwedeng ganito.” 

As for Berry’s upcoming series, Little Princess premieres on January 10, 2022, during GMA Afternoon Prime. Its cast includes Rodjun Cruz, Juancho Trivino, Angelika Dela Cruz, Jestoni Alarcon, and Geneva Cruz.

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